Walsall v Huddersfield Town
Sat 28 April 15:00 Bescot Stadium
"We will be putting out a strong team and try and finish as high as possible." Simon Grayson
The Manager
Dean Smith started his playing career with Walsall in 1989 and took the management reins in January 2011. He took Walsall from relegation certainties to safety in his first four months in charge.
The Opposition
Full name: Walsall Football Club
Nickname(s): The Saddlers
Founded: 1888 (as Walsall Town Swifts)
Ground: Bescot Stadium, Walsall (Capacity: 11,300)
Manager: Dean Smith
League: League One
Current position: 20th
Whilst Walsall having, unfortunately, spent long periods in the lower leagues they have, however, had a rich history of producing players who go on to play at the top level. Allan Clarke went on to win the League Championship under Don Revie at Leeds United after beginning life at Fellows Park. Bert Williams and Phil Parkes both became England goalkeepers in the years after they progressed from their roots in Walsall. David Kelly had a long career at the top level after leaving Walsall in 1988, representing the Republic of Ireland at the very highest level of international football. More recently, Michael Ricketts represented England after blossoming at Bolton Wanderers. In recent years, Matty Fryatt and Ishmel Demontagnac have both represented England age-groups.
Arguably the best time for Walsall was in 1983–84 they defeated First Division club Arsenal in the League Cup at Highbury and advanced to the semi-final, where they gained a 2–2 draw against Liverpool at Anfield, but lost the second leg 2–0 and the tie 4–2 on aggregate. This cup run saw Walsall famously only 90 minutes away from playing in Europe. Walsall narrowly missed out on promotion to the Second Division in the same season.
Probably their most high profile manager has been ex-England international Paul Merson. Among those introduced to regular first-team football by Mr Merson, the brightest light was Matty Fryatt, who was the top scorer at the 2005 European Under-19 Championship, where he represented England.
It is not always a great feeling to be the architect of a teams relegation and Walsall suffered that fate on 22 April 2006, after losing 3–1 to the Terriers.
Recent Form
Both teams go in to this match with not the greatest of form.
Walsall WLLL
Huddersfield Town LLLW
Last Meeting Between The Teams
Sat 5 November 2011, at the Galpharm Stadium, not many fireworks and the spoils were shared.
Travelling
Coach prices are available from the Town ticket office. If you are travelling by car, the main route is to take a westerly route on the M62 and to pick up the M60 until rejoining the M62 at the Winton Park circular. Head south at the M6 until you reach the signpost for Walsall.
Final Comment
The Saddlers are fighting for their League One lives, with just two games of the season to go, Town will be looking to secure the favoured fourth position for the playoffs. Not many many punters would bet against a draw for this one!
Walsall v Huddersfield Match Thread
posted on 28/4/12
nar boots..
sheff weds v wycombe (already relegated)
sheff utd v exeter (already relegated)
mkd v walsall (safe but we couldn't beat em)
Town v Yeovill (safe, so maybe a gimme)
stevenage v bury (safe but we couldn't beat em)
notts co v colchester (safe)
carlisle v oldham (safe one place above walsall)
So no really interesting games with potential twists...
Really all top 8 teams in our league will be well odds on at bookies to win....
But if I were wendies, I would not be smug too early, there is bound to be at least one strange result...
posted on 29/4/12
Come on weds, I hope they get second.
posted on 29/4/12
Myth .. Looking at The F L Show replay it appears Very Much like Sean Morrisons Fault for their goal .. Did you see it that way ~ ? as neither you or 38 have said so .. ? .. Hey I'm Not trying to apportion blame for a poor 2nd half performance at one mans feet .. It Just seemed a poor goal to give away ..
posted on 29/4/12
I've never known a 'good' goal to give away...
posted on 29/4/12
boots..having watched it back. it does not show the fact that we had cleared it before that and it came back in a couple of times and we are all still stood on our or near the 18 yard lane..
thats what grips me..
the bloke takes a stride or two sideways and has a clear sight of goal, how??? we are all back there supposedly defending???
hanging around like bad smells in our own box has become a very bad habit..
suffice to say, you dont deserve to win games if you only play half of them..
higgy ran around quite a bit in the second half, unfortunately there was only novak/tom clarke still running about with him..
The draw had been accepted, its a bad mindset...
posted on 29/4/12
Mr Boots...
From the position I was viewing from, which was behind the goals at the opposite end of the field to where both goals were scored, it was very hard to work who was to blame. But what I would say is they looked like they had a lot of freedom to find each other.
Now I've seen the replay, I'd say that it was a very good finish from the lad on loan from Stoke, but we shouldn't have given him the time to shoot....
We are fine when we've got the ball, but there was an element of panic near our box, shown by both Morison & P Clarke.....
Nothing that can't be sorted out on the training field between now and the 1st MKD game....Lets see what this new coaching staff have in 'em, cos at the moment we need to instill some urgency to our defence...sadly it's a case of 'you snooze, you lose'...
posted on 29/4/12
myth..
simple equation..
the further you are away from the goal = the harder it is to score....
"einstein" <telling it straight by albert> 1898 ....(www.its not f-cking brain.surgery.com)
posted on 29/4/12
Am taking that as you saying, P Clarke defends too deep which creates the gap between defence and midfield problem.....
I half agree with you that we should set the back 4 further up field.....
But that encourages a ball over the top, or long angled balls splitting the defence for the oppositions nippy wingers/strikers, and that relies heavily on having a very good ref and lino to make the off side decision....
Not many of them in this league....
posted on 29/4/12
Cheers guys ~ Tho Its Painfully obvious Morrison is NOWHERE Near tight enough on their goalscorer .. Thats Slack I don't like the look
of it and on that basis alone he can Phucck off back to Reading for me .. .. Grayson and we can find better .. .. Much better ..
posted on 29/4/12
myth..what i am saying is that we cannot run a game from our own 18 yard line..
If you allow a team to constantly put stuff into the box and on the edge of it they will get good chances..
I have never advocated town running up to the halfway line at the drop of a hat.. I have always said get up the pitch when you clear it.. Lets see if the opposition have a player who can, consistently, put a "golf shot" ball over the top of a defence 25/30 yrads from goal and:
A. keep the ball in play
B. not make the keeper an odds on favourite to pick it up or clear it.
We are in the 3rd division . it wont happen.. What will happen in this division if you dont come out is that it will be "lumped" back into the box and they will fight for it..We will give away too many corners or throws in good attacking positions and we will concede far too many "half-chances-good chances" inside our own box.. Its happening now, we are watching it happen..You are watching it happen????