Walsall face Wigan tomorrow afternoon...
Walsall winger Anthony Forde is relishing tomorrow's eagerly-awaited top-of-the-table clash against promotion-rivals Wigan.The Saddlers are third in the division, one point and one place ahead of Gary Caldwell’s in-form Latics, who are unbeaten in ten.
And ex-Wolves man Forde, who is into his second season at the Banks's, says he enjoys playing in the 'big games'.
“To play in these games is brilliant because these are proper games,” admitted Forde.
“They’re what you look forward to.
“It’s a massive game for us. We’re at home against a good side so we’re looking forward to it.
“I’ve enjoyed every minute since I’ve been here and these big games are what you want to be playing in as a player.”
Walsall have fared well against their promotion rivals, taking four points off Coventry, beating Burton and Gillingham, and drawing with Wigan.
“We’re confident we can beat any team in this division,” said Forde.
“We’ve proved that against the sides doing well, we can win, which is an important thing to do.
“It means you’re playing against the better teams and better players in the league and you’re able to come away with results.
“We know that we can beat them and you take positives from it and confidence going into the next game against them.”
Forde admits controlling your emotions in these type of matches is vitally important.
“It’s massive because your emotions will rise but you need to try and stay as calm as you can," Forde added.
“We have to try and play the way we can play and if we do that then we’ll be fine.
“There’s no point changing the way we play because it’s a so-called bigger game.
“We know what we need to do and we’ll go out and do that.”
A bumper crowd is expected for tomorrow’s top-of-the-table clash – and Forde says the Walsall fans can help the team get a positive result.
“The bigger crowd can help you,” he said.
“When you’re getting cheered on by more supporters it gives you an extra boost. I think home games they can effect the game n a positive way.
"As a player when you know they’re behind you, as they have been all year, it gives you an edge.”