The Saddlers are back in action this weekend as they make the trip North to the Wham Stadium where they are due to take on Accrington Stanley with hopes of extending their unbeaten run.
PRE-MATCH VIEWS
After winning three times in as many games, Walsall are now set to take on recent strugglers Accrington Stanley with the Saddlers looking to close the gap to the League Two Play-Off places.
Despite the recent understandable doom and gloom, a victory at the weekend could see the Saddlers move to within just two points of the top seven, something that seemed no more than a pipe dream a few short weeks ago.
Victories over Alfreton Town in the FA Cup, along with wins over Notts County and Tranmere Rovers have given Mat Sadler's side plenty of reasons to be cheerful and, given the potential to move clear from danger, more than enough to play for this weekend.
Whilst a run of wins is very welcome, there remain plenty of issues for the gaffer and boardroom to fix over the coming weeks and months, not least the clear lack of options off the bench, something made perfectly clear by the lack of changes over recent weeks.
With the likes of Ronan Maher waiting in the wings, we hope Sadler will continue to consider his options and maybe offer the midfield prospect a little more game time ahead of a likely loan switch in the new year.
WALSALL TEAM NEWS
Joe Riley and Aramide Oteh remain long-term absentees with the pair seemingly facing months on the sidelines.
Owen Evans may well miss out as Jackson Smith enjoyed a promising run of form, whilst Isaac Hutchinson faces a battle to retain his starting spot following Jamille Matt's goak-scoring exploits last weekend.
OPPOSITION NEWS
Accrington have won just one of their last seven league games and will reach this weekend's match in the midst of a four-game winless streak.
Their most recent league game saw them hold Crewe Alexandra to a three-all draw at Gresty Road as Josh Woods' 96th-minute goal was not enough to secure a much-needed win with Elliott Nevitt levelling for the Alex two minutes later.
FORM IN FIVE
Here is how the Saddlers and their opponents Accrington Stanley have fared in their last five Sky Bet League Two games.
ACCRINGTON STANLEY
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WALSALL |
WLLDD
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HEAD-TO-HEAD
Walsall and the current incarnation of Accrington Stanley which was formed just fifty-five years ago have met on just five previous occasions and it's Stanley that hold a narrow head-to-head advantage.
Winning three and losing the other two, Accrington lost the first meeting between the two sides, with the match, which took place at Fraser Eagle Stadium on Saturday, 21st October 2006, as Hector Sam and Mark Wright scored either side of an Ian Craney effort to secure the win for the Saddlers.
THE LAST TIME WE MET
The most recent meeting between the two sides occurred at the Wham Stadium on Saturday, 13th April 2019 and saw the home side take the win by two-goals-to-one as Ross Sykes scored either side of Nicky Devlin's deflected goal.
MATCH OFFICIALS
The EFL has confirmed that Scott Oldham who is based in Lancashire, will be the man in the middle, whilst Ivan Stankovic and Matthew Sowerby have been named assistant referees. Ollie Yates will act as Fourth Official.
GAMES OFFICIATED
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18
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YELLOW
CARDS |
RED
CARDS |
53
| 3
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PENALTIES AWARDED
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2
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CATCH THE MATCH
If you're not planning on going to the game you can catch the match via the club's in-house service - iFollow Walsall - which takes you through the highs and lows of every Saddlers game.
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