DUE TO the postponement of our Boxing Day game at Bristol Rovers and Monday's home clash with Norwich City, it is a fortnight since we were last in action.

Looking back at Monday, the pitch was actually in better condition than it was for our last home game against Leyton Orient. It's extremely disappointing; there was only a very small area of the pitch that gave the referee concern, the rest of it was perfectly playable.

A lot of people put an awful lot of hard work and effort in to get the game on and I would like to thank them most sincerely. At the end of the day it is the referee's decision and we have to go along with it.

It doesn't make the decision any easier to take and it's a shame for those supporters who made the effort to turn up and in the end had a wasted journey.

We go into Saturday's game refreshed and determined to get back into action. Charlton Athletic are amongst the favourites to be there or thereabouts in the promotion race come the end of the season. They have quality all over the pitch and we know only too well that we will have to reach the high standards that we have set ourselves during the course of the season so far.

Like all of our opponents, we will respect Charlton, but not fear them.

There is still a long way to go this season and a lot still to play for. I know it's a well-used cliché, but we will take things very much one game at a time and see where it takes us.

We received a boost earlier this week with the news that Clayton McDonald has signed a permanent deal at the club. He did extremely well during his recent loan spell and settled in well both on and off-the-field.

He is an emerging player of undoubted talent and ability who had an excellent grounding in the game at Manchester City. We will reap the benefits as his development continues here at Walsall and we hope that he will have a long and successful association with the club.

There is sure to be a large and vocal crowd in attendance for this game and I will look forward to your backing from the first whistle to the last to create a special atmosphere within the stadium that will help us in our attempts to start the New Year on the right foot.

CHRIS HUTCHINGS