New boy Joe Edwards sees a Walsall will to succeed

The versatile 25-year-old was an integral part of the Yeovil team that defied the odds to clinch a place in the Championship back in 2013.

Now the full-back is aiming to add a second promotion to his CV after being snapped up by Walsall in the summer.

Jon Whitney's side kick-off the new campaign tomorrow when AFC Wimbledon visit the Banks's Stadium.

And Edwards is determined to send out a message to the Saddlers promotion rivals – with the defender already seeing a likeness between this Walsall team and his Yeovil side which tasted success.

"I can see a lot of similarities between this team and the one I played in at Yeovil," Edwards said.

"It's not all about who has got the most money in this league.

"Most people know we haven't got the biggest budget compared with the likes of Sheffield United, etc.

"At Yeovil we had the smallest budget, we were favourites to go down but we got promoted.

"We did it on team spirit and the exact same mentality is here.

"There are no egos. There is nobody pretending to be something they are not. Everyone is grounded and we have got a manager and an assistant who keep us grounded. We all want to be part of a team, this team. The biggest thing for me is going in every day and working for your team-mates.

"That is the mentality we have all got here."

Walsall face a Wimbledon side who have momentum after winning the League Two play-offs last season.

But Edwards is confident the Saddlers will kick-off the campaign with a win. "The first game is massive for everyone in the league," he said.

"You want to put on a good show and impress the supporters and the sooner you can get three points on the board the better. We are going into it full of confidence. There is that little extra buzz. Pre-season is over, we are playing for points and we want to show what we can do.

"We are at home and the aim has to be to get the fans behind us and get that good start because it can set you on your way for the rest of the season.

"After last year, we know there is an expectancy to be competing for promotion.

"We now need to start proving we can go one better than last year."