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News and Views
The Saddlers' winless run continued in midweek as they added to last weekend's defeat to Bolton Wanderers with a goalless draw with Southend United.
Whilst a draw with a team also struggling near the foot of the table is far from unexpected, the Saddlers managed to not only produces a shot-less second-half but were also lucky to take anything at all, despite the Shrimpers being down to ten men.
With the number of opportunities to secure enough points to avoid being dragged further into trouble slowly slipping away it is imperative that the Reds return to winning ways.
Earning just one win since mid-December's victory over Port Vale, the Saddlers have been in the kind of form which should give every supporter nightmares, and seem to be all at sea when it comes to finding a way to turn it around.
Whilst just a couple of wins could well see the Saddlers move to a much safer position, its currently hard to see where those points would come from, especially as both goals and goal-scoring opportunities have become almost non-existent.
Head Coach Brian Dutton admitted his side was fortunate to gain a point from their midweek trip to Roots Hall, and while we agree with the gaffer's assessment, we're worried that he seems to be unable to fix any of the issues which continue to blight the team.
Be it a lack of concentration, the continuing individual errors, or the almost complete lack of any goal-scoring endeavour, Dutton simply must find a way to turn his team's fortunes around else he will also be finding himself in the hunt for a new job in the summer, like many of his current squad.
Opponents Grimsby Town currently sit at the foot of the League Two table and will arrive at this weekend's clash on the back of a welcome-win over fellow strugglers Barrow, a win which saw the Mariners extend their recent run to five games without defeat.
With seven points continuing to separate them from safety, they will no doubt be very keen to add to the Saddlers' woes as they play host to them this weekend.
Head to Head
There have been sixty-five competitive meetings between Walsall and Grimsby Town and it's the Saddlers who hold an overall head-to-head lead having won thirty-two occasions, with the Mariners securing the win twenty-three times.
There have been ten draws over the history of the fixture. A history which began at The Chuckery on Saturday, 22nd October 1892 as Walsall Town Swifts and Grimsby Town met in a League Division Two clash, the home side winning 3-1.
The most recent meeting took place at the Banks's on Saturday, 12th September last year and saw Elijah Adebayo grab the only goal of the game to secure a welcome win for the Saddlers.
Man in the Middle
The EFL has confirmed that Samuel Barrott, who is based in West Riding will be the man in the middle, whilst Declan Ford and Wayne Grunnill have been named as assistant referees. Gareth Mellor will act as Fourth Official.
GAMES
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25
|
YELLOW
CARDS |
RED
CARDS |
70
| 4
|
PENALTIES
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3
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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.