Walsall Head Coach Mat Sadler has spoken to the local press and sought to clarify the reason behind his decision to select Jamille Matt ahead of Danny Johnson against Colchester United at the weekend.Matt, who made his first start of the season as the Saddlers defeated the visiting U's on Saturday afternoon, has come under increasing scrutiny over recent weeks with certain sections of the fanbase seemingly not seeing what the gaffer does.
Chatting to the media shortly after the Saddlers secured the win thanks to Isaac Hutchinson's second-half strike, Sadler insisted Matt earned his spot in the team and can offer something different to the team when called upon.
Speaking via the Express & Star, Mat said; "I am blessed with five strikers who offer different things for different times. Colchester are a big strong team and I needed to be aware of that, especially their centre-backs.
"Jamille has been there, seen it, and done it in this division, over a lengthy period of time. His reputation in this division is unmatched in many respects, in what he does for the team, the guy that he is – he gave us something different and put in a fantastic performance.
"I was so pleased for him that we ended up on the right side of it and he got the standing ovation that he deserved because he gave everything."