Walsall manager Dean Smith has today spoken of his happiness with the Saddlers' pre-season schedule, which sees the side play host to Premier League new-boys Leicester City, and local rivals Aston Villa, along with trips to the likes of Taunton Town, Leamington and Chasetown...Speaking to saddlers.co.uk, Smith said: “We are delighted to be coming up against two top-flight opponents in Leicester and Aston Villa. Villa are an established Premier League side who always provide us with a stern test, whilst Leicester will be on a high following promotion.
“It will be good to welcome Nigel Pearson and former Walsall midfielder, Craig Shakespeare, to Banks’s Stadium and it’s a game that we are looking forward to. You always want to test yourselves against the better teams and that will be the case with these two games.
“We have worked hard on putting our pre-season programme together and I am happy with the games that we have in place so far. It will also be nice to get away as a group for a week in Devon, during which time we’ll have a couple of games against Taunton Town and Torquay United.
“Allied to the matches, we have developed a fitness and training programme that will really help us prepare for the challenges that the new season holds in store for us.”
Visit Saddlers.co.uk for the latest Walsall Football Club news direct from Banks's Stadium.