George Bennett: Meet our new Walsall reporter

I am very much looking forward to travelling up and down the country and covering the Saddlers next season. While last season's early promise descended into disappointment, I'm hopeful that Mat Sadler's appointment will provide the club with an upturn in fortunes.

Walsall are braced for a busy summer after releasing 11 players at the end of the 2022/23 season, including long-serving midfielder Liam Kinsella. I am currently pressing ahead with making new contacts, and while this will inevitably take time, I hope to find my feet in my new position over the coming weeks.

My primary aim will be to keep supporters updated with the latest events unfolding at the club. However, I will also delve into the history books, and evoke nostalgia with a few features on popular figures among the fan base, and historic matches and events.

Writing long-read features is one of my biggest strengths, and finding the right voices to bring a story to life is a challenge which I relish. I have experience at my hometown club Calne Town and spent a season at Cheltenham Town during my final year at the University of Gloucestershire.

Both roles taught me how much a football club means to the community and I will adopt that philosophy and approach in my role at the Express & Star.

I made my first steps into the industry on a full-time basis with PA Media, and contributed to a number of publications on the day time news desk at Reach PLC, including the Mirror, Chronicle Live and Leeds Live.

My previous role consisted of reporting on number of clubs in the North-East such as Leeds United and Newcastle United. I now look forward to focusing on one specific club and will do my utmost to cover Walsall to the best possible standard.