Walsall v MK Dons - Match preview
Rookie boss Mat Sadler will be looking to conquer his second experienced manager of the week when Walsall welcome MK Dons to the Bescot tonight.
Sadler – in his first season as a head coach – won his touchline battle with former Premier League manager Mark Hughes on Saturday as the Saddlers beat Bradford City to end a run of back-to-back defeats in style.
And standing in his way of a fourth win in six games this evening will be Graham Alexander – who has been involved in an astonishing 1,500 games as both a player and a manager combined.
Sadler said: “They don’t come much more experienced than Mark Hughes in our football that we love.
“And now we are up against another really experienced manager (Graham Alexander). Loads of games under his belt and most importantly, they’ve got a really good team there.
“The games don’t get any easier. They are tough games constantly and you have to get ready for the next one.”
MK Dons started the season strongly with four wins from their opening five games.
However, they are winless in their last five in League Two, and currently sit level on points with Walsall (14).
The Dons boast two top attacking options in the shape of Mo Eisa and ex-Albion winger Jonathan Leko. Eisa is the club’s leading scorer with five, while Leko has netted four across all competitions.
Walsall appear to have found themselves a talisman too in the shape of Freddie Draper, who sealed the 3-1 success over Bradford after earlier goals for Liam Gordon and Aramide Oteh.
The Saddlers changed shape to 4-2-3-1 at Bradford, with Draper leading the line in exemplary fashion. However, the 19-year-old Lincoln City loanee was forced off with a knock in the final 15 minutes, and was replaced by Jamille Matt.
Sadler is hopeful that Draper won’t need to miss any games, although he insisted the attacking options he has at his disposal enable him to freshen things up if needed.
“We’ve got loads of good options for different games,” he revealed. “We will have to see how everybody is and how they’ve all responded to what was a tough game (against Bradford). They’ve put a lot of work into the game but I have got that ability to freshen up if I need to.”
Walsall will monitor Priestley Farquharson ahead of tonight’s fixture, after the defender missed the victory in Bradford with a foot injury.
David Okagbue (ankle) is still not expected to feature, while Taylor Allen (suspended), Brandon Comley (ankle), Rollin Menayese (ankle) and Jack Earing (knee) are unavailable.
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