Walsall analysis - A taste of the Saddlers own medicine
As the old saying goes, ‘all good things must come to an end,’ and Walsall’s record-breaking winning streak proved no different.
Mat Sadler’s men have blown most opponents away with relative ease this season, including Bradford City back in September – before their stunning recent run of victories.
Saddlers had only failed to score in three of their 25 games prior to Saturday’s game, and had won all but seven of their league games.
In football, and the EFL especially, no two games are ever the same, and neutrals in attendance at the University of Bradford Stadium would have been forgiven for questioning which side came into the lunchtime kick off 12 points clear at the top of League Two with a game in hand.
Ineffective, loose defending and a lack of invention or direction on the ball are not what we have come to expect from the fourth tier’s runaway leaders, but were the main issues on what was undoubtedly a day to forget for the 901 Saddlers that made the journey up to West Yorkshire.
The three goals Walsall conceded, in some ways, were not the most disappointing aspect of the day – it felt like almost anything that could go wrong on the day did.
The worries began an hour before kick-off for Walsall when highly-rated midfielder Jamie Jellis was not named in the 18-man squad, later explained by Sadler as an illness related decision.
Before that revelation however it was the rumours of a potential move away and turned-down new contract offer that seemed to instil a panic, in the fanbase at least, that has not been there all season.
