Walsall's 2025/26 Sky Bet League Two campaign continues on Good Friday afternoon when they welcome Gillingham to the Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium.NEWS & VIEWS
Interim head coach Darren Byfield will lead the team for the fifth time this weekend. Yet to taste defeat, the well-travelled striker seems to have found his feet very early and has managed to steady the ship, with a place in the Play-Offs still very much a possibility.
Reaching the match on the back of a one-all draw with Colchester United that saw Harrison Burke score his second professional goal before Harry Anderson levelled to secure a share of the spoils.
Whilst a draw wasn't necessarily the best result we could have hoped for, the performance was much improved as the team showed plenty of attacking endeavour, even in the absence of Daniel Kanu.
TEAM NEWS
On the injury front, Aaron Loupalo-Bi and Jamille Matt are back in contention, whilst the likes of Priestley Farquharson and Brandon Comley continue to be monitored.
Daniel Kanu is back in the country after scoring for Sierra Leone in the FIFA Series and will be hoping to go straight back into the team.
THE OPPOSITION
Opponents Gillingham are in the midst of a dismal run of form. Losing five times in as many games, Gareth Ainsworth's side have conceded sixteen and scored just twice, as their hopes of reaching the Play-Offs would need to see the teams above them suffer a catastrophic collapse if they were to be achieved.
FACTFILE: GILLINGHAM
Nickname: The Gills
Founded: 1893
Ground: Priestfield Stadium
Manager: Gareth Ainsworth
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Saddlers and Gills have met on 123 previous occasions, and it's Gillingham that hold the narrowest of head-to-head advantages with forty-eight wins compared to Walsall's forty-seven wins apiece. (28 draws).
Their first meeting took place on Saturday, 24th September 1927 as the1927,t in a Division Three (South) match which was played in front of some 6,923 Fellows Park fans, and efans and 7-4 win for the Saddlers.
THE LAST TIME WE MET
The most recent meeting took place at the Gills' Priestfield Stadium on Saturday, 9th August 2025, and saw the Saddlers narrowly defeated.
The first and only goal of the game went the way of the home side, as Bradley Dack was able to slot home with fifty-eight minutes on the clock, after the Saddlers failed to deal with a long throw routine.
MATCH OFFICIALS
The EFL has confirmed that William Davis will take charge of the match with Grant Taylor and Thomas Harty being named as assistant referees. Harley Hetherington has been selected as Fourth Official.
GAMES
|
14
|
YELLOW
CARDS |
RED
CARDS |
37
| 2
|
PENALTIES
|
1
|
CATCH THE MATCH
The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports+ to fans in the UK, and Walsall's in-house service, Saddlers+, also has Monthly and Annual audio passes available. Visit their website for further information.