Saddlers Social: Walsall fans have their say

Jon Taylor

It would have been nice to progress in the Leasing.com trophy but it wasn’t to be. We put in a solid performance against a strong Portsmouth team and also gave the opportunity for first pro appearances for Sam Perry and Joe Willis with Perry impressing and I am hoping they get a chance to play in a league game this season.

Who would have thought back in October there would be so much positivity about the team, the result at Salford was a fantastic performance on and off the pitch by both the players and fans and judging by forums and social media our eyes are firmly looking up the table and why not?

We have strikers scoring goals, our newly renewed winger creating opportunities and a keeper back to his best. There’s a long way to go in the season and having the optimism of the start of the season back at the Banks is fantastic. 11th in the table and eight points of the play-offs. A man can dream!

Ian Newbold

Welcome to 2020 and a warmer welcome to our 100 per cent win ratio (I’m ignoring that B team rubbish).

How often are we told that football is a results business? And indeed what a difference they make, to both league position and the general mood.

I’ve said before that despite their failings this team is largely easy to like and get behind. They haven’t often entertained with free flowing Cruyff inspired football, who does in League Two, but one thing you get from them is effort. They leave very little out on the park. A hallmark of DC teams it seems.

I enjoyed New Year’s Day, and then Salford. And that’s despite having to share a portaloo with 1,300 others at the League’s newest member.

We know how Salford will feel though, dominating possession, conceding messy goals, and seeing a couple of worldie saves leave them with nil points. How many home games have we suffered like that so far this term?

Injuries and suspension left us very short on Saturday, and I’m not getting too carried away or optimistic. Even without those we still aren’t great and the weaknesses and deficiencies - not being able to assert any authority or control a game from midfield - are plain to see.

If we finish around where we are now, 11th, I think that’s about par on what I’ve seen from us and elsewhere in L2 so far.

We park a painful 2019 and move on. Hopefully.

Rob Harvey

Well what a great three points away at Salford that was! An excellent performance all round and plaudits to Liam Roberts for a couple of brilliant saves. Massive credit to the near 1,300 Walsall fans that went too - it’s amazing the support this team gets at times, long may it continue.

I’m writing this having just got home from the leasing.com trophy game vs Portsmouth and one thing is abundantly clear in this transfer window - we need at least one, If not two strikers to come in. I’m sorry but Elijah Adebayo and Rory Gaffney are simply not good enough for us, no matter what rare glimpses they’ve shown in the past to suggest they might be OK. They’re just not. Watching them play, they both have no urgency or effort in their bodies 99 per cent of the time, and their overall play has been very poor.

If Darrell Clarke and our team have serious hopes of play-offs or promotion, we need proper back up to Lavery and Gordon, it’s beyond crucial. If he is a man of his word and he will get rid of those not good enough, one is going back to Salford and the other needs to drop down a bit further if we’re being brutally realistic.

Now we’ve signed Wes McDonald to an 18-month deal, let’s carry on with some serious business and get this club back out of the doldrums and moving forward.

Hoping we have some more exciting signings soon, and looking forward to a big game vs Cheltenham on Saturday.

Come on you Saddlers! UTS

Nick Etheridge

It’s finally beginning to feel like we’re turning the corner. For the first time in a long while, Saturday felt like the players, staff and supporters were all pulling in the same direction together. It’s taken a long time but the green shoots of recovery seem to be making an appearance. As has always been the case this season, none of the players can be faulted for a lack of effort. It’s just feels now that it’s starting to click. Partnerships are developing in key positions and there is a greater understanding throughout the squad.

Although we are now out of the JPT, Tuesday was another demonstration of our improvement. Before Christmas we put in a real feeble display against an Oxford team a division above us, where we just sat back and waited to be beaten. Fast forward just over a month and we caused a very good Pompey side problems without our main front pairing. We had a debutant in Sam Perry who showed as much promise as Alfie Bates has this season by scooping up the man of the match award. The work behind the scenes of Miguel Llera should not go unnoticed, with a number of youngsters now coming through.

Another regular that we only had a fleeting glimpse of was Wes McDonald. If ever there was a reason to be cheerful for as a Walsall fan, it was the news that he’d signed a new deal. For me personally it’s a real sign that the club’s mentality is changing. Under the Bonsor regime I have no doubt Wes would be pictured holding another teams shirt after penning a two year deal somewhere. Pomlett and Clarke really have signalled their intent here.

Robert Dearn

2020 has been a great start in the league, a scrappy, 1-0 win against Orient, followed by a complete team performance against Salford has seen six points chalked up, and the Saddlers climb up the league.

Salford was a fantastic 'proper' away day. The fans were there in numbers, and got behind the boys extremely well. The players responded by running their socks off, and being physically committed. There was a tackle towards the end of the game where Kinsella somehow flew to block a shot. It is that type of desire that we want to see from the team.

A stand-out player for me has been Cameron Norman, he has been outstanding in his last couple of games, and for me, now matches Facey for that right-back space.

