Walsall Head Coach Mat Sadler has revealed he was close to handing 16-year-old scholar Dylan Thomas his first professional start in Tuesday evening's EFL Trophy defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion Under-21s.Thomas, who forms part of the Saddlers' Under-18s team, has risen to prominence over the last few months after taking part in pre-season, where he impressed coaches and managers alike.
Sadler, who has made no secret of his desire to reward young prospects with more playing time, insisted Thomas earned his place in the team through hard work and more than deserves his place in the side.
Speaking via the club's official website, Mat said; "He is 16-years-old, he has come and trained with us most days throughout the season so far and every time he comes up you think today is going to be the day that he isn’t quite going to be at it and he never looks like that.
"He has earned that appearance tonight not through anything other than the way he trains with us day in, day out.
"I thought about starting him tonight if I am being honest but in the end, I chose not to but I am glad that we got him some minutes."
Dylan's whirlwind week is set to continue as he is due to collect his GCSE results on Thursday morning, and we'd like to wish him all the best on the day.