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 an experienced left-back from the Chris Nicholl era...
Following promotion into Division Two, The Saddlers were keen to add higher level experience and know-how to our ranks during the summer of 1995.
One such player was Ray Daniel, whose professional career had spanned 13 years and included solid spells with Cardiff City, Hull City and Portsmouth, whom he helped to reach the semi-final of the FA Cup just three years prior to swapping the south coast for Bescot Stadium.
He started 1995/96 as a regular in the side for the first couple of months and then he had another run during March and April but injuries limited him to 26 starts, including an appearance at Ipswich in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
The following campaign saw him feature a total of 15 times before he was released at the end of the season and moved on to Brigg Town.
He then served North Ferriby United and in recent years has coached at Hall Road Rangers.