Walsall Football Club

The Saddlers are in FA Cup first round action this weekend...

OVERVIEW:
League One leaders Walsall are the highest-ranked club in the FA Cup first round. The Saddlers were knocked out by Shrewsbury at this stage last season but are unbeaten in four competitive meetings with Fleetwood, winning three and drawing one. The Cod Army, who are now managed by former Coventry boss Steven Pressley, are 21st in League One, a point from safety.

LEAGUE STANDINGS:
Walsall: 1st – P16 W9 D5 L2 F28 A14 PTS32
Fleetwood: 21st – P16 W4 D3 L9 F19 A24 PTS15

LAST FIVE LEAGUE MATCHES: (Most recent match first)
Walsall: WDWLW
Fleetwood: LWLWL

LAST TIME OUT:
Saturday, 31st October – Walsall 3-2 Gillingham
Jason Demetriou’s last-minute volley sent Walsall top of League One with a thrilling comeback win over Gillingham. Goals from Cody McDonald and Bradley Dack (pen) gave Gillingham a two-goal lead, but Kieron Morris’ 25-yard strike and Milan Lalkovic’s tap-in made it 2-2 before half-time. Demetriou’s first Saddlers goal, in the 91st minute, sealed a dramatic win.
Team:Etheridge, Demetriou, O’Connor, Downing, Henry (Taylor 90’), Morris, Chambers, Evans (Flanagan 87’), Lalkovic ( Cook 77’), Sawyers, Bradshaw.
Subs not used: Baxendale, Forde, MacGillivray, Preston.

Saturday, 31st October – Fleetwood 0-1 Chesterfield
Fleetwood slipped into the League One relegation zone after Sylvan Ebanks-Blake’s first-half goal secured victory for Chesterfield. Jamie Proctor had a goal correctly disallowed for the hosts in the second half.
Team:Maxwell, McLaughlin (Davis 69’), Pond, Teixeira, Bell, Sarcevic, Sowerby (Haughton 74’), Jonsson, Grant, Proctor, Ball (McManus 66’).
Subs not used: Jordan, Matt, Della Verde, Gogic.

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD:
Walsall wins: 3
Fleetwood wins: 0
Draws: 1

LAST MEETING:
Saturday, 11th April 2015 – Walsall 1-0 Fleetwood
Fit-again striker Tom Bradshaw scored his 17th goal of the season to earn Walsall a first league win in eight matches. Back from a hamstring strain, Bradshaw fired home from a tight angle to settle a tight affair with four minutes remaining.

FLEETWOOD MANAGER:
Steven Pressley – The 42-year-old has won two of his five matches in charge of Fleetwood since succeeding Graham Alexander last month. He spent two years as manager of Coventry and won the Scottish Challenge Cup with Falkirk in his first managerial position. The former Scotland international played for Rangers, Celtic, Hearts and Dundee United.

FLEETWOOD STAR MAN:
Jamie Proctor – A 23-year-old striker who joined Fleetwood from Crawley in June 2014. Proctor, who started his career with his hometown club Preston, has scored 12 goals in 61 matches for the Cod Army. He has also spent time at Swansea, Shrewsbury and Stockport.

VIEW FROM THE FLEETWOOD CAMP:
Steven Pressley (on playing Walsall) – "They're around the top of the league and quite rightly so. I've watched a lot of the footage this week and their manager and his staff deserve a lot of credit. They're a club who have shown a great deal of continuity and have stuck with their manager through some difficult times. They're a club that has grown, had great stability and stuck to a plan."

WALSALL TEAM NEWS:
Sam Mantom (high ankle sprain) and Isaiah Osbourne (knee) are out.

REFEREE:
Ross Joyce.

STAT OF THE DAY:
The Saddlers have not reached the FA Cup third round since the 2007/08 campaign.

TOMORROW’S FA CUP FIXTURES: (3.00pm unless stated)
Accrington vs. York
Wimbledon vs. Forest Green
Altrincham vs. Barnsley
Barnet vs. Blackpool
Barwell vs. Welling
Burton vs. Peterborough
Bury vs. Wigan
Cambridge vs. Basingstoke Town
Coventry vs. Northampton
Crawley vs. Luton
Crewe vs. Eastleigh
Dag & Red vs. Morecambe
Doncaster vs. Stalybridge
Celtic Dover vs. Stourbridge
Grimsby vs. St Albans City
Hartlepool vs. Cheltenham
Leyton Orient vs. Staines Town
Mansfield vs. Oldham
Millwall vs. AFC Fylde
Northwich Victoria vs. Boreham Wood
Plymouth vs. Carlisle
Portsmouth vs. Macclesfield
Rochdale vs. Swindon
Scunthorpe vs. Southend
Sheff Utd vs. Worcester City
Stevenage vs. Gillingham
Wealdstone vs. Colchester