Walsall Blog: Four Cup Finals

Walsall blogger Mark Jones prepares for four cup finals that could well define the Saddlers season.

So thanks to the 'luck' of the draw, the mighty Saddlers face four successive home games in a week and a half, starting with the visit of Swindon.

I don't think it's unreasonable to say that at the end of those four games, we are going to have a fair idea of exactly where the season is going.

October's mini-slump has seen us drop into the bottom half of the table. Individual errors, poor decision-making and rank bad defending have cost us ten goals in four games.

Its not nuclear rocket physics to know what happens when you don't take your chances against the top teams.

The games against Swindon and Northampton give us the chance to move back up the league, but are also precisely the kind of home games we lost last season and, after the Hartlepool game, anything can happen.

Scunthorpe at home in the FA Cup is a tough draw but I can't imagine they're too thrilled about it either. At least it gives us a chance to avenge our first ever penalties defeat, way back when Evran 'Mark's dad' Wright was one of our big name players.

Personally I'd look at our Johnstone Paint Trophy opponents, bottom of the league and skint Luton, as being as much of a threat to a good cup run (especially if goal machine Ropes plays) as Scunny.

With the games coming Tony Daley-style (thick and fast) it might be a good time to start using the squad a little bit. It was a bit of a mystery as to why Ishmel and Rhys Weston couldn't even get a place on the bench at Leeds.

Just as it is as to why one local journalist seems to be conducting an anti-Weston campaign, blaming Rhys for the Hartlepool collapse despite the fact he'd been taken off before the last two goals went in.

Stephen Hughes should be in contention for a recall, Mark Bradley has been underused so far this season and Zaaboub has returned from oblivion seemingly just in time to face his old team mates.

As for the current first choices, its all well and good manager Jimmy Mullen singing the praises of Richard Taundry, a player I rate very highly myself, but there is a danger of burn out with young players.

A couple of games out of the starting line-up wouldn't be the end of the world for our Richard.

Four big 'uns coming up, come on you Saddlers.