In the latest of his regular articles, Bescot Banter columnist Scott Brotherton takes a quick look back at the Saddlers' last few Sky Bet League One games, including a statistical breakdown of the clubs recent form, then considers what we can expect from this weekend's FA Cup First Round clash with Shrewsbury Town.
I had a weird sense of optimism ahead of the Saddlers' games against Chesterfield and Notts County.
It seemed hard to rationalise at the time but I just had a feeling that we would get the three points. Looking back I felt the same before Bristol City at home, where we grabbed an impressive and hard-fought draw.
Then it occurred to me that this happens before most games against top-half sides. Walsall have this uncanny ability to play really well against the best in the league.
On the other hand, I distinctly remember feeling very apprehensive before our home clash with Crewe. The Alex were bottom of the table at the time but I just couldn't shake this feeling of dread. And lo and behold we put in a substandard performance and were ousted by the Railwaymen.
Now I'm not claiming to be a prophetic genius, but it feels as though this has been hard-wired into me through my years as a season-ticket holder. For years now the Saddlers have upped their game when the odds are stacked in the other team's favour. So I tend to look forward to the tougher tests and hate facing League One's basement-dwellers.
A quick delve into the stat cave helps prove my point. Dean Smith's men have played every team in the current bottom four but have only taken a single point from these games - a draw away at Gillingham - losing at Scunthorpe (21st), and more worryingly at home to Yeovil and Crewe (23rd and 24th).
Barring Doncaster, who could well shoot up from 17th anyway with their games in hand, Walsall's other three league wins have come against Chesterfield (11th), Preston (2nd) and Notts County (6th) - all relatively high-flying opposition. Even Chesterfield were in the play-offs before we beat them.
So why has this been the case for so long? The only explanation I can come up with is the other team's mindset when they play us. The top teams are confident and set up to attack, leading to an open game. This suits the way the Saddlers play as we can exploit the spaces and provide much more of a threat going forward.
However, against the lower sides we find it trickier to penetrate. They normally come out with more defensive-minded tactics and Walsall struggle to utilise their quick passing to make a breakthrough. Then the opponents manage to nick a goal and it gets even tougher to break them down.
So we can hope that Shrewsbury, now 3rd in League Two, carry over that confidence to the cup and actually take the game to Dean Smith's side. An open game would bring the best out of both sides, as Salop are a different proposition to the team that folded so pathetically last year.
Sides from the fourth tier have often been our kryptonite in cup competitions, Port Vale's win in a 22-penalty shootout sticks in the memory. Hopefully our win against Southend in the first round of the League Cup means this cloud has lifted, and we can repeat the feat this Saturday.
I'm sure Mr Bradshaw will have a few points to prove against Micky Mellon's side as well...
By: Scott Brotherton.