An historic month in the history of the club...
THE MONTH of March got underway with a Tuesday evening trip to Yeovil Town.The Saddlers started the game with real purpose and put in an impressive and dominant first half display, however, we only had Jordy Hiwula's goal against his former club to show for our efforts.
We had to withstand some pressure after the break and were also grateful to Richard O'Donnell for a penalty save as we went on to secure maximum points with a 1-0 win.
We were back on the road for the next game as we took on an in-form Barnsley.
In tricky conditions, Walsall were second best for much of the game and came home well beaten with a 3-0 reverse.
It was one of those games which we had to draw a line under straight away and move on.
Our next challenge saw us return to home soil for the visit of fourth-placed MK Dons.
Things started well as Tom Bradshaw returned to the scoresheet with an opportunist headed goal in the eighth minute and things were looking good for much of the opening period.
That said, our visitors started to get into the game more as the first half went on and were rewarded when former Saddler, Will Grigg, found the net to level matters.
Chances came for either side after the break but honours ended even.
Three days later and we came up against another side in the top five here at Banks's Stadium as Sheffield United provided the opposition.
On this occasion it was the visitors who made all of the early running as they got their noses in front early on.
Once we got into our stride, we played some impressive football and the leveller came with just under 20 minutes to go as Ashley Grimes came off the bench to notch his second goal of the season.
It was The Saddlers who looked the most likely side towards the end, but we had to settle for a second 1-1 draw in a row.
Sunday, March 22nd was a red-letter day for Walsall Football Club as we made our first-ever appearance at Wembley Stadium in the Final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.
It was an occasion that really captured the imagination as 29,128 supporters made their way to the national stadium in support of The Saddlers to make up a crowd of over 72,000.
With the sun shining, we found ourselves up against strong opposition in Bristol City who were well clear at the top of the League One table. They ultimately proved too strong as we slipped to a 2-0 defeat.
Whilst the performance was disappointing, it was an occasion that will never be forgotten by all involved as we created history.
The month came to a close with an away game at East Midlands' rivals, Chesterfield.
In difficult conditions, The Saddlers looked solid in defence in what was an evenly-matched encounter. It took a late goal from a corner to win it for our hosts as we came home with nothing to show for our efforts.