Andy Rammell remembers his Walsall days with pride

He rarely even follows results nowadays, he admits.

Injuries late in his career, which ended his playing days, played a part in the striker losing his passion for the beautiful game.

And, yet, at the mention of the Saddlers, and Walsall fans in particular, his enthusiasm returns and there's an excitable tone in his voice.

A promotion hero – 18 goals in his first season with Walsall helped the side finish as Second Division runners-up in 1998–99 – he quickly became a firm fan favourite.

And it's the relationship with the supporters, he says, that stirs his great memories of the club.

"They were marvellous fans at Walsall," he recalls. "I had a good connection with them.

"They liked the fact I was a 100 per cent player who tried my heart out and I think that's where the connection came."

Andy, born in Nuneaton, freely admits that, on arrival back in the Midlands with the Saddlers, he couldn't have anticipated the success that was to follow.

"I joined with the club having the reputation of just staying in the league," he says. "It was just nice to be back in the Midlands.

"That said, I'd had a few options including going to South Africa and Hong Kong.

"I guess not many people would choose Walsall over them! But, as a family, we considered what was best and I certainly picked the right place in Walsall!

"The expectation was just to stay up but surprisingly, to many, it went really well."

The Saddlers finished as runners-up, with 87 points, behind runaway champions, Kevin Keegan's Fulham, who finished with 101.

The magnitude of Walsall's success highlighted by the fact Manchester City finished third, five points behind, before winning the play-offs.

Ray Graydon's men left the likes of Stoke, Burnley, Preston and Bournemouth trailing in their wake.

Sir Ray's work with the squad, Andy says, is what set the side apart from many of the rivals at the time.

"Ray was a stickler for the rules and we had our regular weigh ins and body fat tests," recalls Andy, who left Atherstone for Manchester United in a £40,000 move at the start of his career.

"Ray knew what he was doing. "Ray brought organisation and us behaving ourselves. That's what training and every game was.

We had a set plan and we executed it. We kept it quite simple really.

"Organisation was key to it. The lads were great.

"I was closest to Chris Marsh but it was a great set of lads and everything clicked lovely.

"We didn't have loads of star players. We had Wacka (Jimmy Walker) in goal and Points (Neil Pointon) was amazing.

"But the main thing was we had a good team where everyone knew what their jobs were,

"We were solid right down the middle of the team, two good centre halves, a strong midfield and me stuck up front.

"We just built off that really. It worked perfectly. It was just an awesome season which I thoroughly enjoyed."

Though Andy says current football doesn't interest him as much, memories of the past still do.

Now living in Wareham, Dorset, pictures from that promotion season, adorn the walls of his home.

"Yes, I still have the pictures up in the house of us in the directors box celebrating," he adds. "I look back on the season with a lot of pride.

"I went to Wycombe later in my career and played in an FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool but the promotion with Walsall right up there with my most special moments."

After the unlikely promotion, Walsall found life difficult at a higher level and Andy still feels frustrated about that time and the mistakes he feels were made.

"I was miffed because I thought Ray should have kept the team together but he didn't," Andy says. "He tried to improve the side but made changes for changing sake.

"Points, for example, didn't get offered a new contract. It left a bad taste.

"They bought players in on more money and a few of us had our noses out of joint. They changed too much."

The Saddlers did, nonetheless battle right until the final day of the season, when relegation was finally sealed.

A 2-0 defeat at Ipswich meant they suffered the dreaded drop despite derby victories over Wolves, Birmingham and West Bromwich Albion earlier in the campaign.

And, for Rammell, it was those games, in which he scored winners, that earned him legendary Walsall status.

"I have always done well against Midlands sides," he said. "They were great times and you can't beat the atmosphere of a derby, it is something I thrived off.

"I know the fans enjoyed those victories as much as I did.

"Like I say, I don't keep up with the football as much now, I got away from it a bit but those memories and that connection with the fans at Walsall are things that stay with me."