Walsall Player-Coach Mat Sadler believes plenty of players are starting to make a real impact on the team in.
The Saddlers are now six unbeaten and have won their last two games against promotion chasing sides.
Sadler listed a number of players who have made their mark on the team recently in different ways.
He compared midfielder Sam Perry to Everton defender and his former teammate Ben Godfrey and also praised Captain James Clarke.
“I think the list probably extends in terms of impact,” he explained.
“I think you could add James Clarke’s impact since he came back from injury, he’s been monumental and a real captain of the football club and a real leader in the dressing room.
“He’s somebody without question who has had a big impact since come back from his injury, we’ve missed him. You go down the list again and Liam Kinsella goes about his business day in day out, he’s an incredible professional and he’s somebody you love having in your squad.
“He doesn’t give the manager or coaching staff any issues, he just goes about his work and does it very well and become an extremely important and effective footballer for this football club and he should be lauded for the positive impact he’s had this season.
“Sam Perry, I’ve said to the manager and I’ve heard him say in a press article that the way Sam goes about his business makes my job easier.
“I was thinking about it and I liken it to the impact Ben Godfrey had when I played with him. He made it so I didn’t have to defend as much, you don’t have to defend as many balls with Ben or Sam in your team. Different players of course but the impact both have had, I liken it to that, just nit it all together and make you defend less balls that you have to and on a team that’s a significant positive to have.
“Not least then you open up his passing ability, his composure on the football and his decision making but for me back there, he’s mopping up a lot in front of me.
“You then go to the creative side of Emmanuel Osadebe who is somebody throughout this whole season we’ve been desperate to see have the impact he’s now having because it’s all there, it’s been there and we want to see more of it because he’s a fantastic talent and if he wants to, he can go from strength to strength because it’s all there.”
The Saddlers travel to Colchester United tomorrow who are currently 22nd in Sky Bet League Two.
Sadler is expecting the U’s to bring high intensity and the 36-year-old insists Brian Dutton’s side must match that.
“I’d expect they’d be fighting for their life,” he said.
“They’re a football team who will be desperate to pick a result up, they’ll be desperate for their manager who’s had a couple of games now and they’ll be desperate to get that win to help push them up the table or to help secure a bit of breathing space. They’ll be absolutely fighting for their lives so we’ll have to match that as a starting point. We have to match that intensity and desire if we want to get anything from the football match.
“Match that first and then hopefully you see the creative side that we have, like we saw on Tuesday night with your Rory Holden’s and Tyreik Wright’s coming to the forefront and then hopefully securing us a win but first and foremost, we have to match the intensity that they bring.”