Released via Saddlers.co.uk, club Chairman Jeff Bonser said; "On behalf of the Board of Directors I am pleased to present the annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 May 2015.
"For the tenth successive year I am delighted to be able to announce a trading profit for the year, this time of £26,000. Furthermore the Club’s long-term debt has been reduced by £144,000.
"It was a historic year as, some 127 years after the Club was founded in 1888, we reached the final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy, our first ever appearance at the ‘Home of Football’, Wembley Stadium. On the day nearly 30,000 Saddlers’ supporters made their way to the Capital to get behind the Team and whilst we didn’t achieve the result we all wanted, going 2-0 down to Bristol City, it was a day that will live long in the memory of all in attendance.
"Unfortunately, we could not match the excitement generated by the ‘cup fever’ in the League but did secure a credible and comfortable mid-table finish, which again saw the Team win the 2014-2015 FA Respect & Fair Play Award for League One for a second successive year, something which I believe we as a Club should all be very proud of.
"Victory in the Walsall Senior Cup for the first time this century also deserves a special mention.
"At Academy level, graduates Levi Rowley and Kyle Rowley joined Rico Henry in both putting pen to paper on their first professional deals as they continued their impressive rise through the ranks here at the Bank’s Stadium. Henry, along with former Academy graduates Matthew Preston and Liam Kinsella also made their First Team debuts during the campaign.
"The Youth Team followed their senior counterparts in collecting some silverware as they triumphed once again in the Midland Youth Cup.
"We have continued to enjoy fantastic support from all of our Sponsors and Commercial Partners. I would like to take this opportunity to place on record my personal thanks to the organisations and individuals involved who have provided constant support to the Club throughout the season.
"In particular I would like to thank our Principle Partner HomeServe who this year took on the ‘Front of Shirt’ Sponsorship, ‘Main Stand Sponsor Sponsorship’ and ‘Academy Sponsorship’, in the first of a three-year deal. It has been an exceptional year and hopefully the beginnings of a long a mutually beneficial partnership.
"New relationships have also been forged with the University of Wolverhampton, Mid-Counties Co-op and Acorn Group as well as the ongoing contribution of Banks’s Brewery, Dains LLP, Tile Choice and the Walsall FC Community Programme. As always I would like to pay tribute to the work of the Community Team whose activities enrich the lives of thousands of people in the borough of Walsall and once again like to place on record my thanks to my Board colleagues and the staff at the Banks’s Stadium for their continued hard work and enthusiasm.
"Finally, on behalf of everyone at Walsall Football Club, I would once again like to say a big thank you to our supporters for their continued loyalty and commitment to the Club, and to assure them that all of our efforts and hard work are focused on continuing to give them a Team and a Club to be proud of."