Bescot Banter: Walsall have put themselves in a great position

Sitting just a point off the play-off places heading into this weekend's clash with Port Vale, the team has well and truly turned their season around and, if they can continue to build upon the game which went before, look set to reach the New Year in fine fettle.

The midweek win over Oldham Athletic gave us another indication of just how much the team has grown over the last few weeks as, despite seeing a two-goal lead evaporate over thirteen second-half minutes, they were able to avoid complete capitulation and go on to secure a winning goal as Elijah Adebayo bagged his eighth of the season after Josh Gordon and Carl Piergianni's own goal had given them the initial two-nil lead.

Focusing on Elijah for a moment. By nabbing the winning goal on Tuesday evening, the former Fulham man has already matched the number of goals he managed over the course of the curtailed 2019/20 campaign and looks set to reach double figures in double-quick time.

There is no doubt that Elijah is currently enjoying the best run of form in his time at the Banks's and, as he is joined in attack by the likes of Josh Gordon, who also netted against the Latics, Rory Holden, and Wes McDonald, the Saddlers' forward line looks to be in great shape, especially with several others, including on-loan duo Adan George and Jake Scrimshaw, also waiting in the wings.

However, it's not all rainbows and kittens, as, despite goalkeeper Jack Rose pulling off a number of superb saves over the last few games, the Saddlers continue to concede goals. In fact the Reds have earned just three clean-sheets in the league so far this season.

This, and the continued penchant for defensive errors, simply must be addressed if we are to maintain our recent run of form and begin to make a move on the Play-Off and/ or promotion places.

With all that being said, the Saddlers are in a rich vein of form and must be applauded for their recent trio of performances. Here's to the next three!