This is what the club now need to press on with. We are seeing some competition for places, but not enough over the whole squad. We have done well to get through a busy spell, with a team depleted with injuries and the odd suspension. But added squad depth would be key in maintaining our current league position, and potentially pushing further up.

Finally, a big shout out to the fans, they were amazing at Salford, and tickets for Cheltenham have been selling fast since the weekend, with the Saddlers faithful looking to take over 500 to the game.

Dan Price

What a whirlwind of a week, Salford away was one of the best away days in a long time. The following and support was phenomenal from start to finish and for the team to come away with the three points just totally topped the day. Following the uncertainty around Wes, I was delighted to see my phone notification that an 18 month contract had been signed. I was convinced that Wes would move on, so credit to Clarke and Pomlett for getting it over the line and keeping what has been our biggest forward threat this season.

The week ends with a midweek game against Pompey, the expectation was we would mix it up and we did, Sam Perry was well worthy of his MOTM. Adebayo and Gaffney again were given minutes to shine but neither really managed to grasp the opportunity, I would have liked to have seen Candlin play, returning from a loan recall and then not making that squad while youth team players were scattered around it is a weird decision so let’s see what comes of that but on the whole I thought we played decent and a little more clinical in front of goal may have seen a different outcome.

I know the Pompey defeat and being out of the cup may overshadow the week but all in all a great week in the season, three points in the league and Wes’s services secured for 18 months makes a great start to 2020.

Chris Saunders

A great win against Salford and we are really hitting form at the right stage of the season. The exit from the EFL Trophy was unlucky but we put in a good performance and can lots of positives.

Signing Wes to a new contract is a great boost around the club and hopefully one or two other tweaks can be made which improve the squad without unsettling the balance mid season. If we get January right there is no reason why we can’t aim for the play offs and finish there or thereabouts.

What was excellent to see was more youngsters getting debuts in the EFL Trophy and more than holding their own against good opposition. When Clarke talks about the Walsall way I can’t help but feel promise when a Walsall developed player gets his chance and wins the man of the match in his debut.

James Kenealey

I mentioned in a previous column that I was starting to fall out of love with all this, but last Saturday’s away trip to Salford offered a timely reminder of just how fun it can be.

While technically my local club for the last few years, I’d never been to see Salford City before. As it transpires, they’re a National League North side artificially aloft in the EFL by money and fame. Nothing special. The atmosphere and away following was brilliant though. A standing terrace really helps and I wish we had it back at our place.

Signing Wes McDonald up is a fantastic piece of business and a sure indication that we’re tentatively moving forwards. It’s slightly different circumstances admittedly, but already the contrast between this January and last (Josh Ginnelly) is encouraging.

Things have certainly improved on the pitch and while we aren’t spectacular world-beaters and there are certainly some weaker elements of the team, we seem to be improving. We now seem capable of being a reasonably comfortable mid-table League Two side - and after the last three years, who can really expect more this soon? If October 2019 proves to be the lowest ebb of Walsall Football Club, I’ll be extremely happy and extremely relieved because I feared it was going to get much worse.

We’ve got a lot to do - both on and off the pitch. But I’m feeling a tiny bit more optimistic than I was three months ago.

Jack Talbot

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make it to Salford on Saturday but what a win and what a statement it was!

I imagine the confidence in the dressing room will be sky high after that win. Let’s see how far we can go and see if we can sneak into the play offs this season.

I believe we have made the best signing we possibly could of hoped for with the contract extension of Wes McDonald. All we need now is a striker to put the pressure on Gordon and Lavery and two (experienced & young) wingers. I would then send Gaffney back to Salford and keep Holden as he has slowly improved in the last couple of games.

On the defeat to Portsmouth, it may be a blessing in disguise as it now gives us no distractions and we can fully focus on pushing up the league. Just to add, well done to Sam Perry and Joe Willis on their first team debuts for the club.

Now on to Cheltenham away. Another win would be massive and put us in the mix for the play offs for sure.

Stuart Cox

A good week at the office so far!

A great result away at Salford, showing how we can dig in and defend a lead and then a very positive performance against Portsmouth where, on another day, we could have come away with a win.

To be fair, the game could have gone either way – a missed penalty, a penalty not given and a miss from Lavery but also some solid defending and good saves from Roberts. A great debut from Sam Perry who I think could develop into a very good player but for me Man of the Match was Zak Jules. He was everything on the pitch – superb defending, comfortable on the ball, skilful and willing to drive forward at the right time. Not sure whether it was just injuries that were the reason he wasn’t playing but I hope he stays fit and fits into our defence somewhere.

Finally the late Christmas present that we all wanted – McDonald signing for the next 18 months. He is the one player we have that can turn a game in an instant and fair play to Pomlett and Clarke for getting this one over the line. Can we look up? Eight points off the play-offs? It may be too much if we have a couple of poor results but you never know.