Walsall will be back in action on Wednesday evening as they make their way to the Sixfields Stadium and take on Northampton Town in the Vertu Trophy, Round of 16.NEWS & VIEWS
There is no denying the Saddlers will reach their midweek trip to Northamptonshire in the midst of a disappointing, that eerily familiar run of form.
Winning just one of their last league games, Mat Sadler's men arrive at Wednesday's match fresh on the heels of a 5-1 FA Cup thumping at the hands of Norwich City.
In truth, after offering the bare minimum in attack and ducking duties in defence, it's no more than the team deserved. Whilst Courtney Clarke's goal may well go down as the Goal of the Round, it's not enough to distract from what we all saw on Sunday afternoon.
Devoid of ideas and out of options, the team needs fresh legs, and that can only come with the support of the Trivela Group. They can't allow this slide to continue, and have to at least show willingness to act.
We're not one of the social media mouths calling for Sadler to be sacked, but do feel that something drastic has to change. This season has all the markings of the last and, given what ultimately happened, we're dreading what a repeat performance may mean.
If the recruitment department found it tough to get deals over the line last summer, we dread to think what the next one may bring. Especially when income will no doubt drop as fans begin to lose interest.
There are a couple of weeks left to go in the ongoing Transfer Window, and we hope that, following the recent recalls, the board gives Mat and his team their full support and get this season back on track.
Looking back to this week's outing and, after knocking Stevenage out in the Round of 32, the team should go into the game confident that, if they return to form, they could cause a minor upset and make their way to the Quarter Final stage.
TEAM NEWS
On the injury front, the Saddlers have been handed a welcome boost as both Harrison Burke and Mason Hancock have been declared fit and will play a part on Wednesday evening.
Kemar Roofe and Harry Williams remain on the long-term injury list.
THE OPPOSITION
Sitting just above the Leagie One relegation zone, the Cobblers have won just one of their last seven league games, and will be looking for some sort of result as they welcome the Saddlers to Sixfields Stadium.
Town have performed much better in the EFL Trophy, however, after winning all three of their group outings, including a triumph at the Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium, they knocked Wycombe Wanderers out in the Round of 32, ahead of this week's meeting.
Their most recent outing saw them frustrate promotion hopefuls Bolton Wanderers, as manager Kevin Nolan guided his side to a 0-0 draw against one of his former sides.
FACTFILE: NORTHAMPTON TOWN
Nickname: The Cobblers
Founded: 1897
Ground: Sixfields Stadium
Manager: Kevin Nolan
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Walsall and Northampton Town have met on ninety previous occasions, and it's the Saddlers who hold a narrow overall win/ loss advantage, having secured victory on thirty-seven occasions compared to the Cobblers' thirty-four.
There have also been nineteen draws over the history of the fixture, a history which began at the County Ground on Saturday, 5th November 1927 as the two sides met in a Division Three (South) clash which Northampton would win by ten-goals-to-nil.
The Saddlers secured their first-ever win over the Cobblers just over a year after their first meeting as the two sides clashed on Christmas Day, Tuesday, 25th December 1928, with Walsall winning by four-goals-to-three.
THE LAST TIME WE MET
The most recent meeting, also in the EFL Trophy, took place at the Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium on Tuesday, 7th October 2025 and saw the Cobblers win by one-goal-to-nil.
The first and only goal of the contest arrived with just two minutes of normal time remaining, when Kamarai Simon-Swyer struck the ball into the back of Sam Hornby's net.
MATCH OFFICIALS
The EFL has confirmed that Abigail Byrne who is based in Suffolk will take charge of the match with Grant Taylor and Colman O'Meara being named as assistant referees. Michael Chard has been selected as Fourth Official.
GAMES
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15
|
YELLOW
CARDS |
RED
CARDS |
56
| 1
|
PENALTIES
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0
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CATCH THE MATCH
The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports+, with audio Match Passes also available on the club's in-house service, Saddlers+.