Profiling those Saddlers that came and went in the blink of an eye...
AS WE embark upon a year of celebration to mark Walsall FC’s 125th Anniversary, a lot will, quite rightly, be said about the most popular players or those who have made the most appearances for the club over the years.But what about those players that came and went in the blink of an eye? They may have only appeared on a handful of occasions, but nevertheless, have made a contribution to the history of this great club of ours.
We will be highlighting some of the forgotten Saddlers from the Bescot Years, continuing with a player that was on the fringes of our 1994/95 promotion-winning team...
David Mehew spent nine years at Bristol Rovers where he made well over 200 League appearances before joining The Saddlers in the summer of 1994.
Mehew’s former Rovers’ team-mate, Kenny Hibbitt, was The Saddlers’ manager when he signed for the club but within weeks he was relieved of his duties.
Having started the first six games of the season, a combination of injury and illness were to make it a frustrating time as he made fleeting appearances, the majority of which came off the substitutes’ bench.
He did figure in our Coca-Cola Cup clashes with West Ham United, where we beat The Hammers at home but lost on aggregate, and the FA Cup third round encounters with Leeds United.
As part of the squad that finally got us out of The Football League’s basement division, he then moved on to Northampton Town before serving a number of non-League clubs in the south-west.
Joining the coaching staff at Gloucester City, he eventually stepped up to become manager, a position he still holds today.