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News and Views
The Saddlers suffered their first defeat of the league season in midweek as two penalties were enough to see Cambridge United home to victory as they continued their strong start to the season.
Despite enjoying a lengthy unbeaten spell, which had stretched to thirteen league outings, Walsall were performing at a level far removed from one which would ultimately see them challenge for the promotion and/ or Play-Off places.
Drawing six of their eight pre-Cambridge clashes, the Saddlers had failed to make much of their goal-scoring opportunities and were frequently lucky to take a point from contests which saw far too many mistakes made, not limited to a string of penalties.
As the heavy fixture schedule continues manager Darrell Clarke may seek to rotate parts of his squad with the run of matches seemingly taking a toll on some players, with a few looking somewhat leggy in midweek.
Having said that, a win over Mansfield Town this weekend will see the Saddlers edge closer to the Play-Off places and be the first step towards another unbeaten run.
Opponents Mansfield will arrive at this weekend's outing in the back of a 4-2 defeat to Barrow, a result which saw manager Graham Coughlan axed with academy manager Richard Cooper being given the task of rebuilding confidence ahead of Saturday's match.
The Stags have drawn five and lost four of their nine league games so far this season and are in desperate need of a positive performance and result as they look to move away from the lower reaches of the table.
Head to Head
The Saddlers and Stags have met on fifty-nine previous occasions and its Walsall who hold an overall head-to-head lead having won twenty-eight times compared to Mansfield's nineteen.
There have also been twelve draws over the history of the fixture, a history which began at Fellows Park on Saturday, 11th December 1926 as the two sides faced-off in a FA Cup - Second Round clash which saw the Saddlers score two goals without reply.
Their second meeting, which took place on Saturday, 26th November 1932, was also in the FA Cup and saw the Saddlers earn a place in the Second Preliminary Round thanks to a 4-1 win at Fellows Park.
The most recent meeting between the two took place at Banks's Stadium on Saturday, 26th October 2019 and saw the Stags secure all three points as, despite Elijah Adebayo's goal on the stroke of half-time, efforts from former Saddler Andy Cook and Alex MacDonald were enough to secure the win for the visiting side.
Man in the Middle
We now know that Alan Young, who is based in Cambridgeshire, will be the man in the middle as Walsall make the trip to Field Mill where they will take on Mansfield Town on Saturday afternoon.
Declan Ford and Robert Atkin have been named as assistant referees, whilst Lisa Rashid will act as Fourth Official.
GAMES
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7
|
YELLOW
CARDS |
RED
CARDS |
27
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0
|
PENALTIES
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0
|
Catch the Match
As we're still unable to attend the game in person we can catch the match via the club's in-house service - iFollow Walsall - which takes you through the highs and lows of each and every Saddlers match.
Not a iFollow Walsall subscriber? A range of options are available, including monthly, annual and gift subscriptions along with a £10 video pass which will enable you to watch the match.
You can purchase a subscription, or find further information on the service by clicking HERE.