Walsall return to action on Saturday afternoon as they welcome Colchester United to the Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium for what will be both side's sixteenth outing of the 2025/16 League Two campaign.MATCH INFORMATION
The match will take place at the Saddlers' Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium at 3.00pm on Saturday, 15th November. Team News will be confirmed at 1.45pm.
NEWS & VIEWS
Walsall returned to winning ways last weekend as they scored four goals to down bottom-of-the-table Newport County in a six-goal thriller at Rodney Parade.
After going winless in their previous three league games, the win over the Exiles was a welcome return to form, with the team finally connecting the dots and avoiding a fourth game without a win.
Remaining at the top of the table, the apparently Spaghetti Junction-adjacent Saddlers continue to set the pace as they enter the second third of the 2025/26 campaign.
TEAM NEWS
On the injury front, Jamie Jellis (groin) and Brandon Comley (illness) are likely to miss out, whilst Jake Hollman trained in midweek.
Meanwhile, Harrison Burke, Mason Hancock, Harry Williams, and Elicha Ahui remain sidelined through various long-term injuries.
THE OPPOSITION
After winning four league games on the bounce, the U's are winless in their last two, with their most recent league outing ending in defeat.
It's not all bad news for the U's however, as a midweek win over Fulham Under-21s saw them coast through to the Vertu Trophy — Round of 32 without dropping a single point.
Conceding twice in the final fifteen minutes of the game, opponents Bromley took themselves to within a point of the Play-Off places after fifteen games.
FACTFILE: COLCHESTER UNITED
Nickname: The U's
Founded: 1937
Ground: Colchester Community Stadium
Head Coach: Danny Cowley
HEAD-TO-HEAD
There have been ninety-eight competitive meetings between Walsall and U's, and it's the Saddlers who hold a very small head-to-head advantage, having won on twenty-eight occasions, compared to Colchester's twenty-six.
There have also been twenty-four draws over the history of the fixture, a history which began at Layer Road on Saturday, 18th November 1950 as the two sides met in a Division Three (South) clash which took place in front of 9,584 and saw Harry Hibbs' Saddlers win by one-goal-to-nil as Phil Chapman netted the only goal of the game twelve minutes into the second half.
THE LAST TIME WE MET
The most recent meeting between the Saddlers and U's took place at the JobServe Community Stadium on Saturday, 8th February 2025, and saw the home side take all three points.
Walsall opened the scoring after sixty-five minutes as Charlie Lakin grabbed his third goal of the campaign with a composed finish from just inside the United box.
Sadly for the Saddlers, Colchester levelled the scores just a few minutes later as Teddy Bishop finished past Tommy Simkin following something of a scramble inside the area.
Owura Edwards put the hope side into the lead with just over fifteen minutes of normal time remaining after he was allowed to drift inside before unleashing an effort from outside the box.
Walsall's afternoon went from bad to worse as Taylor Allen, who was making his 100th club appearance, picked up his second booking of the afternoon and was sent for an early shower with twelve minutes left on the clock.
MATCH OFFICIALS
The EFL confirmed that James Durkin who is based in Dorset will take charge of the match with Marvyn Amphlett and Jack Clench being named as assistant referees, whilst Oliver Bickle has been selected as Fourth Official.
CATCH THE MATCH
The match will be covered live on the club's in-house service, Saddlers+. Audio options are available for UK-based fans, with those abroad able to watch the game live.
Click here for further information.