Southend v Walsall: Basement battles make up one of the Saddlers' biggest weeks ever

The league table does not lie and the Saddlers find themselves in a perilous position with games against the bottom two clubs now more important than ever.

Currently sitting 20th in League Two, Walsall are eight points clear of Southend who occupy the final relegation spot. They also have a game in hand over the Shrimpers.

Brian Dutton’s men were handed a boost on Saturday when Southend conceded a last-minute equaliser to Scunthorpe, while Walsall themselves threw away a lead at Bolton.

Had Southend won at the weekend it would have piled yet more pressure on the Saddlers heading into tonight’s game.

Despite that, Walsall cannot lose this game. It is rare that a single result could be so pivotal but a Saddlers defeat at Roots Hall will make the possibility of relegation all the more real.

Not only that, it makes Dutton’s job almost untenable.

Then, with bottom-placed club Grimsby the opponents on Saturday, this week certainly becomes the most crucial in Walsall’s recent history and perhaps the biggest in their 132-year history.

By Saturday evening the club could be breathing easy after two positive results, or they could be staring down the barrel of a gun.

They will have to play these crunch games without winger Tyreik Wright, too, after he was called up to the Republic of Ireland Under-21 squad.

The Villa loanee joined up with the team this week and will play a friendly against Wales, in Cardiff, on Friday.

That means he will certainly miss tonight’s game and he will likely miss the trip to Grimsby on Saturday too, with little time to prepare after his international friendly.

Dutton said: “He could potentially just miss the one, but it wouldn’t be good preparation because he’s going to play a game and then he’ll be available for us the following day.

“He’s definitely going to miss one game and potentially two games.

“I’m delighted for him, this is what being a football manager is about, bringing these young lads through and giving them opportunities to show what they’re about.

“We want Tyreik Wright to blossom not only for Walsall but for Aston Villa and for the Republic of Ireland.

“He’s made a really solid start and deserves his opportunity with his national team.

“Good luck to him, I hope he kicks on.”

When asked if losing Wright will be a blow to the squad, Dutton added: “Of course but it allows us to find a solution to the problem.

“We have plenty of good players in and among the group.

“Tyreik has been very good for us as a 19-year-old on his first loan. To do what he’s done and show the maturity in games that he has shown, it’s credit to Aston Villa and Tyreik Wright.

“We will miss him but we’re not going to cry about it. We have plenty of players who can fill that void.”

Saddlers striker Caolan Lavery echoed his manager’s comments, and believes in the long run it will benefit Walsall.

“It’s brilliant that he’s getting recognition for playing well at club level, to get the call-up to the national team,” Lavery said.

“He’s full of confidence and ability and it’s brilliant to see him do well for us, but also to get that recognition at national level.

“It’s disappointing that we’re going to miss out on his services for a couple games but hopefully he goes away with the national team and carries on performing and comes back to us with even more confidence.

“That can only be a good thing for us.”

With Wright unavailable, young winger Jack Nolan may return to the team.

The 19-year-old has had his opportunities limited under Dutton and has been regularly left out of the squad.

Hayden White will also be unavailable after his red card against Bolton.

Regarding tonight’s fixture, Dutton is under no illusions that it is a huge game.

“It’s a massive game isn’t it,” he said.

“We have to start getting results to pull ourselves away from any trouble and Southend and Grimsby are the ultimate six pointers.

“We look forward to that game. We have to dust ourselves down and learn from our mistakes against a top team in Bolton, and prepare accordingly.

“I have a good team and an honest set of lads who are underperforming with the results at the moment, but I’ve been fairly content with the performances.”