Walsall to take on Odra Opole in Poland pre-season clash
Walsall will continue their preparations for the new season by taking on Odra Opole in a friendly in Poland today.
Known as the ‘Blues-Reds’, Opole finished 12th in the Polish second-tier last season, three points clear of the relegation zone.
The club won the Polish League Cup in 1977 and play their home games at the 3,300-capacity Odra Stadium.
Keep track of Walsall's game against Odra Opole here
Clarke has overseen a huge rebuilding job since being appointed Walsall boss with the club releasing 11 players following their relegation last season.
Since then Nicky Devlin and Andy Cook have departed, while Dobson and Ferrier are not involved either.
And with 12 players having already been signed, Clarke feels getting away will help with the process of forging a strong team spirit.
“It’s about gelling the group together,” the boss said. “It’s nice to have a change of scenery and I’m really pleased the club has allowed us to do that because it’s important, certainly with a new group.
“Most clubs go away for four or five days in pre-season.
“It’s nice to be living under the same roof and working. They’ll have a little bit of social time and plenty of hard work as well.
“With any new group, you want them to get to know each other pretty quickly.
“It takes time to build that spirit that you need within the changing room within a club to bring success to the club.
“It doesn’t happen overnight, it doesn’t happen in just four or five days in Poland, it’s something we need to build on through the course of the rest of pre-season and through the rest of the season.
“No club has success if you haven’t got the spirit.”
