Fakenham footballer Ryan Jarvis is ready to put his 'strange' season behind him and make an impact at his new club.

The 25-year-old, formerly Norwich City's youngest ever player, brought his three-season spell at Leyton Orient to an end this summer with a League One switch to Walsall.

And the striker hopes his move to Dean Smith's Saddlers will prove to be a good one for his career.

'Sometimes, when you go through rough patches and you're with a manager who hasn't got that faith and doesn't really want you, it's nice to know there are still managers there who like you,' said Jarvis.

'I know the gaffer and I'm pretty chuffed I'm working with him again. He was a major factor in coming here.

'Last season was strange, I only started six games or something stupid like that and scored four goals.

'I couldn't do much more but for some reason I found myself on the bench. That's the way football goes, so hopefully I can have a good season here.

'I did feel like I was going backwards last season, not through the fault of my own efforts because I always give 100pc but I wasn't getting the games. There's not much you can do if you're not on the field.'

By one of those footballing quirks of fate, Walsall's League One campaign starts with the visit of Orient on August 6.

'As soon as I saw the fixtures come out I noticed that one straight away, hopefully I can hit the back of the net,' Jarvis told the Express and Star.

'I can't wait for the season to start. My body shape has changed already and we've only been training for a few weeks.

'We've been doing a lot of power work, which is a massive thing in the game at the moment. I haven't done the power stuff since I was a kid so it's good to do it again.'