Walsall talking points: Pressure mounts on Mat Sadler as painful 2026 rumbles on
Mat Sadler has come under further scrutiny after Walsall's 2-0 home defeat against MK Dons extended their winless run to seven games in League Two.
Priestley Farquharson's mistake led to Rushian Hepburn-Murphy's 30th-minute opener, before Jon Mellish made it 2-0 with four minutes to go.
The Saddlers are yet to win at home in 2026 - a run which has stretched to five games since they beat Crewe Alexandra 1-0 on Boxing Day.
Here are the main talking points from the defeat.
Pressure mounts on Mat Sadler
Sadler has long divided the fan base, but even his biggest advocates are running out of patience.
There were calls for his sacking once again and the supporters have every right to be aggrieved.
The results are one thing, but the lack of strategy, and the turgid nature of some of the football on display makes another collapse all the more difficult to stomach.
They're now 11 points adrift of the automatic promotion places, and the defeat probably served as the final nail in the coffin of any faint hopes of finishing in the top three.
Walsall face a resurgent Shrewsbury Town and the atmosphere among the supporters could turn far too toxic for Sadler to survive if they lose again on Saturday.
2026 woes continue
You could feel the tension throughout the evening and the performances on the pitch are only compounding the misery of the supporters.
Seven points from 10 games is simply an unacceptable run of form and has culminated in Walsall plummeting from the league summit into ninth in less than two months.
Sadler spoke about the energy levels in the draw at Grimsby Town last week needing to be the standard expected.
Yet they looked flat from the outset and were made to pay the price when Farquharson's misplaced pass was pounced upon by Rushian Hepburn-Murphy to score the opener.
If there needed to be any more evidence that belief is at an all-time low, then the 15 minutes that followed provided just that.
There was absolutely no response from the home side and they finished the first half without mustering a single attempt - let alone one on target.
Another blank
It took Walsall to produce another abject 45-minute display before offering any sign of fight.
The second half performance was better, even if it still heralded very little in terms of clear-cut opportunities.
Kanu forced two saves from Craig MacGillivray with shots from outside the box and Courtney Clarke flashed another effort from distance just wide.
They still finished the evening with an xG of 0.19 and failed to find the net for the fifth time in nine league games in 2026.
Kanu role
Top scorer Kanu recovered from illness and made an immediate return to the XI.
Yet he appeared to be playing behind Aaron Pressley, as Sadler stuck with the 3-4-2-1 formation which worked well at Grimsby.
It was quite clear that it was a role that Kanu was not suited to, and he looked much more of a threat when occupying more central zones in the second half.
Clarke blow?
Clarke went down with a knee injury during the closing stages and had to be replaced by Aaron Loupalo-Bi.
Sadler was unable to shed too much light on the injury afterwards, but any absence will starve Walsall of one of its most creative players.
No player has made registered more assists than Clarke (six) this season.
Comment Guidelines
Iconic Media encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.