Walsall showdown with Notts County a ‘must-win’
Friday 31st December 2010, 11:29AM GMT.
Darryl Westlake today branded Walsall’s relegation showdown with Notts County a “must-win” as the Saddlers hunt a League One lifeline.
The second-bottom club host the Magpies tomorrow bidding to move closer to safety and peg back their relegation rivals.
Paul Ince’s County are 18th, six points ahead of the Saddlers, and the defender admitted the hosts need to win to keep in touch.
He said: “It’s a must-win game for us. They are in and around us and when we play teams like that we need to beat them and climb above them.
“Our main target is to get three points and then if we get a point at Peterborough on Monday we’ll take that.
“But we still want to get six points from the next two games and keep climbing the table. They are beatable teams and we definitely owe Peterborough as they beat us 3-1 here.”
Tomorrow will be Walsall’s first home game since November 20 – a 2-1 win over Carlisle – after the big freeze forced them to postpone three outings. The Boxing Day trip to Bristol Rovers was also called off.
Westlake said: “We’re all up for it. We’ve been training on the artificial surface because we haven’t been able to use the training ground so we just want to get out and play.”
“There always seems to be bad weather around Christmas so you expected them to be called off but I would rather be playing every week.
“With the Christmas period you have loads of games and you don’t usually get much rest but I’d rather be playing every Saturday then having a break.”
And right-back Westlake is ready to face County’s former Albion hitman Lee Hughes, who has five goals in his last five games.
The 19-year-old knows about nine-goal Hughes’ threat and is relishing the challenge.
He said: “He’s played in the Premier League and that’s where my main target is to get to. When you play against someone like that then you’ll only benefit.”
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Every win is now a must win, we are close to relegation, and the way the team is being run there will be no automatic jump back this time.
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