Preview: Southend V Walsall

THE BLUES

Another big game for the Blues who hope to continue their impressive March form that has already brought eleven points. Tilly was after a wide player at the time of writing, Tommy Black has been the one consistent inconsistancy, but an hour after the loan deadline came to an end there is no news from the official site.

However, after defender Simon Francis scored his third goal of the season in their 1-0 victory over Swindon on Easter Monday, Tilly told BBC Essex that he was more than happy with his striking options. "We haven't had a striker this year who's going to score 15 or 20 goals. So it's important that we've scored from different areas of the park and that's what has happened this year." Francis's strike was the 40th of the team's 60 league goals to have come from either defence or midfield this season. With none of the teams around them recording a win on Monday, Southend's position in the League One play-offs was strengthened further. But Tilson insisted he was not concerned about what his rivals are doing. "Obviously there's been some good results, but I've always said we've got to look after ourselves. If we keep getting the results that we're after, then we shouldn't be bothered about the others."

With no injuries reported I can see Tilly's only headache as whether to bring Lee Barnard back to start in front of a Hal Robson-Kanu who disappointed on Monday. Strong winds of 23mph are forecast along with some showers so it might not be pretty but the lads have toughed it out for big points over the last few weeks and with confidence still high I go for a one goal victory.

THE OPPOSITION

If there is ever such a thing as a good time to play a club the Blues game v Walsall on Saturday could be it for the home side. When the boys from the Black Country followed up a terrific 3-0 away win at Swindon with a 1-0 result at Luton it seemed they just had to pick their play off place with their next two games at home. Sadly for the team and their supporters they lost them both, grabbed a good point at Notts. Forest but lost 0-2 at Leeds last weekend while only getting a home draw against strugglers Crewe on Easter Monday. This left Walsall in 9th place on 57 points, still only a couple behind sixth place Brighton but has the momentum been lost, Saturday should go a long way to testing that theory.

Southend will have to be aware of a strong Walsall away record. The Midlanders have won more away than at home, 8 to 6, scored more goals, 23 to 22, and have let in less, 16 to 19. Should be a fun afternoon, especially with veteran ex-Blue Tommy Mooney still starting up front for them. Though he has not found the net since Jan. 26 he still feels he'll be around, "definitely" extending his playing career beyond this season - but whether the Walsall captain does so at the Banks's Stadium is a matter of increasing doubt. The 36-year-old is the Saddlers' top scorer with 11 goals this term and is a strong candidate for the player-of-the-season award. His impact on the team, since arriving last summer, has been considerable - and he would like to stay at Walsall. But the club's policy of conducting most of their transfer business at season's end could cost them his signature the way it cost them those of Dean Keates and Chris Westwood last summer. "I am going to continue playing, definitely," Mooney said. "There is no way, while I am doing the job satisfactorily, that I won't continue. I have enjoyed my football this season, not so much in the last couple of weeks, but I did again against Crewe on Monday. I would like to stay at Walsall. But I think they are a club that likes to sort things out in the summer and, who knows, by then it could be too late."

Mooney's immediate mission is to get back on the scoresheet at Southend on Saturday. He has netted just once in the last ten games but is sure the goals will come again to assist the Saddlers' attempt to revive their play-offs bid. "I was disappointed at Leeds last Saturday because I missed a good chance," he said. "But against Crewe on Monday I couldn't have done any more. I just caught their 'keeper in the form of his life. I hit the target with everything and the corners with most things, but he got to them. Experience tells me you are going to have days like that. It also tells me things will change and in the next game I might miss the target with a couple and then one will go in off my backside. It was a disappointing Easter for us in terms of points picked up, but everybody else is dropping points and that's keeping us in there. We expected to beat Crewe but they did not play like a struggling team. We scraped a point and you don't know how important that point could be come the end of the season. It could be vital."

Certainly whatever happens this season manager Richard Money is more that happy with the future of the club with Walsall's investment in young, talented players set to be richly rewarded. Forwards Alex Nicholls and Troy Deeney are the latest to earn plaudits for their efforts off the bench during Monday's draw with Crewe. "The two kids came on and gave everyone in the stadium a real lift, and that's the most promising thing," Money said. "It's the biggest plus for me, and the future for the club is obviously very, very bright," he told BBC WM.

