Milan Lalkovic still feels love at Walsall

Now, four years on from his last appearance at the Banks’s Stadium, fans still keep in touch with the Slovakian through social media – where he regularly shares memories of his time in the Black Country.

Having come through the Chelsea academy, Lalkovic spent one year on-loan at Walsall in the 2013/14 season, scoring six goals in 46 appearances.

The 27-year-old didn’t return to the club until the 2015/16 season, this time on a permanent contract and speaking to the Express & Star, he revealed that he almost returned to Walsall immediately after his loan deal.

“I feel the love from the fans, but I also understand the fans that say ‘but you left twice’,” he said.

“The first time I didn’t leave, my loan just finished and I went back to Chelsea and my contract finished.

“I got misled by one agent who was promising me a lot and did nothing.

“I could have gone back to Walsall because I was in touch with Dean Smith for that whole summer but I decided to go another way – the agent put stuff in my head, so he decided really.

“It didn’t work out and I came back and we nearly got promoted – I really would have loved to stay.”

When he did return, the club had a successful League One season in 2015/16, finishing one point off automatic promotion in third place and going into the play-offs – where they ultimately lost to Barnsley.

They had three managers throughout the season, Dean Smith, Sean O’Driscoll and Jon Whitney and although Lalkovic has fond memories of that season, he regrets not getting the club over the line and earning promotion to the Championship.

“It brings back some nice memories but also that we didn’t get promoted, it was such a shame,” he added.

“That was the only thing that team needed, I don’t think they’re going to get a team that good at Walsall again, it will be hard.

“The players were at a good age, everybody was enjoying themselves.

“The manager (Dean Smith) was highly rated – as you can see he’s in the Premier League now.

“My only regret at Walsall is that we didn’t get over the line with promotion.”

After failing to achieve promotion, several first team players moved on, including Lalkovic, who cites the ‘breaking’ of the team as his reason to leave.

“I enjoyed myself there and when we didn’t get promoted, players talk and I knew 10 or 11 players were leaving so I wasn’t going to stay there on my own,” he said.

“If everyone stayed together and we were paid what we asked for then I would have stayed.

“I understand it’s not easy for the club, but everyone left because of more money.

“Sometimes it doesn’t work out, but that was the case.

“I left because the team was breaking.”

Injuries have troubled Lalkovic throughout his career since leaving Walsall and after a spell with Portsmouth and on-loan with Ross County, he moved abroad firstly to Sigma Olomouc and is now with Baník Ostrava in the Czech First League.

But for him, nothing compares to his time at the Saddlers.

“They were the best times in my football career, so far,” he said.

“Every day I was coming to training and enjoying myself, it was like playing with my mates, it was a strange feeling.

“I haven’t really had that since, everything clicked.

“The manager, the fans, the players, the style – it was enjoyable.

“I always thank Sean O’Driscoll for bringing me to Doncaster at 18 and bringing me into the professional game.

“Then other moves didn’t work and I was re-born at Walsall.”

Despite injury issues, Lalkovic is still only 27 years old and should have several more years in the professional game.

Having already departed Walsall twice, he isn’t ruling out a third spell at the club, however unlikely it might be.

“You never know, but at the moment it’s difficult to come back,” he said.

“I’m always going to be a fan because of what happened there and I never say never – I never shut the door on anything.

“I’m watching from afar at how they’re doing.”