Former Walsall defender Paul Downing remembers defining spell at Bescot
"It felt like the end of a cycle at Walsall."
Former Saddlers defender Paul Downing was among a mass exodus of players to leave Bescot in the summer of 2016.
Walsall had agonisingly missed out on automatic promotion from League One by a single point. They then collapsed in the play-offs, losing 6-1 against Barnsley over two legs in the semi-finals.
The squad was decimated over the course of the summer, with Jason Demetriou, Andy Taylor, Rico Henry, Anthony Forde, Sam Mantom, Milan Lalkovic, Romaine Sawyers, Jordan Crook and Tom Bradshaw all opting for pastures new.
As Downing pointed out, it was indeed the end of a cycle, and the end of an era.
"It felt I just needed a change," Downing explains. "Dean (Smith) had left that season and it felt like the club was transitioning again.
"I did four years, which when you've seen how long I've spent at clubs since, is quite a long time. It just felt like the right time to leave and pursue other opportunities."
Downing, who spent his formative years in West Brom's academy, first arrived at Walsall in 2012.
Manager Dean Smith was carefully filling his squad with a nice blend of experience and youth, but fans had to patient, and Downing did too.
