With relegation now extremely unlikely and almost half of the league vying for a spot in the promotion and Play-Off places the manager is hoping to end the season in form before targeting an improved 2020/21 campaign.
With just fourteen games remaining in the 2019/20 campaign, Walsall manager Darrell Clarke has spoken to the local press and issued a challenge to his players who are fighting for contracts as he once again vows to clear the so-called ‘dead wood’ in the summer.
With relegation now extremely unlikely and almost half of the league vying for a spot in the promotion and Play-Off places the manager is hoping to end the season in form before targeting an improved 2020/21 campaign.
The manager, who has already confirmed that he’s aiming for a promotion push next season, has used his press latest meeting to urge his players to show what they are made of for the remainder of the season if they want to earn a place in the squad for the 2020/21 campaign.
Speaking via the Express & Star, Darrell said; "Our aim is to always win every game, but your eye is always on the bigger picture as well.
"It’s important through the course of these next fourteen games that I’m seeing players really working hard and being mentally strong to earn a new deal. It’s a ruthless business, you can be out and released with the 700-800 players that are released every summer.
"They need to make sure they don’t want to be a part of that and showing me that they’re capable of getting into the higher regions of this division on a consistent basis.
"There’s a lot of players with question marks on that. I think we have a decent core now of eight or nine players that are top seven League Two players and for me it’s now building on that.
"We’re also working towards getting rid of the dead wood in the summer. There’s a good feel about the place and the spirit of the club. We concentrate on the next game but I’m not doing my job if I’m not looking at the next picture too.
"Looking at where we need to recruit to be where we need to be. There’s always a case to have a look at one or two things from now until the end of the season, I’ll be doing that.
"It’s a constant process, but they have to be working hard and showing me that they want to be part of what we’re trying to do here."