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News and Views
The Saddlers have enjoyed a fortnight without a competitive outing and, after opening 2021 with a defeat - their third in as many outings - the squad may well have welcomed the chance to rest as we reach the midway point in the campaign.
There is no denying that manager Darrell Clarke and his team had plenty to work on during their time off and will hopefully return to action with a point to prove and a desire to take the game to their opponents.
New recruit Tyreik Wright, the young Aston Villa winger joining on loan for the remainder of the season, will provide the gaffer with some welcome width and, when fully fit, should enable some of our existing attackers to get forward rather than drop out wide.
The loss of Rory Holden has dealt a blow to the team, but there is now an opportunity for some of the current crop to step up to the mark and give the gaffer a selection headache when Holden is able to return.
Opponents Oldham are winless in their last three league outings with the Latics securing all three points only once in their last five league games and will no doubt be fired up for the game as manager Harry Kewell looks to return to winning ways.
The Saddlers defeated the Latics in the reverse fixture and will hopefully be able to do the double at the Banks's this weekend.
Head to Head
Walsall and Oldham Athletic have met on sixty-one previous occasions and it's the Saddlers who hold the narrowest of overall win/ loss leads having secured victory on twenty-four occasions compared to the Latics' twenty-three.
There have also been fourteen draws over the history of the fixture, a history which began at Fellows Park on Friday, 10th April 1936 as the two sides met in a Division Three (North) clash which Oldham won by two-goals-to-one.
The most recent meeting took place at Boundary on Tuesday, 15th December 2020 and saw the the Saddlers win by three-goals-to-one as Josh Gordon and Elijah Adebayo netted either side of Carl Piergianni's own goal.
Piergianni was able to get grab a goal at the right end, adding to Dylan Fage's earlier strike, but was unable to help his side secure a share of the spils as the Saddlers took all three points.
Man in the Middle
The EFL has confirmed that Christopher Pollard, who is based in Suffolk, will be the man in the middle as Walsall look to secure their first win of 2021.
Chris Isherwood and Paul Stonier have been named as assistant referees, whilst David Rock will act as Fourth Official.
GAMES
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15
|
YELLOW
CARDS |
RED
CARDS |
58
| 6
|
PENALTIES
|
3
|
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.