The victory of Fleetwood Town in the FA Cup first round replay has done little to lift the spirits of fed up Walsall supporters, as the Saddlers march on in league one tomorrow as they face Carlisle at home (KO 3pm.)
Carlisle are in an enviable 4th position in the league and arrive at the Banks’s the back of a 2 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw and have won the last 4 in all competitions, including a 6-0 victory against Tipton in the FA Cup.
The Cumbrians manager Greg Abbot has said that he is not underestimating the Saddler danger, despite the two teams standing 20 places apart in the table. He told the Carlisle official site: ‘(Walsall) are fighting for their lives at the moment and the players will be fighting for their manager… They’ll make us work for every tackle and every pass, so we have to be ready for that.’
Martin Devaney, Clayton McDonald and Jon Macken all face a late fitness test ahead of the clash and Darren Byfield faces more time on the sidelines as he continues his comeback from a knee injury.
For Carlisle, Danny Livesy, Paul Thirlwell, Sean McDaid, Graham Kavanagh and Richard Offiong are all injured for the clash.
Manager Chris Hutchings, who job is the source of alot of discontent for Walsall supporters, called upon mental strength of his players to take them forward.
He told the official site: ‘We need to have mental strength with everyone pulling in the same direction. Confidence is a big thing in any sport, but we’re fighters and will get through this with sheer hard work and a steely determination to succeed.’
The team is hard to tell as the season goes on, Hutchings changes it every week! Andy Butler returns after being inelgible of Tuesday. Likely team: Walker, Lescott, Smith, Westlake, Butler, Richards, Taundry, Marshall, Nicholls, Reid, Dickinson.
Score: Walsall 2-1 Carlisle, but it’s surely going to be a tough game! Keep The Faith!
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