Comment: The numbers behind Aaron Pressley's recent struggles at Walsall
It felt like the penny had finally dropped for Aaron Pressley when he scored a second half double to propel Walsall to a comeback victory over Bristol Rovers on October 4.
Pressley, who arrived from Stevenage on a three-year deal in the summer, had made a relatively promising start to life at Walsall.
There were still question marks over his record in front of goal, but his work in other areas compensated for the odd miss.
He worked hard in the press, won plenty of his duels and helped bring others into play. It almost felt as if he was the type of striker that didn't need to find the net in order to have a good game.
So, there was a great deal of excitement when he delivered a match-winning double to bring his season tally to four goals.
The issue now is that he has not scored since, but what is perhaps more concerning is that his industrious displays from the early weeks of the season have faded dramatically.
If you compare his numbers in the first 11 games to his last five, Pressley has won 11 per cent fewer of his aerial duels, while his amount of touches per game (30) have dropped by over half (14).
He previously hit the target with 64 per cent of his 11 attempts, a figure which has reduced to just 20 per cent from five shots.
His lack of confidence in the final third is also reflected in the numbers. The Scotsman scored four goals in his first 11 outings - out-scoring his xG of 2.88 by +1.12.
Since, Pressley has made a habit of spurning gilt-edged chances, failing to score in any of his last five with an xG of 1.47.
He hit the post with a tame header in the final minute of a 2-1 defeat against Barrow, blazed over a great opening in the 1-0 loss at Cheltenham, and failed to keep his volley down from close-range at Newport County.
But his showing in the 2-0 defeat against Colchester United on Saturday was perhaps his most disappointing yet, although he was by no means the only player to underwhelm.
He lost seven of his 11 aerial duels, completed just 29 per cent of his passes and touched the ball inside the opposition box just once.
Pressley was replaced 10 minutes into the second half as a consequence, as his drought rumbled on in dismal fashion.
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