by Chris Bailey
THE man they call ‘deckchair' is starting to feel part of the furniture at Walsall – now Jordy Hiwula is hoping his goals can fire the Saddlers into the Championship this time around.
The 21-year-old left Manchester City for Huddersfield over the summer but, much like last season, has wound up back on loan at the Banks' Stadium for the run-in.
He hit nine goals in 19 appearances in 2014-15 though they were all struck in vain as Walsall's promising campaign fizzled out into a mid-table finish.
That's not likely to happen this time around, however – automatic promotion is still a possibility and Hiwula has played a key role since returning to the club in March, not least with last week's 88th-minute winner against Southend.
Indeed, the Manchester-born striker is likely the type of character who can hold his nerve during a promotion push, having been christened ‘deckchair' by his former PE teacher for his laidback attitude at school.
And while the managers have changed – Dean Smith was in charge this time 12 months ago, now it's Jon Whitney on an interim basis after Sean O'Driscoll's departure in March – a settled Saddlers squad have a far better shot this year according to Hiwula.
“It's just the perfect fit for me, coming into my second spell and this time we are going for promotion,” said Hiwula, whose goal against Southend was his third since starting his second spell at the Saddlers. “It's exciting times at Walsall.
“It's mostly still the same bunch of lads from last season and it helps when you know each other because you can pick up from where you left off.
“This group has been together for two years now and being together that time I think has been the difference between challenging at the top of the table and not.
“We've managed to grind out results and come the end of the season, hopefully it's something we will have built on.
“Everyone around the club knows what Jon Whitney is like and how good he is with us. Hopefully we can keep grafting hard for him and each other to hopefully get that promotion.”
Hiwula had signed a contract at Man City that kept him tied down until 2016 but decided to leave for Huddersfield in search of first-team football.
Not one to twiddle his thumbs on the bench, he then secured a season-long loan at Wigan after it became apparent that his first-team opportunities would be limited this year.
That move was cut short in February after making just ten appearances, and Wigan's loss is very much looking like Walsall's gain with both teams now promotion rivals in League One.
“I was at Wigan for the start and I didn't play as much as I wanted so I got called back by Huddersfield,” admitted Hiwula. “I wasn't sure at that stage if I was going to go back out, but then I knew of Walsall's interest again and because they were challenging for promotion I thought that I would love to go back.
“As a young player I want to play as much as possible. When I'm not involved in a squad it's a strange situation for me and I don't like not being involved.
“So even if I had to drop down two leagues I'd want to, because I know that's how I'm going to get better.
“It would obviously have been hard to break through at Man City, but growing up at a big club, you learn a lot.
“I played in lots of different positions in different types of teams, and it helped me move on to a new stage in my career. I'm glad I started there.”
Perhaps Walsall was always meant to be for Hiwula – though a return to the West Midlands for a third time once his loan spell is up is not currently on the radar.
“It's something I've not even thought about,” he added. “I just want to keep pushing on strong, hopefully be involved in the rest of the matches here and play a big part in promotion.”
