Harrogate v Walsall - Match preview

The calendar year of 2023 started so brightly with victory over Mansfield in the league and Stockport in the FA Cup with the prospect of a play-off push and a fourth-round tie with Premier League Leicester City to savour.

But the reality is, since then, the Saddlers have won just once in 19 league games, with that statistic and a seemingly endless string of draws long since putting an end to any thoughts of extending the season.

They travel to Harrogate tonight with nothing but pride to play for against a team who are battling relegation and have a lot riding on the game.

Walsall owe their travelling fans a performance and a result after losing the last three games away from home, including a poor 2-0 loss at Crewe on Saturday.

They looked bereft of ideas and spirit and only when they went down to 10 men did they at least rally and battle to keep the score down.

Boss Michael Flynn has targeted a top-half finish for his men and a win at Harrogate with just four games left is vital in achieving that as games run out.

But Harrogate are scrapping for every point, coming from two down on Saturday to draw 2-2 with Doncaster having achieved a similar feat recently against both AFC Wimbledon and Leyton Orient.

Flynn said after the Crewe game that he was a ‘fighter as a player and is a fighter as a manager’ and he will need to instil that into his squad in the final four games of the season if he is to appease the fans.

He said: “Things need to improve and quickly – we owe it to the fans and the owners of the club to finish the season as strongly as possible.

“But the penny has to drop with the players, part of it comes down to individual desire.

“There is no way as a player or a manager I wouldn’t want to win every game, no matter if seemingly nothing is riding on it. I want to see that attitude in all my players.”

Walsall are facing the next few games at least without skipper Donervon Daniels and have seen two replacements as captain sent off in successive games.

Hayden White got a straight red in the home game against Carlisle and substitute on Saturday Joss Labadie stayed on the pitch as replacement captain for Liam Kinsella for just 34 minutes after receiving two yellow cards.

Although Flynn didn’t agree with the second yellow card on Saturday and his assistant Wayne Hatswell also saw red for his protests, he admits the team’s discipline needs to improve.

He said: “We can’t afford to lose players through suspension or ones that are carried over to next season so that does need to be looked at.

“Donervon is a big enough miss for us as it is we saw that on Saturday in particular – I am hoping he will be back before the end of the season but we do need him involved.”