Bescot Banter columnist Scott Brotherton takes us back through the year that was 2014...
January
The year got off to a slow start for the Saddlers. Despite a brilliant 2-1 win against promotion hopefuls Sheffield United on New Years Day (a victory which included James Chambers' first EVER league goal) the Saddlers then had to wait ten days for their next game. Even so they grabbed a draw at Tranmere, Milan Lalkovic with a goal-of-the-season contender before the side were pegged back. At home they were on form though and, with Febian Brandy back on loan, Walsall edged out Oldham 1-0 before holding out for a very respectable draw with Will Grigg's table-topping Brentford. The month ended with another a draw of the same 1-1 scoreline against Swindon, but the pick of the results came in between these matches. Walsall travelled to struggling Notts County and hit five past them, including a Brandy hat-trick, which gave them their most emphatic win of 2014.
February
An unbeaten January with three wins and three draws left Walsall sixth and really looking as though they had clicked into gear. Instead the team that won Dean Smith Manager of the Month stalled. MK swept aside the Saddlers 3-0 at the Banks's Stadium and, although they played out a drab 0-0 on a terrible Peterborough pitch, Walsall lost again on home turf a week later with a Matt Tubbs double sealing the win for Crawley Town.
March
Just three games in February wasn't great for momentum, and a bumper set of fixtures in March saw confidence gradually build again. The month started poorly mind you. Defeats at Coventry and Preston made it three 2-1 losses in a row before rivals Wolves got their revenge for what happened at Molineux, outclassing the Saddlers at the Banks's. Three 1-1 draws then stopped the rot, including a deserved point against high-flying Leyton Orient. And the confidence spilled over into a few wins at the back end of the month. Starting with a useful win away at Bradford, Walsall followed that up with a solid victory over Shrewsbury - their first home triumph in a turbulent two months.
April/May
Still placed nicely in eighth, these results had renewed hope that Walsall could nick one of the last play-off places. But that dream was ended by a winless last six games of the season. The Saddlers could only grab two points from a hugely disappointing April which included a shock defeat to already-relegated Stevenage. The bizarre ricocheted goal that handed Colchester a 1-0 win in the final game on 3rd May summed up the latter part of the season for Deano's men. It also meant a 13th place finished - the first time Walsall had dropped into bottom half in the entirety of 2013/14.
The Summer
As is so often the case at close-season, the spine of the team was decimated in the summer. Most notably tricky loan wingers Brandy and Lalkovic said their farewells, top scorer Craig Westcarr wasn't offered a new deal, and captain Andy Butler moved on to Sheffield United. Replacements were brought in - Anthony Forde and Jordan Cook on the flanks, experienced James O'Connor for the back four, and Tom Bradshaw and Ashley Grimes as the new strike force. Cook and Sam Mantom suffered injuries in a tough pre-season and the team was still yet to gel as the new campaign began.
August
This caused a troublesome start to the season, as the Saddlers flirted with the relegation zone in their first ten games. With three draws and three defeats in League One, their only success came in the Capital One Cup. After edging Southend in the first leg Walsall were handed an intriguing home tie with then managerless Crystal Palace. However the Reds played nowhere near their full potential and were swept aside by Keith Millen's Eagles.
September
There were signs of Dean Smith's men were finally beginning to click when they calimed the scalps two very accomplished teams at the Banks's. On the day of Andy Butler's loan return from Sheffield United the Saddlers beat promotion hopefuls Preston 3-1 at home. James Baxendale then scored against his former club Doncaster in an excellent 3-0 win. There was a reality check for the Saddlers though when they were taken apart at Spotland by Rochdale. Despite this capitulation Walsall followed it up with a solid 0-0 at Gillingham - the second of the month after a decent point against Colchester.
October
There were a lot of tight games in October. Aside from a 1-1 result with Bristol City, which was a great against the early league leaders, every match was decided by a one goal margin. A good one-nil win at Rochdale secured a spot in the area quarter-finals of the JPT, but Walsall lost their next three league games including a shock home defeat to strugglers Crewe Alexandra. The month ended on a high though as Tom Bradshaw's well-worked goal was enough to see off Chesterfield.
November
Some real positive results then came as Walsall got a very good run going. But like October, every win was decided by just a single goal. The Saddlers got an excellent win at Meadow Lane against high-flying Notts County, and respectable 0-0 draws against Coventry and Peterborough maintained the momentum. Our 1-0 win at Fleetwood was then totally unexpected, with Sawyers' goal ending the Cod Army's nine-month unbeaten home run. There were mixed fortunes in the cup. Bradshaw may have rescued a 2-2 draw against his former club Shrewsbury but Walsall were dumped out in the replay. However, live on Sky they edged out cup kings Sheffield United in the Football League Trophy to set up an area semi-final at Tranmere.
December
Rovers didn't look like the League Two side to start with as they headed into a 2-0 lead. But a Saddlers comeback and win penalties made the fans believe it might finally be their year in the competition. In the league though, their consistency seemed to slip away over the Christmas period. Some smart finishes including a Jordan Cook brace grabbed a 3-1 win against Barnsley, and a draw away at Bramall Lane wasn't to be sniffed at versus Nigel Clough's Blades. However, Walsall seemed to collapse in the second half against promotion-contenders Swindon and were hammered 4-1 in the Boxing Day snow. They showed what they are capable of against the imperious MK Dons though, with an unbelievable 3-0 win which showed the side's true potential - and ended the year on a high.
By: Scott Brotherton.