Darrell Clarke Ignoring League Position as Walsall Prepare For Southend Test Darrell Clarke Ignoring League Position as Walsall Prepare For Southend Test
Posted by: Bescot Banter

Darrell Clarke Ignoring League Position as Walsall Prepare For Southend Test

The gaffer has looked ahead to this weekend's trip to Roots Hall before discussing his newest recruits.
Darrell Clarke wants the players to respect their basement-dwelling opponents
Walsall manager Darrell Clarke has spoken to the media ahead of this weekend's Sky Bet League Two clash between the Saddlers and bottom-of-the-table Southend United and insisted he is focussed upon the task in hand.

The Saddlers will arrive at the match on the back of their recent 3-1 victory over Port Vale, which saw Elijah Adebayo net his final goals in a Walsall shirt before joining Luton Town on Deadline Day, and, following a football-free fortnight, should have a few more options for the manager to select from.

Following their win over Vale Clarke’s side sit five points off the Play-Off places but the gaffer is keen for his side to remember that, regardless of league position, any team can emerge victorious and wants his team to be at their best on Saturday afternoon.

Speaking via the club's official website, Darrell said; "I say it week in week out, whether you're top or bottom of this table, any team can beat anyone.

"Southend had a good run and then had a dip again but we just have to concentrate on ourselves. Make sure we do our job professionally and try and pick up the three points as we always try and do.

"There's a lot of football to be played, a lot of twists and turns. We want to focus on us and trying to win our next game.

"It's a boring cliché but you have to focus on that and the performance levels and then move on to the next game. That's always the way I've worked to get my success. We don't get too high or too low and always focus on the next project."

Along with Adebayo, Deadline Day also saw the departures of midfielder Danny Guthrie and defender Zak Jules, the latter of whom joining Milton Keynes Dons for an undisclosed fee.

The final day of the transfer window wasn't only a day of departures and Clarke will have two new players at his disposal as Lincoln City left-back Max Melbourne and Oxford United attacker Derick Osei Yaw arrived on loan.

The manager, who had hoped to retain both Elijah and Zak for the remainder of the season before being thwarted by a combination of budget constraints and player decisions, looked to offer supporters a bit of insight into what his newest recruits can offer.

Darrell added; "Max becomes a natural replacement for Zak Jules at left-back, and he can play left side of a three as well.

"We have him and Cockerill-Mollett competing for that jersey. He has League One experience with Lincoln, albeit not too many games. He knows the area being an ex-West Brom lad as well.

"He's settled in well. Derick is one of those that could be anything, to be honest. He's a big lad, a big strapping boy.

"He needs a bit of work, we're well aware of that, but he can score some amazing goals. We're looking forward to working with both of those and all the loans we've brought in."
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