A spell of highs and lows but the writing was on the wall for Mat Sadler at Walsall

Sadler had been entrusted to rebuild the squad after the infamous capitulation of the previous campaign and looked like he had turned a corner following a strong start to the season. 

Walsall occupied top spot for the second Christmas on the spin, but there was always a pervading fear that history could be set to repeat itself. 

A 2-1 home defeat against Oldham Athletic to finish 2025 signalled that darker times were on the horizon and Walsall have since plummeted into 11th following a dismal run of just two wins in 14 games. 

The crux of the issue is that Sadler has not had enough to get Walsall over the line when the going gets tough. 

A five-match winning streak had propelled Walsall into the play-off spots in early March during his debut campaign, but 11 points from the last 33 available saw them drop to 11th. 

Last season was an even more extreme example of capitulation after they blew a 12-point lead at the League Two summit to miss out on automatic promotion all together. 

The scene of Sadler on his haunches when Bradford City scored their last-minute winner against Fleetwood Town to pip Walsall to promotion on the final day will haunt many generations of fans.

The defeat to AFC Wimbledon in the play-off final at Wembley only added salt into gaping wounds, and the extremity of the fall-off once again has meant that Sadler was never going to survive the wrath of the supporters much longer. 

Yet there were plenty of positive memories too. The 3-1 win over Wrexham and the 6-1 victory at Grimsby Town either side of New Year in 2023-24 and the five-match winning streak between mid to late February and early March in 2024. 

There was the run to the League Cup third round last term and a strapping performance to hold Premier League side Leicester City to a goalless draw before bowing out on penalties. 

Then there was the goals of Isaac Hutchinson, Freddie Draper, Nathan Lowe and Daniel Kanu. 

And of course the nine-match winning streak that preceded the capitulation of 2024-25 which has continued to haunt Walsall this season. 

There was no doubting that Sadler's position was untenable. They hit a new low after suffering three successive defeats for the first time under his watch at Salford City on Tuesday night. 

The board had to act now. Walsall are still only three points adrift of the final play-off spot, but Salford's victory saw them move eight points clear of them in sixth. 

It was a prime opportunity to reel in another promotion rival and they once again came up short. Now whoever is chosen to succeed Sadler has the unenviable task of reawakening Walsall from their slumber for the final 10 games.