Walsall duo poised for rare chance to shine in EFL Trophy tie at Northampton
Mat Sadler is set to use the EFL Trophy to provide Walsall pair Jake Hollman and Rico Richards with minutes at Northampton Town in the round of 16 on Wednesday.
Hollman has not figured since a bright cameo from the bench during the Saddlers' 2-1 win at League One side Stevenage in the previous round.
The Australian set-up the first of two goals scored by Richards, who has only played once since opening his goal scoring account for the club.
Illness kept Port Vale loanee Richards out of the festive fixtures, but Sadler has suggested that both will be involved at the Sixfields Stadium.
Northampton tie set to provide rare chance for Walsall pair
"Undoubtedly in terms of game time for both of them and a few others," Sadler replied when asked if Hollman and Richards will feature in midweek.
"The plans for both of them is that they will remain in the squad and both are searching for more minutes.
"Northampton will be a very useful game for us to look for some good game time for them."
Richards has started every game in the EFL Trophy, but has amassed just 44 minutes across his four appearances from the bench in League Two.
Hollman has not featured in the league since August after arriving from A-League outfit Macarthur FC on a free transfer in the summer.
'We want them fit and firing' - Sadler on Hollman and Richards
Sadler added: "As I highlighted previous with both, it's a bit of a pain at times not having regular fixtures for them to play in to get that match fitness and sharpness.
"We try our best with training games etc, but there's nothing quite like the real thing. We expect them to play in that game [at Northampton], but beyond that, who knows?
"We just want them to be fit and firing, and as I say, I want the squad to be nice and strong."
