Walsall host Stevenage as the Boro set sights on escaping the drop zone

It would be fair to say that the Sadlers’ campaign to date has been average at best. With 14 matches under their belt so far this season, more than half of their results have been draws, with Walsall only managing a win on three occasions. Although their results do reflect a certain resilience, they also leave a lot to be desired in terms of that must needed match-winning mentality.

Despite losing only three matches in the league this campaign, Darrell Clarke’s side sit 16th just four points adrift of the League Two drop zone. To put that into perspective, Forest Green Rovers have lost the same amount and sit 4th in the table, just four points off the top spot before this Wednesday evening’s fixtures. Judging by that alone, should Walsall find their killer instinct, their ambitions shall lie much higher up in the table. 

There are bright sparks, however, in what has otherwise been an unremarkable start to the season – Elijah Adebayo and Caolan Lavery to be precise. Adebayo is Walsall’s top goalscorer at this stage with five goals to his name whilst Lavery has picked up four goals himself, alongside being joint-top of the Saddlers’ assist chart. Clarke will be hoping that the pair are in fine form this evening as his side go in search of their fourth win of the campaign.

Stevenage have shared a similar fate to their hosts so far this season, although the Boro sit in the relegation zone heading into this fixture at the Bescot Stadium. Alex Revell’s side find themselves 22nd having picked up just two victories so far.

A card that might play against Revell’s men tonight is the fact that at this point their only two victories have come at home. They’ve drawn three and lost four of their seven away league fixtures to date, making sorry reading, to say the least. If they’re to avoid relegation then it’s important that they start picking up points on the road, and Wednesday’s clash is a fantastic opportunity for that.

Arguably, the club’s most creative player this season is QPR loanee Aramide Oteh. The 22-year-old has scored two and assisted two in nine appearances for the Boro, making him stand out as one to watch. He has the best minutes per goal ratio in the squad, standing at a goal every 264 minutes, alongside having an 89% shot accuracy. Surely a player that Walsall will have discussed in detail.

Clarke is wary of the Boro’s tactical changes…

“They’ve changed to a diamond formation at the minute and it’s worked in the last two or three games. 

“When you’re a manager and you’re looking for things to change when you haven’t started the season as well as you would have liked, you start looking for things and he’s (Revell) done that.

“It’s got them more positive results and we need to be aware of that, but we need to concentrate and focus on ourselves.”

Revell on facing Walsall…

“It’s always been a tough place to go, I think last year it was a game of two halves, we were first class in the first half but in the second half, they grew into it.

“We know it’s going to be a tough game like we always say every week, that’s always the answer. But we know that what we’ve got to do is go there with a real intention and a real focus so that we can build momentum.

“Ultimately if we turn up with the same desire and the same togetherness it can make any game difficult.”