Bescot Banter column: Positive vibes

Up against a Mariners side managed by the highly-experienced Ian Holloway, the Saddlers gave a good account of themselves and, via Elijah Adebayo, were able to grab all three points as the former Fulham man netted the only goal of the game on the hour mark.

Along with the welcome win, another bright spot to emerge from the game was the form of right-back Cameron Norman, who, though far-from being the only Saddler to enter a solid performance, was part of a determined and well-drilled back-line whilst also providing the pass from which Adebayo slotted home.

Clearly, its much too early to be grandstanding about individual performances, but the sight of a defender capable of getting forward to provide attackers with more options is a welcome one, especially when goals may be something of a premium as teams continue to sit deeper and deeper with a view to playing out from the back.

One thing is for certain, and that is that football is nothing without fans and with the EFL recently announcing plans for more pilot games - which will see around 1,000 fans allowed into selected stadiums - we remain hopeful that Walsall FC will be among those selected and are pleased to see the officials and volunteers continue to work hard to prepare the stadium for the eventual return of supporters.

With Luton Town recently pulling out of the process citing a lack of time to prepare their stadium for the return of fans, we're delighted to see our club is ahead of the curve when it comes to hosting fans and will no doubt be ready if and when called upon.

This weekend's away clash with Harrogate Town will be a tricky affair if the Saddlers are to make it two from two. The recently-promoted side opened their league account by thrashing Southend United four-nil at the weekend but have had a busy few days following their midweek Carabao Cup defeat to West Bromwich Albion.

With just one league game played it's too early to gauge a team's level of form, so we'll need to be at our best if we are to take maximum points from the game. But their lack of down days at such an early stage of the season could serve us well during the latter stages of the game.