Forest Green v Walsall: Inside track on the Saddlers' League Two opponents

Josh Clark spoke to Ashley Loveridge, sports editor for the Stroud News & Journal, to get a better take on the Saddlers' opponents, see what he had to say here.

What have you made of Forest Green's season so far?

I would say they’ve been consistently inconsistent. Probably a bit like Walsall to be honest.

One week you’ll see a team and think ‘wow we could win the league by a country mile' but then you’ll watch them again and they’ll be a real disappointment.

That’s been the story of their season so far.

They could have a bad run but still only be three points off the play-offs. Very up and down.

It was 1-1 the last time these sides met, what do you think Forest Green took from that encounter?

It was really early in the season wasn’t it?

It was a warm summers day and teams were still feeling each other out, I think.

But I was very impressed myself, I think Mark Cooper said he was happy to come out with a point.

What surprised me is that Walsall aren’t really challenging because they impressed me that day.

Very strong and robust, especially up front.

What are the short term and long term goals at the club?

Obviously they’ve got this very left field chairman in Dale Vince, who everyone knows for his Green credentials.

He always causes publicity with a lot of his alternative views such as bamboo shin pads.

His long-term goals are to get the club in the Championship.

A lot of people raise their eyebrows at that, but you only need to look at clubs like Burton and Yeovil over the last ten years who have gone up to the Championship from League Two.

The key dependency on that is also trying to get this long running battle of trying to get this new fantastic all wooden stadium, which looks about four years off now.

Short term is League one without a doubt.

Couple months ago, you would’ve said it was given but automatic is definitely off the radar so they’ll have to try and claw their way into the play-offs.

Start of the season automatic was the goal, to try and go one better than last season but recent form has moved the goal posts slightly.

How has the football looked under Mark Cooper? Have things developed this season?

He likes the Man City style of pass the ball into the back of the net football.

But recently as the pitches have deteriorated, Forest Green’s pitch isn’t in the greatest of shapes.

They’ve gone more long ball recently, not whacking it but certainly longer passes.

Playing less football in their own half in the last few months and I think that’s down to pitches and perhaps goalkeepers, they’ve had four goalkeepers this season.

They’ve had one of the best defensive records in League Two but used four goalkeepers which is quite bizarre.

Now they’ve got Conrad Logan on loan from Mansfield until the end of the season. He’s a very good organiser but he just whacks it now, whereas before when they had Joe Wollacott playing, it was definitely the keeper flicking it.

A proper footballing goalkeeper you could say but I don’t think Conrad fits that bill really.

Who are the form players Walsall will need to be wary of this weekend?

Well, they've suddenly sort of found - after a bit of a indifferent spell, they've really clicked at Grimsby.

They've signed Odin Bailey from Birmingham City on-loan, he's a wide player. He scored a goal on Saturday that Mark Cooper described as the best he's ever seen scored in his time as a manager at Forest Green or in his season as a player.

Odin's got the ability to play, he's very slightly built, he can play left side or right up top. That goal's worth a look.

Another guy to look out for is another loanee, Jack Aitchison - he's on-loan from Celtic.

He's been left out of the team recently, but he came back on Saturday and the goal he scored was a real measured finish.

He's got really quick feet and can play number ten, on the left, on the right or up front.

Probably Mr Consistent is now the captain at the moment, Carl Winchester - he plays central midfield, he's like a Duracell battery. He goes up and down for 90 minutes and keeps the team ticking.

He's seven out of ten every week and plays every game.

Liam Kitching, who plays centre back - he's an absolutely incredible player who likes to bring the ball out of defence.

You get a lot of scouts in the press box at Forest Green watching him every week. He's 19 and he's been absolutely fantastic.

Are there any injury worries going into the game?

They've got some long-termers, Joseph Mills who's the captain - he's out with a long-term knee injury. He plays left back or left wing back.

Because he's out, Cooper made the deadline day signing of Chris Stokes, who's a former Forest Green player signed from Stevenage.

He didn't play last Saturday because of his registration wasn't in time, but he's got a good chance of starting this time.

The other person is Liam Shepherd, who's the right back, with a hamstring injury.

Other than that it's a clean bill of health.

What sort of line-up and style can we expect to see, and what's your predicted XI?

He's been reverting to a back four recently, but then he's subject to tinkering for whoever he's playing against.

It can be a three, but recently a four. I'd say it would be a back four again with three in midfield, one up top and a number ten.

It's one of them where you never really know!

What have you made of Walsall from afar this season?

From afar, we sort of classify Walsall as a bizarre local derby for us!

They were one of the ones I thought would bounce straight back to be honest, and Darrell Clarke has come with good credibility from Bristol Rovers.

So I've been a bit surprised that it's been a bit hit and miss.

I wrote something at the start of the season, and they were one of my tips to go up with that bounce back ability, but I think you've got to stick with him - he's got teams promotion out of League Two before.

I'm surprised really that things haven't gone that well.

Your match prediction?

Forest Green seem to be conceding a lot of goals at the moment as well as scoring them.

I'm going to be a bit boring and go 2-2.