Walsall new-boy Michael Standing is hoping his arrival back in the Midlands will help kickstart a career which had been in danger of stalling.

The 23-year-old, who has agreed a one-year deal with the Saddlers after moving on a free transfer from Bradford, had previously been a trainee with neighbouring Aston Villa.

While at Villa, Standing became something of a cult figure after his grandmother joined a radio phone-in to berate studio guest John Gregory, then the Villa manager, for not giving him a first-team opportunity.

Standing's subsequent move to Valley Parade in March 2002 also failed to work out and he confessed: "As for my career, it has been frustrating and I have not done anything like I would have liked to have done at this stage.

"Last season was just a nightmare, the way the team were playing did not suit me so I put in a transfer request and it became a long, drawn out, bad season I just want to forget.

"It would be nice to play for someone who believes in you, plays to your strengths and allows you to do what you do best," Standing told the Birmingham Post. "So this looks like an ideal place for me to kickstart my career."