It's 500 not out for Walsall's No 1

Jimmy Walker will etch his name into Walsall history - but it could have been so different.

The legendary goalkeeper becomes just the fourth man to make 500 appearances for the Saddlers when he walks out against Brentford at the Banks's Stadium tonight.

Walker has huge expectation on his shoulders as the returning hero and one of Walsall's stand-out performers during a season which has constantly threatened crisis.

The 37-year-old has saved the Saddlers more times than he cares to remember during his previous 499 games - and without him Walsall would already be plotting a course for Crawley next season.

But the club could have been robbed of one of their favourite sons even before he arrived in WS1.

As a distracted 20-year-old he almost walked away from football following his release by Notts County in 1993 before finding solace with the Saddlers, although he was stretchered off late on in his debut, a 1-0 win over Gillingham in October 1993.

He said:"I fell out of love with football and I really came to Walsall to give it one more go. I was a bit young to be honest and it was the usual things - without saying too much!

"It was great at Notts, I had a great time, but it didn't work out the way I wanted and you do lose a bit of heart.

"When I came here I got a new appetite for the game and it went well for me. You need that bit of luck of going to the right club and getting that break.

"If it hadn't been for Walsall who knows what would have happened, I might be out of the game. But I'm still here and loving every minute of it. I'm happy to keep going.

"I was young and it was difficult back then but as soon as I played in the first team I fell back in love with the game.

"That's what you want to do, you want to be playing in front of crowds every week, enjoying the pressure and getting out there.

"I'd pay to play, I'd pay my subs on a Sunday for a team if I wasn't a professional, so what a great way to make a living."

Walker has won two Player of the Year awards and is a leading contender to scoop this season's gong with his stunning form aiding the third-bottom Saddlers in their drop fight.

The veteran is yet to decide whether to retire in May after admitting he's got "a little more timber" on his 5ft 9in frame.

Battered and bruised, he has excelled since his comeback but, despite his efforts, Walker still feels he owes the club - not the other way around.

He said: "I owe them massively. It could have gone either way and I couldn't have been at a better club to play 500 games.

"They have been great to me, I've made a lot of friends and it's a fantastic club to be at."

Barring injury and suspension, Walker will rise to second on the Saddlers' all-time appearance list before the end of the season.

Colin Harrison made 530 outings, while Colin Taylor and Nick Atthey are level on 502.

But Walker has brushed off tonight's achievement, because aiding the Saddlers' relegation fight means more to him.

He said: "I'm not really one for milestones but it's great and everyone knows how much I love the club.

"It's something you look at further down the line but at the moment it's just another game we desperately need to win. That's the way I'm thinking about it, I'm not even focusing on the 500 games.

"But I might think about it when I'm sitting in the pub when I'm 60 with my feet up having a Guinness because it's a great achievement."

Walker suffered two relegations but enjoyed three promotions during an initial 11-year stint with the Saddlers before leaving for West Ham in 2004, after Walsall's drop from the Championship.

Injuries hampered him at Upton Park with just 20 appearances in five years, also spending time on loan at Colchester.

After leaving the Hammers in 2009, he joined Tottenham as back up for Heurelho Gomes and Carlo Cudicini before a shock return to the Banks's in October last year.

And Walker - who has played in the Championship, League One and League Two with Walsall - would rank keeping the Saddlers up as one of his biggest achievements.

He said: "We've had some great times here and I was fortunate to be involved in a lot of them. We started at the bottom tier and built our way up.

"The club has a great base now and we need to take it on the pitch in the last six games."