Stuttering Saddlers hoping to get back on track against bottom place Southend

When these sides met earlier in the season, it was Southend who notched up the three points, the first time they had done so all season. Walsall will be out for revenge, and with it, hopes for a kick-start to their stuttering season.

Southend are bottom of League Two, three points from safety after playing two more games than Barrow, who sit in 22nd. The fact of the matter is that they have to start picking up points, or else the risk being cut adrift by the sides above them.

They face a Walsall side who are hoping to make it back to back wins, to avoid being cut-off themselves. They sit five points off the play-off’s, and know that games like Southend, are the types of matches that are must-wins if they want to be in the play-off’s at the end of the season.

Southend United

Southend have lost more than any other team in the league this season, losing 16 times. With only five wins under their belt, they have not given their fans much to cheer about. They have conceded 44 goals, and scored only 17, giving them a league worst goals difference of -27.

The Essex club had a busy final week of the transfer window, which saw Olayinka extend his loan spell, and Tyler Cordner join on loan from Bournemouth. They also strengthened the spine of the team, by bringing in Nathan Ferguson in from Crawley, and the experienced Jacob Mellis from Gillingham. Both Mellis and Ferguson were signed on permanent deals, and will want to help the Shrimpers maintain their football league status.

Southend are on a run of five games without a run. This came after a corner seemed to have been turned. They ended 2020 with 11 points in December, and then started 2021 with a win against Barrow. However they have suffered four straight defeats, and losing 5-1 to Port Vale last weekend will have hurt many of the team.

Walsall

Walsall go into the game after a busy, but disappointing deadline day. They lost top-scorer Elijah Adebayo, who was sold to Luton Town, and defender Zak Jules to MK Dons. Both had been key players for the Saddlers, who were fresh from a resounding 3-1 against rivals Port Vale just days before. They have signed defender Max Melbourne from Lincoln and striker Derick Osei Yaw from Oxford, who fans will hope will fill the void left.

They have once again had a very mixed seasons. The Saddlers seem to go on runs, where they will either win, lose or draw a few games in a row. They ended a run of games without a win against Port Vale last week, however departed striker Adebayo scored two of the goals, heaping more pressure on the rest of the team to start scoring more.

Walsall have been guilty of drawing too many games this season, with a league high of 11 matches ending with a share of the spoils. Fans have grown increasingly frustrated at a side that cannot take advantage of spells where they are on top in matches. They will see Southend as a chance to pick up another three points, and to bed in the changed side they will no doubt be lining up with.

Key Players

Southend will look to Nathan Ferguson to sure up the midfield. Their recent signing came on at half-time, when the score was already 4-0. He scored late on, and began to show what he can do in a Southend shirt. Although he came on when the game was already lost, he showed enough to be in Mark Molesley’s team for the game against Walsall.

With Adebayo leaving, Walsall fans are wondering who will be their main goal-scoring threat. Josh Gordon has been utilised in a few different positions this season, and he will be the prime candidate to lead the line against Southend. His pace and energy will be used to put the Southend defence under threat, and given the opportunity, can score a mixture of goals.

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