Walsall vs Salford City: George Bennett's predicted XI
All of a sudden, Mat Sadler's team selection seems a little less straightforward than it may have been this time last week.
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Seven days ago, Walsall were riding the crest of a wave, on a club record nine-match winning streak and without a defeat in 16 league games.
Now, Walsall have suffered back-to-back defeats, conceding five goals and failing to find the net in the process.
It's by no means time to hit the panic button but clearly Walsall have suffered the blip which we all expected would come at some point.
The winning run was never going to last forever but the drop off in terms of performance levels in the defeats at Bradford City and Fleetwood Town respectively has somewhat created cause for concern.
Jamille Matt is a major doubt once again and his absence has been majorly felt. The 35-year-old is "fighting to be fit" although Sadler stressed the importance of not rushing him back to action.
Without Matt, Walsall have lacked a focal point in attack, but the service from the wing-backs and the team as a collective has also been far less productive.
Oisin McEntee impressed from the bench at Notts County and backed that up with standout performances in the handsome wins over Tranmere Rovers and MK Dons respectively earlier this month.
However, Connor Barrett just doesn't seem to have the same connection with the Irishman than he does with Jamie Jellis down the right.
So perhaps a return to the midfield trio of Ryan Stirk, Charlie Lakin and Jellis could be the most logical solution to regain cohesion in the team?
As far as the attack is concerned, Josh Gordon has been deemed ready to start and showed more from the bench than both Ethan Wheatley and Albert Adomah did from the start at Fleetwood.
It's difficult to gauge how much of an impact Wheatley is going to have in Walsall colours. After all, it was his first start in senior football and experiences such as Tuesday night will only certainly make him stronger.
He is clearly a potential talent and patience may be required before he is able to demonstrate that quality in men's football. Perhaps a front-two of Josh Gordon and Wheatley would be a good match for a Salford team who will look to build from the back. The energy from the front will be crucial and both will provide legs in the press.
Walsall Predicted XI (3-1-4-2): Simkin; Okagbue, Williams, Allen; Stirk; Barrett, Jellis, Lakin, L Gordon; Wheatley, J Gordon.
Subs: Hornby, Weir, Asiimwe, Comley, McEntee, Adomah, Johnson.
