Struggling Saddlers look to stamp out winless curse against Forest Green Rovers

Credit: Joe Lyons

Walsall welcome Forest Green to the Banks’s Stadium on Saturday as both sides look to stamp out worrying winless runs.

The Saddlers haven’t won in 14 league matches but are on course to survive in the division having drawn five of their previous six matches.

Their most recent result was a 0-0 stalemate away against in-form Leyton Orient. The Saddlers’ lack of cutting edge in the final third resulted in a fourth successive draw. Although Brian Dutton will be pleased with consecutive clean sheets, there will be serious concern over the forward department.

The West Midlands side has drawn the most matches in England’s fourth tier this season having drawn a miraculous 19 matches. They’re also the fourth least scoring team at home, finding the back of the net a mere 17 times this season.

The last time Walsall won at home was December 19th when they defeated Port Vale 4-3, however, they’re unbeaten in their previous four meetings with Saturday’s opponents. The Saddlers have won three and drawn once against the Rovers, with their most recent result being 1-1 in the reverse outing this campaign.

Forest Green will be looking to capitalise on Walsall’s horrendous record at home to cement their place in the top seven.

Similar to the hosts, Mark Cooper’s men are winless in their previous five league games and look fatigued in all areas.

Forest Green suffered a third consecutive loss on Easter Monday to Salford City and dropped to sixth place as a result. Ian Henderson’s sublime brace was enough to separate the two teams and disrupt the Rovers’ momentum in the Play-Off places.

The visitors have shipped seven goals in their last three games and can’t afford to maintain their blip in form as the likes of Exeter City, Carlisle United and Leyton Orient are all pushing to replace those occupying top seven places.

However, the Green Army have been prolific away from the New Lawn Stadium as they seek a 10th victory on the road.

Forest Green are the third-best team in League Two away from home. They’ve collected 32 points (second-most) and scored 24 goals in 20 games away from Gloucestershire this campaign.

Walsall striker Josh Gordon has thrived in this fixture in recent showings. Gordon bagged the Saddlers opener in their 2-1 win in February 2020 and fired a half-an-hour hat-trick in their 6-0 win back in November 2019.

Ben Haywood will be providing live coverage at the Banks’s Stadium as the Saddlers host the Rovers in a must-win fixture for both teams.

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