Sansara will handle the bad boys

Walsall defender Netan Sansara insists he will handle the 'red mist' when the Saddlers host English football's bad boys Brighton.

The game is set to go ahead tomorrow with the home side cautiously optimistic the Banks's Stadium pitch will continue to thaw following five consecutive postponements.

But the Seagulls arrive with the worst disciplinary record in the country having received the most red cards, seven, and committed 310 fouls as they battle against the drop from League One.

They have also just been slapped with a £3,000 fine for failing to control their players, after an 18-man brawl at Norwich in November.

In contrast, the Saddlers have conceded 238 fouls and picked up just one red card – Dwayne Mattis' dismissal in the 2-2 draw with Southend back in August.

But Sansara and Rhys Weston were sent off in the 1-0 win at Brighton last season, and the left-back will be extra careful tomorrow after being dismissed for the first and only time in his career against the Seagulls.

Sansara said: "I won't be diving into challenges and will be a little bit more wary. It's a learning curve as I'm naive at times, I'll keep learning and I'm sure the manager will be the first one to tell me to stay on my feet.

"It was one of those moments, my mates give me a bit of banter over it. Even to this day I feel the red card was a bit harsh, it happens in football but it made me a stronger player and I bounced back.

"My mates tell me to stay on my feet and tell me they never knew I was a reckless player, it's part of the game, there was no malice in it. I've learnt from it and become a better player."

Sansara is on four bookings, meaning another would see him suspended for a game and allow Jamie Vincent to steal his place back.

Skipper Mark Hughes is available after his own suspension and Weston is expected to shake off a sore calf, but top scorer Steve Jones is still sidelined with a groin injury as the Saddlers prepare for their first game since December 19.

The Seagulls' have struggled this season and sit 20th in League One, a point off the relegation zone. They have only beaten Walsall once in their past 10 meetings, a 2-1 victory at the Banks's Stadium in 2008.

But goalkeeper Clayton Ince has warned the Saddlers they cannot rest on past results.

He said: "We've got a good record, but they're there to be broken and we've got make sure we keep it. We have to perform, this isn't the same Brighton team we played at the start of the season

"They've got Gus Poyet now and he's a good manager. But it won't change our approach, we'll be doing our best to make sure we get the three points."