Morecambe v Walsall preview: Mat Sadler eager for his side to shine with pressure on

Sadler inspired his side to an unbeaten pre-season with wins over Leamington, Albion Under-21s and Solihull Moors, as well as draws against Villa and Rochdale.

But he is now desperate to see his side impress when the pressure is on.

Sadler said: “Pre-season was a great exercise for us. We needed it to get up to speed and to develop new relationships.

“We will be followed by close to 1,500 supporters that are desperate for a win and it changes the dynamic of winning and losing completely.

“It’s been a positive summer of training, signing players, and trying to put together how we want it to look, and how we want the team to play.

“We’re all pulling in the same direction and now we’re just ready for the challenge of putting it all together.”

Tom Knowles missed the final pre-season game against Solihull Moors due to injury.

The 24-year-old is a doubt for the Morecambe game, although Sadler did reveal that his injury is not as bad as first feared.

Knowles is still fighting to be fit for tomorrow, but Sadler was unwilling to put a time frame on his injury.

“We’re fortunate that it’s not as bad as we thought,” he revealed. “He stills needs a period of rest and we will look to build him up off the back of that.

“I probably won’t put a time frame on it because he needs to pass the markers along the way. One thing I know about Tom is that he’ll be desperate to be available.

“We have to be mindful of making sure that he is going to be able to stay with us when he does come back. There’ll be an element of me reining him in, but there is only so much you can rein him in. I am leaving it with my medical team to let me know when he is ready to go.”

Walsall will be without Freddie Draper for the next two matches after the teenager received a red card during his loan at Drogheda United last term.

Danny Johnson missed three matches due to the birth of his daughter, but was involved in the open training session on Tuesday morning.

Sadler, meanwhile, is taking charge of his first game since being appointed on a full-time basis.

But the 38-year-old is focusing on starting with a flourish rather than the significance of the occasion.

“For me personally it’s an extremely proud moment for the football club because of the amount of supporters that will be there,” he said.

“There will certainly be no reflections on that at the time because it’s game time, and time to work.

“But the overriding feeling is excitement and we really want to put on a good display.”