Walsall boss Michael Flynn braced for a tough start

The Saddlers may start at home to Hartlepool United tomorrow, but three of their first five League Two games are on the road. There are some tough games in there too – including recently-relegated Gillingham and Flynn’s former club Newport County.

“It’s only nice to start at home if we win,” said Flynn, reflecting on the Saddlers’ fixture list. “We’ve got three out of the first five away not including the cup game, but it’s something I’m looking forward to.

“Hopefully it’s a full house, a good crowd, on Saturday and we can give them something to cheer about.”

One of the players looking to get the fans off their seats will be Timmy Abraham, who became Walsall’s 15th signing of the summer earlier this week.

“He has blistering pace and that’s something I thought we were missing,” said Flynn. “He’s shown that he wants to improve and he fits in with the players.

“He’s very hard on himself, which sometimes can scupper him, but it’s also a good trait to have because he does want to improve and he does care.

“He’s come in and trying to get his career back on track – hopefully we can improve him and he helps us this season.”