Walsall squad of the century: The goalkeepers

A number of top stars have graced the Banks’s Stadium pitch, but who would make the ultimate Saddlers squad from those who have played for the club over the past two decades?

With the country in lockdown – and fans looking for their football fix – we asked Walsall supporters to put together a dream team of players who have played from the club from January 1, 2000, onwards.

In keeping with a World Cup format, there were just two rules.

Firstly, they had to name three goalkeepers, and secondly the squad had to have balance and cover in case of injury or suspension.

In total, 44 fans took the time to put together their squads – with dozens of players making the list for each position. Throughout this week, the Express & Star will reveal the results, starting today with the goalkeepers.

GOALKEEPERS: JIMMY WALKER, CLAYTON INCE, NEIL ETHERIDGE

Although the other positions were subject of much debate by the Walsall fans, the three goalkeepers slots were relatively cut and dry.

One man, a true fan favourite, was a mainstay in almost every team – Jimmy Walker, known as ‘Wacka’. In fact, the former shot-stopper made 43 of the 44 teams – one of only two players to do so, only Eddie Atkins left him out.

Walker spent 14 years at Walsall over two spells and was at the heart of a golden era at the club.

Joining in 1993 as a diamond in the rough, Walker went on to achieve promotion from the Third Division in the 1994/95 season, finishing second under manager Chris Nicholl.

Then, under the guise of legendary boss Ray Graydon, Walker was part of the team that earned two promotions to Division One in three years – first as runners-up in 1998/99 and second through the play-offs in 2000/01.

Walker also achieved individual accolades, winning Walsall player of the year in 1998/99 and 2001/02, as well as getting into the Second Division team of the year in 2000/01.

Although many of his Walsall achievements came before 2000, the goalkeeper stayed with the club until 2004 and returned from 2010 to 2013, and was rightly picked in this team. It is no surprise too, as he is the club’s current record appearance holder with 534.

With 35 votes, Clayton Ince was a popular choice among fans. The former Trinidad & Tobago international played for the Saddlers between 2006 and 2010 and helped the club to the League Two title in his first season under manager Richard Money.

The third goalkeeper to make this squad is current Cardiff player Neil Etheridge – with 31 votes. The Philippines international only spent two years at Walsall between 2015 and 2017, before moving to the Bluebirds, but he made his name at the Banks’s Stadium. He was the first choice goalkeeper in the 2015/16 season when the club missed out on promotion to the Championship, eventually losing in the play-offs.

The only other goalkeeper to challenge the top three was Richard O’Donnell, who amassed 19 votes.

A popular figure under Dean Smith, he left the club in 2015 after two years of service and was replaced by Etheridge.

Meanwhile, current number one Liam Roberts earned himself two votes in the team, while two other goalkeepers earned one vote each.

Current Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, who played for the club on loan from Manchester United in 2013, was one of them – alongside current Shrewsbury Town goalkeeper Joe Murphy, who spent two spells on loan at Walsall from the Baggies in 2004/05 and 2005/06.