Walsall v Accrington Stanley: Nicholl will be on Saddlers’ minds at Bescot tonight
Walsall will pay its deepest respects to former manager Chris Nicholl ahead of tonight’s fixture against Accrington Stanley at Bescot.
Nicholl, who famously led the Saddlers to automatic promotion from Division Three in 1995, passed away in hospital on Saturday evening aged 77.
It’s been an emotional few days off the pitch for Walsall following the passing of Nicholl’s successor Jan Sorensen the Friday before last.
On the pitch, Walsall could move into the League Two play-offs if they achieve maximum points against visitors Accrington.
The Saddlers climbed seven places into ninth with a 2-0 success over Harrogate Town on Saturday, as they racked up their third league win on the spin.
Mat Sadler’s men are targetting a fourth straight victory in League Two for the first time since December 2020 and will leapfrog seventh-place Gillingham on goal difference if they manage to do so.
Accrington won the reverse fixture 2-1 at the Wham Stadium in December but fell to 14th over the weekend following a home defeat against Crawley Town.
The original fixture was postponed in January due to a frozen pitch and the rearranged date provides Walsall with the chance to chase a third consecutive home victory.
Donervon Daniels (ankle), Priestley Farquharson (thigh), Danny Johnson (toe) and Aramide Oteh (hamstring) are all unavailable.
Oisin McEntee (hamstring) and Harry Williams (hip) are out for the season, while January signing Jamie Jellis is not in contention as Sadler intends to ease him back into full-time football.
