Liam Kinsella looking to channel frustration in bid for Walsall win

While the Saddlers are yet to achieve their first competitive win under Matt Taylor, Kinsella feels they are making solid progress.

They were pegged back late on for a 1-1 draw with Scunthorpe last time out and the 25-year-old is keen to use that frustration in a positive manner at Victoria Park tomorrow.

“Exactly. We were so close to getting those three points, but it didn’t happen,” said Kinsella.

“I haven’t played Hartlepool yet, so I’m looking forward to going there and seeing what they’re about.

“Hopefully, we put in a performance that warrants the three points – and we get the three points.

“We’ve played a lot of football so far and created chances, and that’s what we want to do all season.

“Hopefully, we’ll get three points out of it as we were unlucky not to on Tuesday, which was a solid performance.

“We’ve got the identity that the gaffer has coached into us and it’s starting to come together.

“We’ll only get better as time goes on. There’s positive signs.”

Kinsella, having been with Walsall all the way since 2004 as an eight-year-old, is confident they are on the right track.

He hopes they can show their quality against the League Two newcomers, who won the National League play-offs last term.

“There’s been a lot of change over recent years but this season, we’ve recruited very well. It will come together, I’m sure,” added Kinsella.

“Because a lot of the recruitment was done early, we’ve been together for eight or nine weeks now.

“We’ve all clicked and gelled. We’re a close group and, hopefully, that puts us in for a good season.”

Kinsella is expected to start again in centre midfield after a positive display against Scunthorpe.

Taylor, meanwhile, hopes to have skipper Joss Labadie and winger Tyrese Shade – who both missed out through injury on Tuesday – involved in some capacity.

The pair will undergo late assessments to see if they can feature against Dave Challinor’s side.

Taylor added on Hartlepool: “They’re a group of players, along with the manager, that achieved success last year.

“That play-off final is one of the best games I’ve watched in a long time.

“They’re a very good team, with players who understand each other.

“But what we’ve got to do is produce the performance we did on Tuesday.

“I hope our players use being away from home, the hostility of the ground, to our advantage.

“If you’re going to be successful, you need to be able to deal with that pressure.

“We’ve watched a few of their fixtures and understand what we’re coming up against.

“We’ll create chances – we’ve just got to be better at taking them.”