It was a busier day than we all expected, with two players joining the Saddlers, both on loan. They are the reinforcements we need up top, especially with the visit of Exeter being right on the doorstep. So let’s get straight in, and take a look at these two players, as well as looking at our clash with last seasons play-off finalists.
Adan George
The first player through the door, was 18 year old Adan George, who joined on loan from local club Birmingham City. We do not know a lot about Adan, however there are a couple of things we do know. He signed a new deal with the club over the summer, which means he is rated well there. He also has made a couple of appearances for Blues already this season, once in the Carabao Cup, and the other on the opening day of the league season. Birmingham fans were certainly positive when talking about him on social media, which is yet another sign that we have a good, but raw talent on our hands. Adan was also a part of the Blues U-18 side that reached the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup, a competition which Adan scored a hat-trick against Sunderland U-18s.
Jake Scrimshaw
Jake is a player that I am delighted to see sign for us. In researching him for this, the more I see, the more I like. If you haven’t had a chance to look, then have a watch of the video of some of his goals released by Walsall. The lad knows where the net is. He is quick, and scores a mixture of goals. He has joined on loan from Bournemouth, and is a 20 year old striker. Jake had a spell with Eastleigh last season before the season was curtailed, although he struggled for starts, and made a lot of appearances off the bench. He is a raw talent, that I feel DC can get the best out of. He is a player that I feel will be a defender nightmare, who can hassle them, and run at them.
Thoughts
I think both are very good signings. Both offer different options too, however I can see Scrimshaw playing more, as he is more experienced than George. We were forced into getting a player in, although the fact we signed two gives me the impression that we were on the hunt for one of these players before the Josh Gordon injury, and that Flash’s unfortunate injury has made it important to get one, and then a second if the right player was available. We have had to sign them late on, due to reasons we all understand, but I feel we have two very good players who will be doing their bit for the team, and to get the game time they want.
Exeter
Tomorrow will be a difficult game. Exeter are a very good team, who have a lot of the squad that got them to the play-off finals, however this is a team that we can score against, and get a result against. Last season, we scored six past them, and took four points from them, but that counts for nothing this season, and the team will know that Exeter will be out for some revenge after the games last season. They have kept a hold of their key man, Randell Williams, which I have to admit, I am surprised about, as he was a quality player last season for them.
I am unsure how we will line-up. DC has said that he will be using the squad a lot over the next few games, so I expect to see changes, with the likes of Sinclair, Jules, Osadebe and White all being limited to action recently. As for the new pair, they will not be registered in time for tomorrow’s game, so I expect to see DC line-up in a 4-2-3-1 formation to keep a striker on the bench to either bring on, or replace the striker who is on.
I expect Exeter to come at us more than Colchester and Orient did, so defensively we have to be resolute, and make sure that we cut out the gifted goals that we have been giving recently. Exeter have done OK this season so far, and have improved recently. They sit 10th in the league, 1 point behind the Saddlers. There are often goals when Exeter play. They have scored and conceded more than Walsall in the league, and in the cups they have had a 4-3, and a 3-2, so I think it could be a very open match.
So what have you made of today’s business? Are you happy with the players, and do you agree with signing two? Let me know your predictions for tomorrow’s game too. Scores, line-up’s, random predictions, send them all!
