Walsall will fight to death vows boss

Under-fire Walsall manager Chris Hutchings has vowed the Saddlers will fight to the death to avoid an upset at Fleetwood in the FA Cup.

The manager is on the brink and defeat against the Blue Square Premier outfit tomorrow could end his 22-month reign at the Banks's Stadium.

The Saddlers have crashed out of the Carling Cup and Johnstone's Paint Trophy in the first round this season and an FA Cup run could reignite the campaign.

And, with his job on the line, Hutchings is desperate to avoid an early exit and insisted the Saddlers will be fully focused tomorrow.

He said: "We want to be in the next round. No matter how you get it, whether it's a lucky win or a deserved win, it doesn't matter.

"You just want to get into a place, with all due respect to Fleetwood, and get out. They'll be thinking we're a scalp to take, so we'll be fully prepared for the game.

"It's a cup tie and whether you have perceptions about non league sides it's still the FA Cup. It's going to be a tough game.

"It was at Stourbridge last year, you've got to go and get a win, no matter how, and get out of there."

The Saddlers have won just one of their last 13 games in all competitions going into the clash and are bottom of League One.

In contrast Fleetwood are sixth in the Blue Square Premier, six points off leaders Crawley.

But Hutchings wants his charges to believe in themselves after an improved performance in Tuesday's 3-1 defeat to Peterborough.

He said: "It's something we're looking forward to, we've got to get over the result on Tuesday but the performance was good and we've got to believe in it and take confidence from it.

"We've got to take heart from it and we're going to Fleetwood in a positive frame of mind looking to win the game."