Walsall goalkeeper Myles Roberts to miss next three games for 'serious foul play'
Mat Sadler has confirmed Walsall goalkeeper Myles Roberts will be suspended for the next three games after his red card against Grimsby Town was deemed 'serious foul play'.
Roberts was sent off in first half stoppage time during the Saddlers' 2-2 draw at Grimsby Town on Wednesday night after hauling down Andy Cook outside the box.
His dismissal served as a major turning point, but Walsall recovered from falling behind to salvage a point.
The club have since decided not to appeal the decision after reviewing a number of angles of the incident.
Roberts learns his fate after Grimsby red
"In terms of the punishment, it's a three-game ban. The fortunate thing for us is Sam Hornby is a fantastic goalkeeper," boss Sadler said.
"So we look forward to Sam taking over and staking his claim."
Roberts had previously played every single minute for the Saddlers in the league prior to his sending off.
The Watford loanee has registered 11 clean sheets in all competitions this term - including nine in League Two.
Hornby, who turned 31 last week, was at fault for the first Grimsby goal when he was beaten to Reece Staunton's cross by Cook.
However, he did pull off an outstanding save to deny a low drive by substitute Charles Vernam with the score at 2-2.
In total, Hornby has played just seven times in all competitions this term, and was making his first league appearance since April last year.
A rare chance for Hornby
Sadler revealed there has even been previous interest elsewhere in Hornby's services and feels Walsall are very fortunate to have such a strong goalkeeping department.
"Myles will be gutted for that run of games to come to an end with the sending off," he continued.
"But Sam doesn't see himself as that [a back-up goalkeeper]. Sam views himself as wanting to be a No 1 and we've had other clubs wanting to take him off us to be their No 1.
"We know what we have with Sam. When he's not playing, he's the first to be training as hard as we can to help Myles, but also make sure he's ready for when things like this happen.
"It is what it is, and we look forward to Sam taking over and showing what he's all about."
Since joining Walsall in the summer of 2024, Hornby has made 19 appearances in total, registering five clean sheets.
His game time has largely been restricted to the EFL Trophy, although Hornby did start five consecutive league games in March and April last year.
Hornby also made his League Two debut for the Saddlers in a 1-0 defeat against Monday's opponents MK Dons in September 2024.
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