Walsall start life without Mat Sadler against local rivals Crewe Alexandra
Walsall will start life without Mat Sadler when they travel to local rivals Crewe Alexandra on Saturday.
Sadler has been spared the pain of revisiting the scene of one of his darkest days, after Walsall took the decision to part ways with their head coach on Wednesday.
It was a decision that was expected following a dismal run of just two wins from 14 games, which had seen them plummet from the league summit into 11th.
It was at the Mornflake Stadium where Walsall suffered the heartbreak of missing out on automatic promotion, as Bradford City scored a late winner elsewhere against Fleetwood Town to pip them to the post.
The images of Sadler on his haunches in the aftermath will live long in the memory of many Walsall fans, but it will be Darren Byfield in that same dugout when the two teams meet again on the weekend.
Former Walsall striker Byfield, who worked under Sadler as first team coach since the summer of 2023, is set to remain in interim charge, with an appointment not expected until next week.
He will be tasked with reawakening Walsall from their slumber after entering freefall mode since the turn of the year.
