Mat Sadler responds to questions over Harry Williams' Walsall absence

The 22-year-old  last featured in a goalless draw against Gillingham at the Priestfield Stadium on March 22 and was not involved once again in the Saddlers' 2-0 defeat in Barrow on Saturday. 

Donervon Daniels was handed his first league start since November while David Okagbue was brought on in the latter stages in Cumbria.

Williams' prolonged absence has fuelled speculation surrounding his future, with Williams among 13 Walsall players yet to put pen to paper on a new deal beyond this summer.

When asked why Williams continues to be left out, Sadler responded: "Harry has played and Harry is continually available for selection. As we spoke about, we've had to jink things around to get the desired effect. 

"That has been the same for many other players who we've tried to move things around for to yield clean sheets, results and stuff like that. 

"So Harry comes into our thoughts as he has done continually and we just have to decide what the right team to play is." 

Walsall have collected just two wins from 17 games in League Two and will drop out of the top three if Doncaster Rovers beat Salford City on Tuesday night.

But Sadler feels his team can recover from this "tough period" just as they did in the aftermath of their last defeat at Barrow earlier in his reign in November 2023.

"When we were here last season that was a tough time. Barrow away, it's got that feeling to it and we had some good reactions off the back of that," he added.

"We'll keep working to have exactly the same as what we had before from me and then we'll move forward. 

"There has to be a line in the sand to move forward from. The challenges are there, it's up to us to work through them and it's up to us to work hard enough to work from them."