Walsall v Hartlepool preview: Michael Flynn ready for day one of his first full campaign

The head coach arrived in February tasked with keeping the Saddlers up in the short term – a goal he reached relatively comfortably, despite an improvement of only two league positions from 18th to 16th.

Since then, there has been the small matter of a takeover by the Trivela Group, while Flynn himself has overseen a huge turnover in players – with 15 arriving through the door at the Bescot Stadium.

Only five who started the final day defeat to Swindon Town from last season remain – and even fewer are likely to get the nod to face Hartlepool United tomorrow afternoon.

That means it will be a new-look Saddlers who take to the field for this first League Two fixture of the campaign, with many young and hungry players looking to get the nod in Flynn’s first XI of 2022/23. How many of those remain come the first day of next season will be an indicator of how well the former Newport boss’s first full season in charge goes.

But he has made many of this summer’s signings with one eye on seasons to come.

“We want to try and build a team for the future,” he said this week. “It’s going to take time for us to gel so that’s why I’m not getting carried away with getting promoted.

“I want to improve on last year, of course I do.

“This is just a balanced view on it – it’s not me trying to buy time – I’m here for two years with my contract and I want to see the club progress both on and off the pitch.

“The only way you can do that is to improve year on year and it gives the younger players a chance to have more experience and improve their game – that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Helping those less experienced players get settled in at Walsall are seasoned professionals like Peter Clarke and Andy Williams, as well as club stalwarts like Liam Kinsella. Williams has already found his scoring touch in pre-season, netting three times, while Mansfield loanee Danny Johnson has also hit the net and successful trialist Timmy Abraham shown flashes of his blistering pace

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However, there will be players missing the start of what Saddlers hope will be Flynn’s revolution.

Liam Gordon remains ‘a number of weeks’ away, while Joe Riley went for a scan this week. However, Jack Earing has been back in training.

But the main question on the lips of Saddlers fans will be asking whether Flynn can mirror his achievements while in charge of Newport County.

He kept the Exiles up, steadied them in mid-table and then launched two play-off campaigns.

Stage one of surviving relegation in his first half-season at the Saddlers has already been achieved. Stage two commences tomorrow.

To Flynn, with his own team in front of him, it will feel like the first day on the job all over again.