Darrell Clarke wants to get Walsall fans 'on-side'
Manager Darrell Clarke has vowed the work to get Walsall fans onside will continue despite the feel-good factor currently engulfing the club.
Clarke’s arrival along with Leigh Pomlett’s takeover has gone a long way to rejuvenating supporters following the Saddlers’ relegation last year.
This week more than 330 fans purchased season tickets after the club ran an offer to re-sell them at “early bird” prices.
Clarke admitted it was great seeing supporters queuing at the Banks’s for tickets. And he promised all fans their support will not be taken for granted.
“We want as many supporters as we can and we want them onside,” he said.
“We have got a lot of work to do that because they were obviously disappointed with what happened last season.
“I think they appreciate the changes that have been made so far.
“It’s a new group and Walsall fans aren’t stupid – they know it’s a work in progress. We have still got players who haven’t made their debuts yet, we have still got players joining us.
“We have had to be patient, we have had to wait because we knew one or two players wanted to leave the club and we had to get good fees for those players.
“This football club is an ongoing process, there are no quick fixes. We know what needs to be done and we are putting those small building blocks in place.”
Clarke bolstered his ranks earlier this week by snapping up striker Caolan Lavery.
The 26-year-old has spent the last two seasons on loan at Rotherham and Bury but won promotion with them both.
Clarke now has three senior forwards on his books.
But the boss reiterated he still wants one more before the window closes on September 2.
“He (Lavery) has got a decent pedigree, I think there have probably been too many loans, but he has been at some big clubs,” the boss continued.
“He has found a home now and we want to kick him on.
“He is a winner and that is what we need amongst the group.
“We’ll have four strikers to work with this season.
“We also have James Hardy and Rory Holden who can play the number 10 centre-forward role as well.
“We have got options in that area.
“We’ll take stock, we’ve got a busy week – we have got three games in a week and we’ll see where we are after that.”
