Walsall back in action to prepare for new season
Walsall have begun preparations for the new League Two campaign in earnest after players returned for pre-season training.
New boss Matt Taylor and his coaching team held a first session with the Saddlers players since taking the reins at the Banks’s Stadium last month.
The club’s four new signings so far this summer, Conor Wilkinson, Joss Labadie, Jack Earing and Manny Monthe, were all in attendance to meet their new team-mates before the squad were put through their paces.
Players underwent a gym session and physical checks before then carrying out further fitness work on the training pitches at Essington. While some drills did involve footballs, for the moment the focus is very much on building endurance as the Saddlers prepare for another demanding league season.
Their first pre-season fixture is scheduled to take place a fortnight tonight away at Leamington before hosting Premier League Crystal Palace at the Banks’s Stadium on Saturday, July 17.
The latter fixture is set to be the club’s first at home with supporters in attendance since March 2020. Pre-season matches against Kidderminster Harriers and Cheltenham Town have also been scheduled, with the Saddlers kicking off their League Two season away at Tranmere on August 7.
Taylor’s appointment was part of a summer of considerable change at Walsall, as the club look to rebuild after a disappointing two seasons following relegation from League One in 2019, made no easier by the financial impact of the pandemic.
The recruitment of Jamie Fullarton, the club’s first ever sporting director, is also seen as key as the Saddlers look to challenge toward the top end of League Two this term.
Further signings are likely with chairman Leigh Pomlett last week claiming the club’s budget would rank in the division’s top 10. Extensive work has also been carried out to repair a drainage problem which meant Essington could not be used for a significant portion of last season.
“There are funds available and we have a competitive budget for this year,” said Pomlett.
“But it’s about the whole infrastructure, the quality of the management team, the recruitment process – a whole myriad of things, one of which is the playing budget.
“The playing budget will be fine, we cannot use that as an excuse for failure.”
