How Walsall's seven 2023-24 loanees have fared this season

The Saddlers threatened to break into the play-off picture with a couple of strong runs but ultimately fell short after collecting just 11 points from the last 33 available. 

That saw them miss out on the top seven by five points but David Okagbue and Josh Gordon re-joined the club permanently while the other five pursued futures away from Bescot. 

Here is the rundown on how each of Walsall's loanees from last season have fared since.

The diminutive Irishman enjoyed a promising start to life at Walsall - scoring and registering an assist on his debut in a 4-3 defeat at Blackburn Rovers in the EFL Cup in August last year. 

He added two more goals to his tally against Sheppey United and Morecambe but found his minutes limited after suffering two separate hamstring injuries towards the end of 2023. 

In total, Tierney scored three goals and set-up three more in 35 appearances across all competitions. 

Since leaving Bescot, Tierney returned to his native Ireland to re-join former club Bohemians and has scored five times in 17 appearances so far. 

Faal joined Walsall on loan from Albion in January following the recall of Freddie Draper from Lincoln City. 

The 21-year-old had scored nine goals in all competitions for fellow League Two outfit Doncaster Rovers during the first half of the campaign and added six more to his tally at Bescot. 

He scored his only goal for Albion upon his return to the Hawthorns in a 2-1 defeat at Fleetwood Town in the League Cup in August. Faal then left the Baggies for League One side Wrexham on transfer deadline day for a club record fee of £500,000.

The Gambian frontman has found his minutes limited to a pair of cameos from the bench in the recent back-to-back draws against Huddersfield Town and Charlie Athletic respectively. 

Faal has started both games in the EFL Trophy and scored his first goal for the club in a 3-0 win over Wolves under-21s in October. 

Draper scored 10 goals and set-up three more in 21 league appearances on loan at Walsall during the first half of last season including his first senior hat-trick in a 3-3 draw at Newport County in October 2023.

The 20-year-old was recalled by Lincoln in January and scored twice in 15 appearances as the Imps narrowly missed out on the League One play-offs by just two points. 

He has netted twice in 12 league outings so far this term although he has had to settle for cameos from the bench in the past two games in the league.

Adegboyega initially had to bide his time following his winter arrival on loan from Championship outfit Norwich City. 

The defender made his debut as a late substitute in Walsall's 4-0 defeat at Southampton in the FA Cup third round but had to wait until mid-February for his maiden EFL appearance. 

He was introduced at half-time after Priestley Farquharson was forced off due to injury and capped his League Two bow with the winning goal in a 2-1 triumph. 

The Irishman ultimately scored three goals in his first four games while his introduction coincided with a five-match winning streak. 

Adegboyega lost his starting place for the final four games and headed out on loan to Scottish outfit Dundee United in the summer. 

The 20-year-old scored his first goal for the club in a 1-0 win at St Mirren and has made 11 appearances so far to help propel the Tangerines into fourth spot.

Griffiths arrived on a season-long loan from Premier League side Wolves on transfer deadline day in September last year. 

He had made his debut for Wolves in a 5-0 victory over Blackpool in the League Cup just days before but found minutes hard to come by at Bescot. 

Instead, Griffiths was reduced to just 13 minutes from the bench in League Two which came at the end of a 4-0 drubbing at rock bottom Sutton United in October. 

The midfielder would make two appearances in the EFL Trophy but was eventually recalled in January. Griffiths was unable to head out on another loan having played for two clubs in EFL competition but twice made the bench for Wolves in the Premier League.

However, he has largely been with the under-21s again although he still has just under two years left to run on his current deal at Molineux. 

After a stuttering start to life with the Saddlers, Okagbue returned from an ankle injury in October 2023 and eventually became an ever-present in defence. 

He finished his debut season at Bescot with 35 appearances and scored his first goal for the club in a 2-1 home victory over Accrington Stanley in February. 

Okagbue rejected a contract extension from his parent club Stoke City and returned to Walsall on a two-year deal in the summer. 

The Irishman has starred for Walsall on 18 occasions in all competitions this term and recently surpassed 50 appearances for the club.

Josh Gordon returned for his second spell at Walsall when he arrived on loan from League One side Burton Albion in January. 

He netted just once in 21 league appearances during the second half of last season which came in a 3-1 victory over Doncaster Rovers at Bescot in March. 

The forward re-joined permanently on a two-year deal in the summer and opened his goal scoring account for the campaign in a 4-0 demolition of Swindon Town at the County Ground in August. 

However, he had to be replaced when he suffered a hamstring injury during his celebration before returning the following weekend in a 1-0 defeat at Tranmere Rovers. 

He lasted 58 minutes in Merseyside but pulled up inside 18 minutes in a 2-1 win over Cheltenham Town. That was his 150th appearance for the club but the frontman is not expected to return until mid-January after undergoing surgery.