No pre-season and injuries - inside Jake Hollman's tough start at Walsall

He crumpled to the floor inside the box and clutched his hamstring in pain. The look on his face and the manner in which he went down suggested it was serious. 

Injury compounds early Walsall challenges

And Sadler confirmed those worst fears on Tuesday night as he revealed that Hollman will miss the rest of the season.

It has only compounded what has been an extremely challenging few months since he took the plunge and moved to England last summer. 

His arrival at Walsall was a curious case. He was flagged up via the club's third party scouting database after making his name with Macarthur FC in the Australian A-League. 

One of the biggest issues for Hollman was that he was unable to participate in pre-season because he was waiting in Sweden for six weeks as the relevant paperwork was completed. 

By the time his work permit was granted, Hollman headed over to Gloucestershire to meet the Walsall coaching staff and his new teammates after their final pre-season friendly at Forest Green Rovers. 

There would be no time for preparation and Hollman would spend the following weeks playing catch-up. He was essentially thrown in at the deep end - all while acclimatising to his new surroundings on the other side of the world. 

All of these factors have contributed to his early challenges at Walsall and that was before he had to adapt to the physical rigours of English football. 

Walsall legend Jimmy Walker once told me that you're never going to catch-up without a pre-season under your belt. The nature of his performances suggest the same has been true of Hollman.

One step forward, two steps back for Hollman

Hollman flattered to deceive on his three cameos from the bench in League Two and did little to stake a claim when called upon in cup competitions. 

According to first team coach Darren Byfield, Hollman had been working relentlessly hard to bulk up in the gym, but a hamstring issue served as another setback in October. 

His work in the shadows finally appeared to be paying dividends when he impressed off the bench in a 2-1 comeback win at Stevenage in the EFL Trophy round of 32 in early December. 

He flew out of the traps upon his introduction - threading a perfectly-weighted through ball into the path of Rico Richards to equalise. 

League minutes remained elusive but the EFL Trophy trip to Northampton Town offered him another chance to shine. 

His first team prospects had been boosted in the wake of Ryan Finnigan's recall by Blackpool earlier this month. 

But it has been one step forward and two back from the moment he joined Walsall. 

Now, Hollman, who has 18 months left on his current deal, will need to rebuild again.