Former midfield man happy to see Walsall buzzing...
FORMER Saddler, Darren Wrack, made a goalscoring return to Banks’s Stadium on Saturday as he found the net for the Walsall FC All Stars against West Bromwich Albion All Stars in a Charity match to raise funds for Midlands Air Ambulance and other local charities.It was Wrack’s first action for a couple of years, but he enjoyed every minute of it. “It was nice to be back out there,” he said with a smile. “I always enjoy catching up with old faces from the past and the fans here have always been great with me.
“Of course, it was good to get my name on the scoresheet, but the main thing was that we raised plenty of cash for charity.
“It was an enjoyable afternoon, although I was feeling it for a few days afterwards!”
Wrack is now the UK Scouting Manager for Brighton & Hove Albion, but keeps a close eye on the fortunes of The Saddlers.
“I always follow Walsall’s progress,” he added without hesitation. “Full credit to Dean Smith and his staff for the fantastic job they are doing.
“They’ve brought the right players in and moulded them into a team. The club has punched above its weight a lot in its recent history and has done well to attract some of the players it has during that time and also develop its own talent.
“It’s always going to be difficult for the club to compete with numbers through the turnstiles and budgets, but the people here work extremely hard at what they do and some of the initiatives to attract young supporters to matches really is the way forward.
“I had some really memorable years at Walsall that I will never forget.”
The midfielder was a regular in the team which gained an against-the-odds promotion in 1998/99 before helping us regain second-tier status at the first attempt in 2000/01.
He overcame a badly broken leg to figure in our 2006/07 League Two title triumph – only the second Championship the club has won in its history – before being granted a Testimonial and eventually leaving the club in May 2008 after ten years service.