Walsall's 2026/27 League Two campaign continues on Saturday afternoon as they make their way to Essex as they're set to take on Colchester United.The Saddlers suffered their first defeat of the league season last Monday evening, as they fell to a 4-2 defeat at home to league leaders Salford City in front of the Sky Sports cameras.
Going into the match on the back of an encouraging three-nil triumph over Oldham Athletic, Lee Grant's side had to show some of the bouncebackability which was sadly lacking for large portions of the most recent campaign.
Falling two goals behind, the Saddlers were dragged back onto level terms after Aaron Pressley netted his ninth all-competition goal of the season before Lewis Simper grabbed his first league goal of the campaign.
Going on to fall two goals down later in the half, the Saddlers have finally been beaten, and are now faced with rebuilding confidence and momentum as they travel south this weekend.
With Scottish striker Aaron Pressley in superb form, he has already amassed nine goals across fourteen appearances - two more than he managed across some forty-one games last season - we're confident that, he and his teammates will not be fazed by the result heading into this weekend's outing.
THE OPPOSITION
Opponents Colchester United sit 21st in the table ahead of this weekend's games. Winless in their last nine league games, the U's are in desperate need of a return to winning ways.
Their most recent outing came in the form of last weekend's trip to Sixfields Stadium, where they were defeated 2-0 by Northampton Town.
Drawing their last three home league games, they'll be taking on a Walsall side that has drawn five of its six away league games so far this season, not a great prospect if you're looking for an end-to-end goalfest.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
There have been eighty 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-five 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.
Taking place in front of 9,584 fans, the match 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 was also a League Two clash that took place at the Colchester Community Stadium on Saturday, 28th March 2026, and saw the spoils shared as the teams played out a one-all draw.
The Saddlers grabbed the opening goal of the game midway through the second half when Harrison Burke was alert to a loose ball after Mason Hancock saw a free-kick parried across goal.
Colchester wasted little time in levelling the scores when Harry Anderson crashed the ball home with a header from a well-placed corner kick.
The Saddlers grabbed the opening goal of the game midway through the second half when Harrison Burke was alert to a loose ball after Mason Hancock saw a free-kick parried across goal.
Colchester wasted little time in levelling the scores when Harry Anderson crashed the ball home with a header from a well-placed corner kick.
PLAYED FOR BOTH
Walsall and Colchester United have shared a surprising number of players over the years. Jimmy Walker is the biggest name, a goalkeeper who made 177 appearances for the Saddlers between 2001 and 2011 and also turned out for Colchester in 2008.
Midfielder Brandon Comley has been another key figure, playing over 140 times for Walsall after spending two seasons at Colchester earlier in his career.
Joe Edwards and Conor Wilkinson were both reliable scorers at Bescot, with Edwards chipping in 11 goals and Wilkinson 13. Jabo Ibehre made his mark at both clubs, netting 10 goals for Walsall in 2008 before scoring 16 for Colchester a few years later.
Joe Edwards and Conor Wilkinson were both reliable scorers at Bescot, with Edwards chipping in 11 goals and Wilkinson 13. Jabo Ibehre made his mark at both clubs, netting 10 goals for Walsall in 2008 before scoring 16 for Colchester a few years later.
Goalkeeper Rene Gilmartin also made the move in the other direction, having been between the sticks for Walsall in the 2000s before joining Colchester in 2017.
Beyond those headline names, the list is full of familiar faces, including Lee Beevers, Billy Clifford, Karl Hawley, Troy Hewitt, Sam Hornby, Ryan Jarvis, Richard McKinney, Aramide Oteh, Sam Williams, Tom Williams and Tyreik Wright.
Beyond those headline names, the list is full of familiar faces, including Lee Beevers, Billy Clifford, Karl Hawley, Troy Hewitt, Sam Hornby, Ryan Jarvis, Richard McKinney, Aramide Oteh, Sam Williams, Tom Williams and Tyreik Wright.
Some stayed for years and became regulars, while others only had brief spells, but together they show how closely the two clubs’ paths have crossed over the last two decades.
MATCH OFFICIALS
Declan Brown who is based in Manchester will take charge of the match with Jonathon Block and Daniel D'Urso being named as assistant referees, whilst Ian Cooper has been selected as Fourth Official.
CATCH THE MATCH
This weekend's match will kick-off at 3.00pm and is therefore subject to the usual blackout in the UK. However, fans unable to make it to the Colchester Community Stadium, and still catch the match via the club's in-house service, Saddlers+, which offers audio coverage.
