Ryan McGivern's thanks to Saddlers

Ryan McGivern today thanked the Walsall management team for "keeping the place smiling" as the Saddlers make plans for another step on the road to recovery.

The League One clash with bottom club Tranmere Rovers at the Banks's Stadium has the potential to take Chris Hutchings's team out of the bottom three and continue to upward turn in fortunes started by four points from matches against Exeter and Dagenham.

That victory and draw brought a welcome respite from a gloomy, pressure-building run for Hutchings and his partner Martin O'Connor.

But, according to McGivern, you would not have known it.

"Spirits throughout this season have not dipped and it's full credit to the gaffer for that," said the 20-year-old Northern Ireland left-back.

"The manager is judged on results and we are all aware of that and, with the few amount of games we have won, the fans are bound to have a go at the manager.

"But I am in his company every day and he never let the pressure show but kept us all smiling in training. The spirit here has never dipped.

"Fans can say what they like but he's a top manager and we are all right behind him. I'm not just saying that because it's an easy thing to say.

"We really want to get the results he deserves and we feel we are capable of."

Tranmere arrive accompanied by their own problems - a heavy beating by Brentford at home last week plunging them to bottom place for the first time this season with the worst goal difference in the division.

But the players are still looking upwards, says McGivern, as the young defender adds yet more experience to his already varied career on loan from parent club Manchester City.

"I am loving this experience, it's invaluable," he added.

"I went on loan to Morecambe where we won a few games the season before last and was at Leicester last year where we got to the Championship play-offs.

"Now I'm experiencing a tough spell at Walsall, but I'm sure we will come through it. People may look at our position and think it is silly to talk about the play-offs but that's what we have our sights on because of the quality we have.

"There hasn't been a team we have faced this season who have made us feel we can't compete with them. As for me, I'm just looking forward no further than this season.

"It's obviously going to be tough to make progress at Manchester City but I intend to go back there next summer having played in the three divisions outside the Premier League and trying to make my mark."

However, Rovers have ideas to kill off the Walsall revival before it gets under way and striker Enoch Showunmi believes their early-season win at the Banks's in the Carling Cup will put them in good store to hit back after last week's Brentford shocker.

He said: "It's a tough game. It's still early days and there are a lot of points to play for. If we just put back-to-back wins together, hopefully we can push up the table.

"We've gone there already this season and got a result and hopefully we can do the same again tomorrow.

"Being the home team the pressure will be on them, like it was on us last Saturday.

"We can go out, set our stall out, get back to basics with our defending, try not to concede early goals and hopefully go out there and nick a win."

But Saddlers boss Chris Hutchings feels his team have the measure of tomorrow's opponents.

"We felt we didn't deserve to lose to them earlier and we have the chance to put that right," he said.

"It's not about revenge, it's about doing things properly.

"There are no 'gimmes' in this division. I was chatting to Alan Irvine in the week and he admitted he was surprised at the high standards in League One.

"Everyone expects his Sheffield Wednesday team to win because it's a big club but it's not that straightforward.

"Every game is a challenge and this is no different. We feel we know how Tranmere will play and it's up to us deal with that.

"But I believe in the players' ability to do so."