Barrow vs Walsall preview: Saddlers skipper calls for calm ahead of Cumbria trip

Vale leapfrogged the Saddlers to momentarily claim top spot before Bradford City beat Crewe Alexandra 2-0 at Valley Parade to move into the driving seat in a constantly evolving League Two title race.

Jamille Matt has been here before with Forest Green. The Gloucestershire outfit had spent the majority of the 2020-21 season in the automatic promotion places before falling into the League Two play-offs in the latter stages of the campaign. 

Promotion never materialised but Matt plundered 19 goals in 46 matches to propel Rovers to the league championship the following year. 

Matt is optimistic that he will make the latter scenario become a reality at Walsall and stressed that keeping a level head under pressure will be key during the remaining five games.

He said: "You've just got to play what is ahead of you. Where we are is where we are at the moment but it's not where we'll end up at the end of the season because the season isn't over. 

"If you worry too much about what was in the past or what is going to happen in the future then you can't affect either of those things. 

"I try not to get too high or too low, whether we're doing well or we're not doing well.  I try to stay as level as possible because people are going to speak or there are going to be opinions on whatever you're doing. 

"That opinion doesn't change what we have to do as players so we just need to stay as level as possible."

Walsall might still be nestled in the final automatic promotion place but the chasing pack could quite easily ruffle a few more feathers this upcoming weekend. 

Notts County will move to within one-point of the Saddlers with a win over Salford City on Friday night, but more pressingly, Doncaster Rovers, just two points in arrears with a game in hand, host AFC Wimbledon in the early kick-off. 

Bradford also travel to Swindon Town at 12.30pm, meaning Walsall could potentially find themselves four points adrift of the summit and outside of the automatic promotion spots for the first time since mid-September, before they kick-off at 3pm.

Fans will be looking nervously over their shoulder, and rightly so, but Walsall boss Sadler is confident his side can thrive through adversity after collecting just two wins from their last 16 games.  

"You're always thinking about that [how you address the squad on Monday morning]," Sadler reveals. 

"Any leader in any role that faces a challenging week or adversity, you're focused on what you say to the group. 

"Without question that messaging has been thought out and is clear. But we talk about challenging weeks and adversity, we have to thrive on that as well."