Dean Smith in Richard O'Kelly Saddlers return hint

Walsall boss Dean Smith today revealed he is hunting a new No.2 and refused to rule out a move for Richard O'Kelly.

The manager wants an assistant and could turn to O'Kelly – available after leaving Hereford following their relegation from League Two.

Former Saddlers striker O'Kelly spent five months coaching at Walsall on a voluntary basis last season before taking the Bulls job in March.

But he failed to save them from the drop, leaving earlier this month, and Smith left the door open for a return.

"I'll be looking to bring in an assistant manager," said Smith. "The time frame to the end of last season was not long enough to go and get someone in permanently when Richard left.

"I've got irons in the fire, we'll see where we go later, and Richard will be under consideration but he might have other offers as well.

"If the opportunity arises for us to work with him again we'll see.

"He's very good at his job but we've got irons in the fire for other people as well.

"I've got an idea who I'd like but whether or not I get that person I don't know. We'll wait and see how long it takes and move into that when we get there."

New Crawley boss Sean O'Driscoll is keen to tempt O'Kelly to the Broadfield Stadium after the pair worked at Bournemouth and Doncaster together.

But O'Kelly is believed to have concerns about commuting from his Midlands base to the League One new-boys.

Smith was O'Kelly's boot boy when the pair were players at the Saddlers and admitted he loved coaching with him.

"Richard was fantastic and a breath of fresh air when he came in," he said. "I'd been doing it pretty much on my own with Jon Whitney and Chris Nicholl as an advisor so it was good to have a bit of thinking time when Richard came in.

"Certainly as a manager you do need that support and need to give yourself that thinking time."

Head of youth Neil Woods initially replaced O'Kelly but has told Smith he wants to return to his old role.

Meanwhile, striker Ryan Jarvis has signed a one-year deal at Torquay, where he spent a successful loan spell, after being released by the Saddlers.