Walsall’s Promotion Hopes Hang in the Balance
For many Walsall fans, the sensation of promotion has become a distant memory. Among the 72 clubs in the English Football League (EFL), only Colchester United has experienced a longer wait to ascend a tier. Given their current position, it’s no surprise that a sense of pessimism is creeping in; it’s a feeling that has become all too familiar.
A cursory look at the League Two standings presents a rather optimistic picture of Walsall’s season. Under the guidance of Mat Sadler, the team currently sits atop the table, boasting a significant eight-point buffer over the play-off spots with just 10 matches remaining. This cushion suggests a potential return to League One after a six-year hiatus, a feat that would mark their first promotion since the 2006-07 season.
However, the buoyant optimism that reached fever pitch in January has gradually given way to uncertainty. Walsall’s performance has taken a worrying turn, as they now languish in 16th place on the form table based on their last 10 matches. As Tom Lines, co-host of the One Pod Beyond podcast, articulates in The i Paper, “It seemed everything was going our way, and now it’s almost ‘well of course’, we’ve found a way to make being top of the league as Walsall as possible. Nice things don’t happen to Walsall very often, and there’s a palpable fear that the Walsall way would be to get so far ahead and then dramatically collapse. People are just desperately worried that’s going to happen.”
He further adds, “If we’d had the same set of results in a different order, we’d be absolutely fine with being two points clear of second and eight clear of fourth. Right now, we look like a team that is severely lacking in confidence, which is the polar opposite of how we felt after Christmas.”
This season for Walsall can be described as a tale of two distinct campaigns, with their recent run of five defeats, four draws, and just two wins in their last 11 matches standing in stark contrast to the remarkable 16-match unbeaten streak that included nine consecutive victories, pushing them a full 12 points clear of the second-placed team back in January.
Identifying the reasons for this sudden downturn in form is not particularly challenging. A significant factor has been the absence of their top scorer, who has not played for the team in two months due to his departure.
