A season of progression on and off the pitch for Walsall

Hopes for a play-off push were dashed as Walsall fell five points short of the top seven at the end of a season of promise.

Here we take a look at the ups and downs of Mat Sadler's debut season in the dugout.

Successes

You only need to glance at the final table to see signs of progression under Sadler. Although they somewhat limped to an eventual 11th place finish in his debut season, Walsall still managed to climb five places higher than the previous two campaigns with their best points tally in eight years.

Walsall were particularly strong at Bescot where they beat promoted trio Stockport County, Wrexham and Mansfield Town respectively. They gained 65 per cent of their 65 points on home soil and finished the campaign with their best home record (42 points) since lifting the League Two trophy under Richard Money in 2006/07.

They propelled themselves into play-off contention with two glorious spells. First, Walsall crowned a run of five wins in six games during the winter by scoring six on the road in the league for the first time since 1948 with a 6-1 crushing of Grimsby Town on New Year's Day.

Then, Walsall reeled off five wins on the spin to briefly climb into the play-off spots. Set pieces also played an instrumental role throughout the campaign with the Saddlers scoring a third of their 69 league goals from dead ball situations.

Failures

It doesn't take a genius to work out where Walsall's weaknesses lie. They shipped a 13-year high 73 goals, including five apiece at MK Dons and AFC Wimbledon and four at relegated Sutton United.

While Sadler may understandably point to injuries and suspensions, there is still little excuse for conceding first in 19 of their 23 away fixtures. Walsall did fight back to win five times from losing positions on the road but away form invariably proved a major stumbling block.

They amassed twice as many wins on their travels compared to the previous campaign but simultaneously conceded 14 more as they kept just one away clean sheet all season.

Manager

Sadler admitted himself that he may not have been first-choice among some sections of the fan base but he has helped bring a level of stability to both the squad and the club.

His position was potentially under threat when Walsall went six matches without a win in October and November respectively. They had collected just five wins from their first 20 games but Walsall turned the tide following a comeback victory over Notts County as they began to climb the table.

Despite the turnaround, Walsall still suffered from bouts of inconsistency and 11 points from the last 33 available tainted some of the optimism which was beginning to build ahead of the League Two run-in.

Nevertheless, Sadler was deservedly offered a new deal on the eve of the final game and Trivela further demonstrated their confidence in the coaching staff by handing his assistant Gary Waddock a new two-year contract.

Off The Pitch

Trivela had an opportunity to stamp their authority on the club over the past two transfer windows and have adopted a collaborative approach to recruitment, which heralded promising results both in the summer and in January.

They've also made their long-term ambitions clear by tying a number of key players down to new contracts, including club captain Donervon Daniels, Liam Gordon, Oisin McEntee, Brandon Comley and Jack Earing.

Walsall also returned to profitability with a net profit of £11,000, while they saw a near 20 per cent increase in revenue from 2022 with a turnover of up to £7.615 million.

Bescot attracted an average attendance of 5,618 in League Two, which was their highest since Money's second season at the helm in 2007-08.

Meanwhile, there was the reopening of The Locker as supporters were provided with a hub to congregate before and after games.

What Next?

Expectations will undoubtedly rise after Walsall came so close to finishing inside the play-offs. With 17 players already contracted for next season, Sadler has a strong platform to build from in the summer transfer window.

The Walsall boss described the upcoming window as a "tweak" job rather than an "overhaul" but there are still clearly areas that require improvement if Walsall are to make another push next season.

The most glaring areas are in both defence and attack. Sadler revealed he will address the defensive problems over the summer, although Walsall will be crying out for a new centre-forward with just Danny Johnson and Jamille Matt in their ranks as it stands.