We have pulled through what was a tough month. Fixtures came thick and fast, and our form dipped, and the goals dried up. However it was top and tailed with two good results, it is just a shame about the middle.
Rewind to this point last season, we has just finished ‘that’ October (Number of games played so far this season is comparable), and things were not looking great. We once again find ourselves is a similar position, and November will be the month we look back on badly come the end of this season.
It was a month that could have offered so much. Chances to progress in two cups, and despite a couple of tough league games, there was an opportunity to gain points against others. First the cups. I think we have had some unfavourable draws this season. We have not played a team in our league or below in any game. Rovers in the FA Cup was always going to be more difficult than the trophy, and Oxford have some classy players despite their league position. It is a group that looking back, we could have progressed from, as 1 win instead of a draw would have been enough to progress.
Before the month began, I looked at the games, and thought that realistically, we should have picked up 6 points, with wins against Southend and Crawley. I did not expect much against Cheltenham and Newport as their form was good. Southend was the biggest game of the month. Win that, and the cup exits, and loss to Cheltenham wouldn’t have looked so bad, but as is the way with this Walsall side, we cannot beat the teams at the bottom. Crawley seems a long time ago now, but picking up 3 points was good, and I really did think it would be a springboard to kick on from.
I now look to the Newport game. We played a lot better than the previous two games, and it has to be a springboard now. There are 3 big games this month, and by big games, I mean winnable. Stevenage, Scunthorpe and Oldham. All 3 are there for the taking, and we have to pick up the points if we want to climb the league. There are 4 other league games, and honestly, these are tough to predict, Tranmere, Salford, Bolton and Port Vale are all proving that they can be as inconsistent as we can be.
Wednesday’s game against Stevenage is a must win for me. We have to back up the good performance and result against Newport with 3 points here, to see us higher on confidence going into the Tranmere game, which is going to be tough given their upturn in form. But play like we did Tuesday, and we can get a result anywhere… and that is what makes being a Walsall fan frustrating.
