Express & Star

Saddlers Social: Walsall fans on recent hot streak

Our Walsall fans share their thoughts after building momentum with victories over Mansfield Town in League Two and Brighton Under-21s in the EFL Trophy.

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Nick Etheridge

Momentum is huge in football and at the moment it’s something that Matt Taylor and his squad are slowly carrying with them.

Seven points from the last available nine is not to be sniffed at, especially given the form of the team, and those we have played immediately after the Hartlepool game.

What’s been most pleasing for me is the way we’ve got points from each of these games in a different manner. The Stevenage game saw a professional performance where we looked after a 1-0 scoreline and without threatening too much after the early goal, we didn’t look like conceding either.

The Bradford game was all about standing up to adversity with all of the clichés of ‘digging in’ and ‘holding on’ flying around, which is exactly what we did.

Saturday was a completely different kettle of fish where we found a weakness in the opposition (and there were many!), took advantage of it, and were clinical with the chances we had.

George Miller was the catalyst, constantly pressing their backline and making intelligent runs in behind.

It might be easy to concentrate on all the good play going forward but once again, Carl Rushworth was magnificent in goal, making saves at key points in the game. He’s levels above us already and if there’s a better keeper in this league then I’d like to see him.

I’m really enjoying watching this Walsall team evolve, and although there will be bumps along the way the signs are clear that we are pulling in the right direction.

Rob Harvey

A good couple of games, unbeaten in four across all competitions, supporters are cautiously optimistic we have finally turned the corner.

Saturday’s result against Mansfield was fantastic and must have been the best Walsall performance for at least two years, if not three. Fingers crossed we carry on in the same fashion and with the same intensity moving forward.

Tuesday was an opportunity for some of the fringe players to get some minutes and although only playing Brighton’s kids, it was good to get the win against some players who were technically above anything we have.

Taylor played the same formation as he does in the league, which surely helps those trying to get into the starting XI as they will be familiar with what he expects and needs from them in the position they play. It also ensures continuity which is something the previous regimes had no idea about.

Cautiously optimistic, looking forward to the game at Newport and hopefully we can get all three points there too.

Chris Saunders

Dare I say optimism is returning to Walsall. Regardless of opposition, the recent run of results is encouraging and finally we can believe this squad can at least hold their own.

What’s also been impressive is that people have come into the team and this hasn’t looked to weaken us to a detrimental effect.

Now it’s only a short run, but confidence must be growing in the camp and that can only be a good thing. Also early signs that some players are looking very bright and good acquisitions, and others like Rushworth look absolutely outstanding at this level.

Being realistic, bumps in the road will occur and how we deal with those will shape our season, but there’s no reason why we can’t aim high and see where it takes us.

Let’s just hope in a few weeks time this wasn’t just a purple patch and is something we can sustain for the season.

Roberto Petrucco

The Papa John's Trophy is one that divides opinion. Personally I think it is there to serve a purpose, and that's exactly what Taylor did.

He played a mixed team with youngsters, players in need of minutes, and some first-team players too. I like that he kept the same formation to keep consistency for those trying to break into the squad.

I also think Taylor understands the opportunity for some much-needed money.

Winning three games and qualifying for the next round bags you £50,000, with the chance to get to around £100,000 getting through a couple more rounds plus the ticket money and TV monies too will be very welcome at Walsall.