Walsall squad of the century: The midfielders

A number of top stars have graced the Banks’s Stadium pitch, but who would make the ultimate Saddlers squad from those who have played for the club over the past two decades?

With the country in lockdown – and fans looking for their football fix – we asked Walsall supporters to put together a dream team of players who have played from the club from January 1, 2000, onwards.

In keeping with a World Cup format, there were just two rules. Firstly, they had to name three goalkeepers, and secondly the squad had to have balance and cover in case of injury or suspension.Fans took the time to put together their squads – with dozens of players making the list for each position. Throughout this week, the Express & Star will reveal the results, continuing with the midfielders.

Midfielders: Romaine Sawyers, Vinny Samways, Adam Chambers, Dean Keates, Erhun Oztumer, Darren Wrack, Pedro Matias, Jamie Paterson

In the engine room, Walsall have had some sturdy midfielders over the years.

Starting first with the central midfielders, the fans were fairly unanimous on three names, while a fourth earned a spot in the squad at the death.

One player who waltzed into the side was Romaine Sawyers, with 42 votes.

The current Albion midfielder initially joined Walsall on-loan from the Baggies in 2013 before joining permanently – going on to become a formidable League One midfielder until he left for Brentford in 2016.

Now back at The Hawthorns, he’s closing in on Premier League football.

Joining him in the middle of the park is Vinny Samways, with 29 votes.

The ex-Spurs and Everton player only played for Walsall for one year from 2003 to 2004, but showed his class during his time at the Banks’s Stadium.

Fan favourite Adam Chambers, who played for Walsall from 2011 until the end of last season, also earned 29 votes.

Despite now aged 39, Chambers was a consistent force for the Saddlers for many years but injury forced him to stop training ahead of the current season. However, he is still yet to announce his retirement.

Former manager Dean Kates makes up the centre midfielders, with 23 votes, only making it into the squad by one vote.

He was with the club from 1995 to 2002 and again from 2006 to 2007 and was integral to some early successes under Ray Graydon.

In similar fashion to the eight defenders who made the cut, the array of different midfielders that picked up several votes has meant the final squad is slightly off balance.

Attacking midfielder Erhun Oztumer made the grade with 26 fans picking him, and due to his tendency to get into advanced areas, he will act as a back-up right winger for this squad.

During his two years at Walsall from 2016 to 2018 he got into two PFA team of the years for League One.

The right winger with the most votes was Darren Wrack, on 32.

Another player who gave his best years to the club, Wrack spent 10 years at Walsall from 1998 and was an essential part of the squad and dressing room.

On the left wing, two players rose above the rest to earn enough votes.

First is Pedro Matias, who played for Walsall for five years until he left in 2004. He was another player from the Graydon era, and slightly beyond, who captured the imagination of the Banks’s Stadium faithful.

Joining him is Jamie Paterson, who picked up 25 votes.

The 28-year-old is another example of a young player who has learnt his trade at Walsall, before moving onto a higher league.

Joining in 2010 until 2013, he shone in a team that was struggling for the most part and then left for Nottingham Forest. He’s now with Bristol City.

Alongside the eight players to make the team, fans voted for 21 other names.

Emmanuel Ledesma was one vote away with 22, while Paul Merson and Martin O’Connor got 21 each.

Meanwhile, Anthony Forde had seven votes, Sam Mantom, Steve Corica and George Evans all got four and George Dobson, Ishmel Demontagnac and Tom Bennett had three.

Father and son duo Mark Kinsella and Liam Kinsella, alongside Milan Lalkovic and Gabor Bukran, all had two votes each.

Mark Wright, Paul Hall, Fitzroy Simpson, James Baxendale, Michael Dobson and current Saddlers midfielder Stuart Sinclair all had one vote each.