Walsall defender James Clarke is hoping tonight’s match against Chelsea Under 21s in the Leasing.com Trophy can act as a similar catalyst as the match against Forest Green Rovers did.
The Saddlers will be looking to reach the last 16 of the competition when they take on Chelsea’s youngsters this evening.
An emphatic 6-0 triumph over Forest Green in the final game of the group stages saw Walsall progress to the second round.
They ended a seven match winless run with that victory and an upturn of results followed and the Saddlers skipper is aiming to rebuild momentum in a similar way tonight.
“We look back at that game as a really important game because it kick-started us a little bit," he said.
"We were going through a really bad patch and I think we took a lot of confidence from it and built on top of that.”
After a poor run of results in October, Walsall have lost just one of their last six matches (against League One side Oxford) and have kept three clean sheets in that run.
The Saddlers’ injury worries have eased in recent weeks, with Clarke’s return proving pivotal, and the 30-year-old feels continuity at the back has proved crucial and is hoping they can add to their 10 clean sheets so far this season.
“I think we started our season strong defensively but we came away from that,” Clarke explained.
“We had a few injuries but now everyone is back and with a bit of continuity, we’ve been able to do what we do best at the back and keep more clean sheets so the more we can do of that, the higher up the table we can go.”
Tickets are still available for Tuesday’s game against Chelsea Under 21s.
Call the Ticket Office on 01922 651 414/416 or visit our e-ticketing site to purchase tickets.