Another season of anticlimax for Walsall: 2025-26 in review

The Walsall fans endured yet another anticlimactic season, as they plummeted from the league summit to a 13th-place finish.

Mat Sadler’s reign came to an end in March and Darren Byfield picked up the baton for the final stretch.

There were highs, but also plenty of lows, and here is a summary of 2025-26 and what we can expect next.

Successes: Away form, Kanu goals and Adomah record

Walsall finished the season with the joint-sixth best away record in League Two.

They collected 36 points on the road to emerge with their highest away tally since 2015-16 (45 points in League One).

Daniel Kanu's goal-laden loan spell can also be regarded as a success, after the young frontman plundered 18 goals in all competitions.

In doing so, Kanu was crowned League Two young player of the year and also swept up four individual accolades at the Saddlers' end of season awards ceremony.

Albert Adomah also set an English footballing record, as he became the first player in EFL history to reach a century of appearances for six different clubs.

A nod must also go to the development of Taylor Allen who was sold to League One outfit Wycombe Wanderers before the start of the season, after his remarkable breakthrough with his hometown club.

Failures: New Year collapse and home woes

Walsall sat top of League Two for the second Christmas on the spin, but failed to sustain another promotion push.

They amassed a mere 22 points during the second half of the campaign – with only Crawley Town, Gillingham (both 21), Barrow and Tranmere Rovers (both 12) picking up fewer.

That was in large part due to a wretched season on home soil, which culminated in an eight-match winless run at Bescot between Boxing Day and March 21.

They emerged with just one win from 11 home games in 2026 and just three victories from their last 17 at WS1 overall.

That was a major factor behind their New Year slump which saw them plummet to 13th-place - their lowest finish since 2023.

A number of new signings failed to make the grade, while those that initially impressed, faded away after the New Year.

Lewis Warrington had his contract terminated as early as January and Jake Hollman made just eight appearances before his solitary season at Walsall was prematurely ended by injury following his switch from Australia.

Managers: Sadler sacked as Byfield promise faded

Sadler headed into the season with a divided fan base, after Walsall blew a 12-point lead at the League Two summit, before losing to AFC Wimbledon in the play-off final in 2025.

After a significant summer overhaul, Walsall appeared to be turning a corner when he collected 13 wins from the opening 22 games to sit top at Christmas.

However, the midseason slide was once again dramatic and it felt as if the writing was on the wall regarding Sadler’s future for some time.

He was eventually dismissed after losing three games in a row for the only time in his reign. Walsall had won just twice in his last 14 games in charge.

A change was long overdue and Darren Byfield initially looked to revive their play-off push when he stepped into the breach as interim head coach.

Walsall went unbeaten in his first five games, but ultimately suffered four defeat from the final five to drop out of play-off contention.

Club legend Byfield made his intentions clear that he wanted the job, but the second half of his 10-game reign ultimately proved decisive in the club looking elsewhere.

Off the field: Pressure builds on Trivela

The club reported a loss of £1.958million, although revenue increased by £1.5million when they released their latest financial accounts for 2024-25.

That loss represented a £185,000 increase from 2023-24 - which saw the Saddlers register a deficit of £1.738million.

The mood within the fan base towards the ownership group has also started to turn sour, especially in the wake of a second successive promotion collapse.

Very few lessons appeared to be learned from the previous capitulation and Trivela have a big summer ahead to get supporters back on side.

They did attempt to react by appointing Alan McGregor as the new head of recruitment, but once again struggled to bolster the squad in January.

Having said that, McGregor has had a number of months to plan for the summer window, which will prove the acid test of his tenure so far.

What’s next? - A new era ahead - as Walsall chase elusive promotion

Along with McGregor, Walsall have continued their restructuring of the leadership team with the arrival of new head of football Stewart Mairs.

Mairs will oversee day-to-day operations across a number of fields within the club - including the first team and academy.

He will also work closely with new head coach Lee Grant - who was appointed as Mat Sadler’s permanent successor in May.

There will also be a rejig in the backroom team after the departures of Byfield and former assistant Terry Connor.

The former Huddersfield Town boss has a big task on his hands following the club’s decision to release 12 players at the end of the most recent season.

A huge rebuild is on the horizon as the club enter a new era, which for Trivela’s sake, will need to be a successful one.

Despite the disappointment of last season, Walsall are desperate to end their eight-year stay in League Two and anything less than promotion will be deemed a failure.