Walsall will hit back vows captain

Striker Darren Byfield has vowed Walsall will hit back against Tranmere and end their Carling Cup hoodoo.

The Saddlers entertain Rovers at the Banks's Stadium in a first round tie tonight desperate to erase the memories of their disappointing 2-1 opening day defeat to Milton Keynes Dons.

Now the captain has issued a rallying call to his team-mates, with the Saddlers aiming to end four years of hurt in the competition.

Walsall have not progressed past the first hurdle since a Scott Dann winner gave them a 1-0 victory at Plymouth in 2006.

Defeats against Darlington, Swansea and a late 2-1 loss at Accrington last season have made the Carling Cup the stuff of nightmares in recent years.

And Byfield admits the passion and desire is burning brighter than ever following Walsall's loss on Saturday.

He said: "Everyone hates losing. We've got to put it right tonight, we've got to lift it and put in so much more. We've just got to improve.

"We are hoping Saturday was one of those days. It's best for it to happen at the start of the season so we can move on quickly, hopefully we can start from tonight.

"We didn't play well on Saturday, maybe the back four did well but going forward we weren't there, myself included.

"We weren't as sharp as we have been and it was down to us."

A trip to Brentford on Saturday awaits but Byfield is eager for the side to get a first win under their belt sooner rather than later.

The striker admits a long cup run is well overdue but insists the first victory of the season is more important.

He said: "It would be good to have a cup run but the main thing is getting Saturday out of our system.

"If we wait for next Saturday at Brentford it's a long time. We've got the opportunity to go out and put it right tonight.

"It's a bad start but we're looking forward to tonight. Win and it's a confidence booster and we go into the league confident again. Football is funny, that's how it works, it's easy to be down.

"You weren't going to see us laughing and joking after Saturday, but we've got to be lively and bright and take that into the game tonight."

The 33-year-old called on his team-mates to get wingers Julian Gray and Steve Jones into the game.

The pair were on the fringes against the Dons, but Byfield knows they have the quality.

He said: "They are match-winners for us, Jules and Jonah, we have to make sure we give them the ball more. We were poor but we will put it right.

"We were down on Saturday, but we came in yesterday bright and breezy and it's a good opportunity to hit back."

Manager Chris Hutchings echoed Byfield's thoughts and has demanded a big improvement.

He said: "We know we can do a lot better and that's what we're focusing on.

"It's important for every club, it's important for Manchester United. No matter what competition you're in you want to win it.

"Whether we make changes remains to be seen or we might give the lads who played on Saturday another opportunity."

Ryan McGivern is on international duty with Northern Ireland, meaning Aaron Lescott or Matt Richards could fill in at left-back.

Paul Marshall could make his debut alongside Richard Taundry, if Richards moves back while Darryl Westlake would replace Lescott at right-back.

Oliver Lancashire could miss out with a thigh injury, with Clayton McDonald set to return.

Over at Rovers, manager Les Parry is struggling to keep hold of star man Ian Thomas-Moore after the striker handed in a transfer request.

Rotherham, managed by Thomas-Moore's father Ronnie, are interested but Parry rejected claims they have turned down a bid from the Millers.

He said: "We will dig our heels in. I don't want to let Ian go and I won't let him walk away from nothing."