Walsall manager Chris Hutchings has outlined his battle plan to defend the Banks’s Stadium this season in a bid to improve the Saddlers’ dismal home record.

The club have won just 17 of their last 46 home League One games and open their Banks’s campaign against Southend tomorrow – a team they beat 5-2 at home last season.

Hutchings said: “If you are going to be successful, you’ve got to win home games.

“The onus is always on the home team to get at sides and, this year, with the wide players we have, we have players who can create and put people on the back foot.

“That’s what you have to do at home. They are tight games, there is only a slight margin between winning and losing, even drawing, so you do need people to create. If you do have that, you need to make sure people take the chances.

“You do lose the occasional one, Liverpool beat Manchester United 4-1 at Old Trafford last season, so it does happen.

“There’s nothing special about it, you just want to give your home fans something to cheer about.”

But the Saddlers chief is under no illusions how hard the visitors will make it for his side and is tipping Southend – the club where he started his career – to challenge for the play-offs this season.

Hutchings said: “Southend are tough opposition, they will be there or there abouts. They have a decent squad and want to build on last year.”

Hutchings hopes to have skipper Mark Hughes (thigh) and Peter Till (foot) available after the pair sat out Tuesday’s last-minute 2-1 Carling Cup loss at Accrington.

Netan Sansara could also feature after recovering from a pre-season ankle injury.

Hutchings said: “Hughes had a nick on his thigh, it wasn’t too much of a problem but we didn’t want to risk him.

“Peter was a precautionary thing, because he had bruising on the top of the foot and was very sore.

“With the amount of games coming up, it was an opportunity to play one or two of the others. Netan has stepped up his training and been training really hard. He’s got a chance of being in the squad.”

Clayton Ince and Mark Bradley are available after international duty, but Rhys Weston is suspended following his first-half red card at Accrington.