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Walsall return to Sky Bet League Two action on Saturday afternoon as they and Cheltenham Town meet in an early kick-off at the EV Charger Points Stadium.MATCH INFORMATION
Saturday's match is scheduled to kick-off at 12.30pm, and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports+ and Saddlers+.
NEWS & VIEWS
After going some nine league games without defeat, the Saddlers were beaten 2-1 by Barrow last weekend as Daniel Kanu's fourth goal of the season proved to be nothing more than a consolation on the way to defeat.
Currently sitting on an identical record to that of the dame time last season, the team must be able to put last weekend's defeat on the back burner and play the Robins with the same determination that saw them build the now-broken unbeaten streak.
It's important to take last weekend's defeat in context. Whilst it was disappointing to lose, Barrow had also been enjoying a strong spell of form and the team did all it could to get at least a point.
Creating some twenty-four shots (eleven on target), the team came up against a goalkeeper in the form of his life, pulling off ten saves, Wyll Stanway was quite rightly lauded by fans on both sides.
This weekend's trip to Gloucestershire will go a long way to showing any lessons the current crop has learned from that of last season. Bounce back immediately, and we could be on the cusp of another welcome run, but lose again and the possibility of another collapse will rear its ugly head.
TEAM NEWS
Walsall's defensive issues continue as Harrison Burke, Mason Hancock, Harry Williams, and Elicha Ahui remain sidelined through injury.
THE OPPOSITION
After sacking former Saddlers boss Michael Flynn, this weekend's opponents are unbeaten in three league games and will reach this weekend's match in the back of a 2-0 win over Newport County.
Now managed by the returning Steve Cotterill — who reigned supreme at Whaddon Road between 1997 and 2002 — the Robins will pose a real threat to the Saddlers as they look to return to winning ways.
Enjoying something of a new manager bounce, there is plenty of momentum to build upon, as they look to continue their progress towards the safety of mid-table, having recently escaped the drop zone.
With former Saddlers Liam Kinsella, George Miller, and Isaac Hutchinson among their squad, there will be plenty of familiar faces on display, though there is little time for nostalgia.
FACTFILE: CHELTENHAM TOWN
Nickname: The Robins
Founded: 1887
Ground: Whaddon Road
Manager: Steve Cotterill
HEAD-TO-HEAD
There have been just thirteen competitive meetings between Walsall and Cheltenham Town, and it's the Robins that hold an overall advantage, having won five times compared to the Saddlers' four (four draws).
The first meeting was an LDV Vans Trophy — Second Round match that took place at Whaddon Road on Tuesday, 2nd November 2004 and saw Walsall advance on penalties following a two-all draw in normal time.
Steve Guinan opened the scores for Cheltenham before Jorge Leitão levelled in the second half. Town re-took the lead via John Brough in extra time, only for Jorge to level once again.
Darren Wrack scored Walsall's fifth penalty after Damien Spencer had seen Cheltenham's saved by Saddlers stopper Joe Murphy.
THE LAST TIME WE MET
The most recent meeting between the Saddlers and Robins took place at the EV Charger Points Stadium on Tuesday, 25th February 2025 and saw the spoils shared.
Former Saddlers loanee George Miller came off the bench and changed the game, firstly by scoring on the stroke of 90 minutes and then by assisting fellow sub Thomas, who levelled in injury time.
Walsall wasted no time in getting the scoring underway as, with under a minute on the clock, Ellis Harrison got on the end of Jamie Jellis' flicked-on throw in to notch his second goal for the club.
The Saddlers doubled their lead with just over ten minutes of normal time remaining, as substitute Albert Adomah added a touch of class to proceedings with a well-taken finish.
MATCH OFFICIALS
The EFL has confirmed that Ollie Yates, who is based in Staffordshire, will take charge of the match with Danny Guest and Sean Rothwell being named as assistant referees, whilst Matthew Scholes has been selected as Fourth Official.
GAMES
|
12
|
YELLOW
CARDS |
RED
CARDS |
62
| 1
|
PENALTIES
|
5
|