Plymouth v Walsall preview: Mat Sadler feels the energy flowing at Walsall

So when the 34-year-old speaks of the energy and excitement he currently feels at Walsall, the words carry a certain weight.

Sadler is one of 15 new arrivals (and counting) at a club which has undergone a summer of dramatic transformation at every conceivable level – from playing staff to the manager and most importantly in the boardroom, where Jeff Bonser’s 30-year stint as owner came to an end.

A haul of five points from the opening four fixtures might appear modest, but it is the potential of what comes next which fuels Sadler’s mood. The centre-back is no stranger to the Saddlers, having spent the 2011/12 campaign with the club.

“It’s not often you get something like this, the feeling everyone at the club has come together,” he says. “Outside of these walls and this training ground we can feel a real positivity.

“I was here before and it feels different this time. There is a real energy about the place. We have had five games and on each occasion the supporters have applauded us off the field. We feel like we are part of something. There isn’t always that connection. At the moment, it feels like we have that.”

Sadler claims players have been inspired by the sale of more than 400 new season tickets since Leigh Pomlett’s takeover last month.

He, meanwhile, sees the ‘infectious and relentless’ Darrell Clarke as the kind of manager supporters can relate to.

“They can see he is passionate about their club,” he said. “I knew the manager having faced his teams and I knew players who had worked under him. But you never know fully what to expect until you walk through the door. I have been impressed.

“This is an exciting place to be. I look forward to coming into training every day and that isn’t always the case at every club.”

Sadler has been in the business long enough to know results will ultimately be required to keep the mood positive.

Yet considering the scale of the overhaul, the Saddlers start can hardly be seen as shabby, particularly when placed against a fixture list which has pitted them against a number of the division’s promotion contenders. Plymouth, tomorrow’s opponents, are also in that bracket but Sadler said: “We don’t have anything to fear in this division but there is also a real respect for every team we come across.

“We know that on the day we have to perform in every single game. It is relentless. There are different challenges every week.

“What I have seen this season is that everyone has come together and is desperate to support the club, win, lose or draw.

“The manager wants to build a team everyone can be proud of. We don’t leave anything out on the pitch. Whether that is to salvage a point or score a winner we try everything we can.”

Predicted Line-Up:

Roberts, Clarke, Scarr, Sadler, Norman, Sinclair, Kinsella, Pring, Hardy, Lavery, Gordon.

Big Match Prediction:

Draw