"We want to have our moment" - Mat Sadler on Walsall's FA Cup progress
Mat Sadler wants to give Walsall supporters a special moment after his side secured their place in the FA Cup third-round draw with a 2-0 win at National League club Gateshead, writes Mark Carruthers.
The jeopardy provided by a visit to a non-league club was clear with the presence of the TNT Sports cameras and there were fears the Saddlers could become the second EFL club to fall at the hands of Alun Armstrong’s men in this season’s competition.
However, such an upset was never a realistic possibility as a goal in each half from Daniel Kanu and Aden Flint ensured Sadler’s men will take their place alongside the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Aston Villa in Monday’s third-round draw.
The Saddlers boss quickly turned his focus towards what could lie in wait for his side and expressed his desire to have a ‘moment’ for supporters to remember for years to come.
He told the Express & Star: “These games aren’t set up for us, they’re set up for the other team.
“I said to the lads before the game, today wasn’t our game, today was Gateshead’s day and we needed to get through this tie to hopefully get our day where we get to be what we had at Southampton a couple of years back.
“We didn’t quite do ourselves justice that day, we want that, we want to have our moment, our tie that we look back on with years to come.
“That is what the competition is amazing for so we will now be glued to the set to see who we get.”
Sadler also reserved special praise for more than 400 Saddlers supporters that made the long journey to the North East and braved torrential rain throughout the day.
To compound that misery, the travelling fans were housed in a stand with no roof, leaving them with no protection from the elements.
However, Sadler is hopeful the result and performance will have ensured they enjoyed their trip to the south bank of the Tyne.
“The supporters were unbelievable,” he explained. “To be sat over there, under the cover of the sky and the clouds, with the rain, to hear them, in six minutes of injury-time, we didn’t want that.
“We want to get them home, safe and sound and I hope they get to dry off. Our supporters were unbelievable so thank you to them and safe journey home.”
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