Express & Star

Walsall v Barnsley: Saddlers could get jump on their rivals

So tight is the relegation battle in League One, Walsall could turn their season round in the space of 90 minutes tomorrow.

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Though the Saddlers are currently entrenched in the drop zone, they could get the jump on their many survival rivals by beating high-flying Barnsley in their midday kick-off.

Three points would move Walsall all the way from 21st to 13th – piling the pressure on the likes of Southend, Shrewsbury and Oxford United ahead of their 3pm kick-offs.

“I don’t think I have ever seen anything like this before – 12 teams all battling to stay in the league,” confessed midfielder Liam Kinsella. “If we can get the result with the 12 o’clock kick-off, come 2pm we can move up to 13th in the league.

“That will put pressure on the other teams going into there games. That is what we are going to do. We will give everything to get the three points and climb up the table.”

A run of seven points from nine had seen Walsall move clear of the bottom four once already, but back-to-back defeats have dropped them into the mire.

Losses to two of the league’s biggest clubs, Portsmouth and Sunderland, should not be cause for concern – as vital as every point may be – especially when they have performed so admirably in those matches.

But Kinsella is aware just how vital every point is – and believes they can overturn second-placed Barnsley in front of the television cameras at the Banks’s Stadium.

“We believe we are going to stay up,” he said. “We beat Sunderland earlier in the season. We got a good draw at against Barnsley at their place. I do feel we are playing well, the confidence is there and we are going to take that into Saturday.

“We have to keep faith in what we are doing. We will work hard this week and then hopefully against Barnsley we will get three points.”

But why have the Saddlers’ performances suddenly turned around again?

“We are working hard in training, luck wasn’t going our way at times, but I do feel things are changing for us now,” said Kinsella. “Confidence is really high in the camp and I think that is showing on Saturdays.”

The TV cameras won’t change how Walsall approach the game according to the midfielder – “we are just going to do what we normally do,” he said – but believes a good showing from the stands could be vital.

“We are going to need them,” he said. “The fans have been excellent, they have been really good this season.

“They have got behind us when we have needed them to. They have helped us through games, like Bradford at home when they helped us get the points. Hopefully it will be the same on Saturday.”

Likely line-up:

Likely line-up

Subs: Dunn, Fitzwater, Laird, Osbourne, Edwards, Jarvis, Oteh.

Barnsley (4-4-2): Walton; Cavare, Pinnock, Lindsay, B Williams; J Williams, Mowatt, Bahre, Thiam; Adeboyejo, Woodrow

The opposition: Promotion push hampered by injuries

Daniel Stendel the head coach / manager of Barnsley. (AMA)

Injuries are threatening to derail Barnsley’s push for promotion this season – but they remain in the top two approaching the final few furlongs of this engrossing League One season.

They have lost top scorer Kieffer Moore for the campaign on medical advice after he suffered a head injury at Gillingham last month.

And now midfielder Kenny Dougall is back on the sidelines too.

The Australian missed several months earlier in the campaign with an ankle injury, but returned to play a key part in the Tykes’ surge for the Championship.

However, Dougall’s campaign has now been ended by a broken leg suffered in a goalless South Yorkshire derby against Doncaster Rovers.

Despite those injuries, you’d be a brave man to back against Daniel Stendel’s charges going on to clinch their place back in the second tier.

Since a 1-0 defeat to Wycombe on December 8, they are unbeaten in 18 League One matches.

Their only defeat in any competition during that time was a plucky 1-0 loss to Premier League Burnley in the FA Cup.

Within that run remains some hope for the Saddlers though, with four of their last six matches ending in a stalemate, albeit against Burton Albion and three of the division’s top sides – Portsmouth, Sunderland and Doncaster.

Three years ago, it was Barnsley who ended the Saddlers’ hopes of reaching the Championship in spectacular fashion, thrashing Jon Whitney’s side 6-1 on aggregate in a play-off semi-final.

Just one player who featured for Walsall in that tie remains at the Bank’s Stadium – Adam Chambers – and the Saddlers have been on a slippery slope since then.

Star man Tom Bradshaw would depart for Barnsley that summer after the Tykes beat Millwall 3-1 in the play-off final at Wembley and several other players went their separate ways.

Both sides would finish 14th in their respective divisions the following season before suffering a dip in 2017/18.

But while the Saddlers avoided dropping out of League One, Barnsley could not prevent themselves slipping back into the third tier.

Walsall again find themselves battling to stay up this season as the Tykes, no longer with Bradshaw, battle for promotion. Three points would be crucial to both sides – for very different reasons.

The boss says:

"We are disappointed we managed to go toe-to-toe with two top sides in the last two games but not pick up any points".

Memory lane:

Jordan Cook scored twice and Tom Bradshaw once as Walsall came from a goal down to beat Barnsley 3-1 in 2014.

Key man:

Former Stafford Rangers striker Josh Gordon has hit a rich vein of form and will be looking for more goals.

Danger man:

Cauley Woodrow

With top scorer Kieffer Moore ruled out for the rest of the season with a head injury, there is more of a goalscoring burden on Woodrow. He has 14 goals in all competitions so far this campaign.