Walsall boss Matt Taylor to play his strongest hand in FA Cup

And as such, Walsall will be going with the strongest team possible as they head to King’s Lynn Town in the first round tomorrow.

For teams at the top of the game, this competition has lost some of its lustre given it is not as financially rewarding as others.

Taylor, though, is still swept up by the magic of the Cup.

Having reached the semi-finals as a player – although the less said about Bolton’s showing against Stoke at Wembley in 2010/11 the better – he wants to create more memories in the competition as a manager.

“It’s brilliant. It’s different from the league, obviously, in that it’s a different kind of pressure,” said Taylor.

“It’s one where if you don’t perform on the day, you very rarely get another chance.

“The magic, for me, is the fact that you could have a semi-professional team who train twice a week coming up against of the big boys if they make it to the third round.

“There’s not much in football that’s more magical than that.

“The Cup, for me, I absolutely love it. I grew up watching the Cup as a Tottenham fan and saw them win the FA Cup.

“That was my dream as a player. Unfortunately, I didn’t get close enough – we got battered in the semi-final against Stoke.

“It’s a Cup that lots of players are very passionate about.

“We’re extremely lucky to have a competition like this in this country, where it means so much to so many people.”

The Saddlers have built some nice momentum over the past month, and a bit of a Cup run would only add to the feel-good factor at the Banks’s.

Conversely, a loss to National League strugglers King’s Lynn would dampen spirits significantly.

The Linnets have lost their last three games without finding the net, but Taylor knows that Walsall cannot be complacent. “It’s going to be a tough game. King’s Lynn have lots of players with league experience,” he said.

“They have an extremely experienced manager, too.

“Similarly to us at the beginning of the season, they’re searching for something at the moment.

“They’ll want to perform well against us, so we need to make sure we’re not the team who they pick up that win against.

“We can’t in any way, shape or form come off of our performance levels. If you do, you’ll get punished.

“So, there’s no way our players will be complacent.

“I’m so keen on continuing to build momentum.

“If we don’t perform well, all the work we’ve done over the past six to eight weeks counts for nothing.”

Walsall have no new concerns on the injury front.

On the team he will pick, Taylor added: “We’re picking the strongest team we possibly can.

“It’s because we want to win. It’s simple. We are focusing on us and what we do. How we approach this game is no different.”