Bristol Rovers manager Steve Evans likened Tottenham loanee Yusuf Akhamrich to England striker Ivan Toney after he put the Gas on course for a 2-0 win over promotion-chasing Walsall at the Memorial Stadium.
The winger, 20, underlined his potential when he broke the deadlock after 61 minutes with a third goal in two games for lowly Rovers as he applied a cool left-footed finish after being played in by Shaq Forde.
“There’s no doubt we stepped up after the interval, we got a foothold in the game and then we took advantage of an error,” Evans said.
“But when I saw young Yusuf go through, I just think it’s going to be a goal because he’s got such fantastic finishing talent.
“People talk about Yusuf having a big future, and Yusuf definitely does have a big future but there will be times where Yusuf’s sat beside me on the bench.
“That’s because what we’re not going to get is 20 special games off a young man who’s come out and playing with men and learning his trade and he appreciates that.
“But what you get with special young men, I found it with Ivan Toney at Peterborough and some of the boys at Leeds that I inherited, is that they have this special character where they’re very humble.
“They’re very grateful for everything you give them and that applies to Yusuf and in fact one or two boys in the dressing room, as I remember, were giving Yusuf a little bit of stick and that’s good. He’s very special but he’s also humble and he takes it.”
Akhamrich’s opener stunned Walsall and the advantage was doubled three minutes later in spectacular fashion when defender Kofi Balmer, on loan from Motherwell, volleyed in his first Gas goal when the visiting defenders were unable to clear their lines following a free-kick.
While Rovers were celebrating back-back victories for the first time since September, Mat Sadler’s seventh-placed Walsall have now gone four games without a win but he refused to be too downhearted.
“I’m always going to err on the side of positivity and that we were four unbeaten tonight and we just didn’t quite get the fifth one today,” Sadler said.
“I thought, for large parts of the game, I was very pleased with what I was seeing and coming at half-time, I very pleased.
“The lads felt very positive with the performance and we wanted to just make sure that there was more of the same. I spoke about that moment coming our way and expecting that moment. When it came, can we take it? Can we then add to that? Unfortunately, we blinked first in the game, which was what it was today.”
