Walsall Head Coach Mat Sadler is looking forward to getting back to the Poundland Bescot Stadium in the league and is keen to build on last week’s encouraging performance against Crewe Alexandra when his team take on his former manager Paul Hurt’s Grimsby Town side.
The Saddlers will be hoping to make it back-to-back league victories at home and bounce back from Tuesday’s defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion Under 21s.
Sadler is keen to take confidence into tomorrow’s match but is expecting to face a strong, organised Mariners outfit who will also be confident heading into the contest.
“They had a positive result last week and they’ve got some good players,” Sadler said.
“They will be well drilled and they’re put out by a really experienced manager who knows what it takes to get results in the division so they’ll be a tough team to play against.
“They’ll be a good team who will win a lot of games this season. It’s another tough game but I’m looking forward to the next home game and we go into it high on confidence on the back of our performance against Crewe, I thought we were fantastic for large portions of that game and it’s up to me to make sure we’re reminded of that.”
Sadler will be locking horns with Hurst, who he worked under when he was playing for Shrewsbury Town.
The Saddlers Head Coach is focused on getting a positive result but highlighted his admiration for the Grimsby boss and his assistant.
“He’s a person that I’ve got a huge amount of respect for,” he commented.
“He’s a fantastic person, a fantastic coach who is hugely experienced but he’s also a good bloke and somebody I’ve got the upmost respect for and that’s the same with his assistant Chris Doig, people I know really well, I have huge respect for, huge time for and we’ll continue to have a really good relationship whatever happens on Saturday.
“Naturally, I’m desperate to win the game, as they are, and it will be up to me to pick the team that I think gives us the best opportunity to do that and it will be up to me to manage the bits and pieces through the game that will affect that result.
“It will be great to see them, I look forward to seeing them because they’re good people but naturally I want to win the game, of course I do.”
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