Aaron Wildig's return a timely boost for Shrewsbury Town, says Mike Jackson

The former Cardiff City man had not played since January 11 owing to a quad injury, but made his comeback as a substitute in last weekend's dramatic home win over Bradford. He came off the bench for a much longer run-out in the 0-0 draw at Carlisle on Tuesday night, with Jackson now having to decide how best to use him for this afternoon's trip to Walsall.

The boss said: "We've got him back and it's just managing him now. Ninety minutes is what you want from him but he might be ready to do 60 and not 90.

"We've got to bear that in mind when we're picking a side for Walsall and moving forward because if we lose him we're down to bare bones with midfield players so we've got to be really careful."

Dave McAllister picked up an injury against Bradford and Luke Summerfield has been sidelined since New Year's Day. Wildig, Ryan Woods and Asa Hall are the fit central midfielders at Jackson's disposal. First-year scholar Niall Flint was a substitute at Carlisle. The 16-year-old Shropshire lad, from Newport, has trained with the first team for the last six weeks after impressing in the youth and reserve sides.

Jackson has welcomed the return of striker Tom Bradshaw to training well ahead of schedule. The Wales under-21 international suffered a knee injury in training last month and it was initially feared he could be out for up to 10 weeks.

But Bradshaw, with five goals this season, resumed training in half that time and is pencilled in for a reserve team run next week. Jackson said: "Credit to Tom as he's worked hard."

Ryan Woods, meanwhile, will put an old family tradition to one side for today's clash.

The 20-year-old utility player said: "My dad's always been a Walsall supporter and I was as well when I was younger, I used to go home and away.

"I used to follow them for a couple of seasons until I left Walsall and came to Shrewsbury. But my dad will be supporting Shrewsbury today – he's got to!"

* Town season ticket holders and fans buying a full-price ticket for next Saturday's home game against Stevenage can 'bring a friend' for £5 (£1 for under-12s). For more details on the club's The Great Escape 2014 ticket offer, visit tinyurl.com/qan8cdx