Walsall look to put the league to one side and cause an upset in the FA Cup

League Two Walsall host League One Bristol Rovers in the First Round of the FA Cup, with both sides occupying comfortable mid-table spots in their respective divisions. 

The two outfits come into the tie with similar fortunes in their leagues, with the Saddlers picking up six points from their last five games and Rovers recording five in that period.

However, with neither side looking likely to make a push for promotion this campaign, or flirt with relegation, the FA Cup could be seen as a welcome distraction and getting a cup run going could certainly prove beneficial.

The FA Cup is notorious for helping smaller clubs financially, with prize money making a huge difference, especially during these uncertain times where funds are running dangerously low at some footballing establishments. Walsall are certainly a club that could benefit from a cup run. 

Currently, in their second consecutive season in League Two, the Saddlers had been on the brink of promotion to the Championship as recently as 2016, finishing 3rd in League One that season. 

However, their fortunes in the Third Tier deteriorated until they suffered relegation in 2019 and finished last season a mediocre 12th (of course without having the opportunity to play out the rest of the campaign).

Current Walsall manager Darrell Clarke has overseen a start to the season similar to how last year played out, with 16 points picked up from 11 games.

Furthermore, the West Midlands club have only tasted defeat in the league once so far this season, but have recorded seven draws, the joint-most in League Two.

Clarke will be keen to turn draws into wins though and won’t be able to rely on a draw on Saturday to keep his side in the competition as replays have been scrapped this season in order to ease pressure caused by fixture scheduling due to the coronavirus pandemic.

As for Bristol Rovers, they too could benefit from a run in the cup with fortunes in League One underwhelming, to say the least.

Rovers manager Ben Garner will see the tie as a good opportunity to progress to the Second Round with his side 21 places above Saturday’s hosts in the footballing ladder.

It will certainly be an interesting affair, particularly regarding how seriously both managers take the competition with their team selections, as progress in the cup could make their seasons more enjoyable.

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