Walsall's 2025/26 League Two campaign continues on Saturday afternoon as they make their way to the JobServe Community Stadium, where they'll take on Colchester United.NEWS & VIEWS
Walsall made it three games without defeat last weekend when they defeated relegation-battling Newport County in front of over 6,500 fans at the Bescot Stadium.
Guided by interim boss Darren Byfield, the Saddlers fell behind to a Harrison Biggins goal in the first half but went on to level the scores via Daniel Kanu's first goal in eight games in the second forty-five.
Seemingly heading to a disappointing draw, Walsall grabbed the winning goal deep into second-half stoppage time when Alex Pattison slammed the ball home from distance, leading to wild celebrations in WS1.
Going into the game on the back of a drab draw with Cambridge United, we're encouraged by the team's desire to battle for the points against the Exiles, especially given their recent run of form that saw them win just once in eleven games before Mat Sadler was sacked.
Sitting just two points outside the Play-Off places, and with only seven games remaining, momentum will be crucial over the next few weeks, so it's crucial to build upon the recent run of form, beginning with this weekend's trip to Essex.
TEAM NEWS
Darren Byfield confirmed he and his team will assess Priestley Farquharson, Brandon Comley and Jamille Matt ahead of this weekend's match.
Meanwhile, on-loan Charlton Athletic striker Daniel Kanu will be absent as he is on international duty with Sierra Leone.
THE OPPOSITION
Winless in their last three, Colchester United will reach this weekend's match on the back of a narrow 1-0 defeat to league leaders Bromley.
Falling behind to a Nicke Kabamba goal in the second half, the U's were unable to get themselves back into the game as Bromley stretched their unbeaten run to 21 league games.
FACTFILE: COLCHESTER UNITED
Nickname: The U's
Founded: 1937
Ground: Colchester Community Stadium
Head Coach: Danny Cowley
HEAD-TO-HEAD
There have been seventy-nine 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-seven.
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 match took place at the Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium on Saturday, 15th November 2025, and saw the U's win by two-goals-to-nil.
The visitors started the game well and eventually made their long spells of possession pay when Samson Tovide opened the scoring midway through the first-half.
Colchester went on to double their lead just a couple of minutes before the break when Kyreece Lisbie tapped the ball over the line following a well-worked counter-attack.
MATCH OFFICIALS
The EFL has confirmed that Carl Brook who is based in East Sussex, will take charge of the match. Aaron Hallam and Matthew Sowerby are named as assistant referees, whilst Scott Williams has been selected as Fourth Official.
GAMES
|
33
|
YELLOW
CARDS |
RED
CARDS |
135
| 13
|
PENALTIES
|
5
|
CATCH THE MATCH
As the Premier League enjoys another weekend off, the match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports+ to fans in the UK.
Walsall's in-house service, Saddlers+, also has Monthly and Annual audio passes available. Visit their website for further information.