Two more of the Saddlers' home grown players should be fit to return for Saturday's trip to Southend as Money expects Mark Bradley and Richard Taundry to be available again. The club can also take some pride in the England Under 21 call-ups enjoyed by defenders Dan Fox and Scott Dann, both of whom left the Banks's Stadium to join Coventry City in January. But Money is reserving his praise for Nicholls and Deeney, who could play a major part in the Saddlers' play-off push over the final seven games of the season. "They both just need a bit more confidence, a bit more game time and goals," added Money.

However, one thing that Richard Money has proven over the last two seasons is that you really shouldn't take much notice of what he says in the Press. After the story ran in the Express and Star Thursday that he was not planning on making any loan signings before the window closes at 5.00pm, he has promptly gone out and signed Reading's central defender Aaron Brown. (So he'll know Hal then.) Brown is a local lad, who signed for Reading from Tamworth in November 2005, having previously played for England's non-league representative side. He was loaned out to League One side AFC Bournemouth in February 2006, playing four times for the Cherries, but broke his ankle in July of that year, ruling him out for the entire season, as well as the beginning of the 2007/8 campaign. He's a six foot tall, 24 year old central defender and shouldn't be confused with the Gillingham player of the same name.

A report on the Crewe draw from the Birmingham Mail and the team that finished that game.

IT IS highly unlikely that Doug Ellis, among the crowd here, attended in the guise of potential investor in Walsall Football Club. But, if he had, the former Villa chief would have departed digesting contrasting evidence. On their way to a draw, which did their play-offs hopes little good, Walsall's team showed they are worth a bit of investing in. And yet they are also in serious need of a bit of investment. The Saddlers required a scrambled effort from Ian Roper seconds from time, cancelling out Nicky Maynard's 61st-minute goal, to salvage a point. Just two points from five games have left their play-offs bid flagging badly.

Which brings us to the question of investment - although not from Deadly, of course. From the current board. After Walsall laboured for an hour, Alex Nicholls and Troy Deeney went on. Suddenly, Crewe were troubled. Tommy Mooney's battle up front became less lone and thankless. The young pair got the team, the crowd and the game going. With them around and the likes of Anthony Gerrard, again excellent at the back, and Mark Bradley and Richard Taundry, both unavailable here, the Saddlers' future looks bright enough. Worth investing in.

But what about the immediate future? This play-offs push. The next five weeks. And the next 48 hours, before the deadline. Well, that's where this team needs help. With play-off chasers Southend and Tranmere next up, Walsall must relocate their momentum. This was not a bad performance but neither was it very good. The conviction that underpinned the Saddlers' rise up League One is no longer there. Effort aplenty - but conviction is a different thing.

Time, surely, for a sliver of the Scott Dann/Danny Fox cash to be ploughed back in. No-one's expecting anything reckless - most long-time Saddlers' fans probably aren't expecting anything. But two points behind the play-off line with seven games to go? Surely it's worth a bit of a punt. Think of that play-offs lolly. And, who knows, Wolves, Albion and Blues, (what us?), at Bescot next season.

It's still possible but not with performances like this. Until Nicholls and Deeney arrived, Mooney alone posed a threat but found Crewe goalkeeper Ben Williams in excellent form. Richard Money eventually sent on the young 'uns but before they could get busy the Saddlers were behind, Maynard burying a high-quality strike. Nicholls went close twice before the Saddlers' unlikely saviour was Roper with a close-range header. The threat of anti-climax, though, still hovers over the season. And that deadline ticks closer. (And all you got was a lousy defender.)

WALSALL (4-4-2): Ince 6; WESTON 7, Gerrard 7, Roper 5, Boertien 6; Sonko 5 (N'Dour 70, 6), Dobson 6, Wrack 6 (Nicholls 56, 7), Holmes 5; Mooney 7, Betsy 5 (Deeney 56, 7). Not used: Bossu, Smith.

THE MATCHES

Played 72: WON 36 DRAWN 16 LOST 20.

Not a bad record then so it's surprising to see that we have not beaten them at Roots Hall since Jan. 23 1982, over a quarter of a century ago! (3-2 by the way, Pennyfather, Phillips and the young Greaves.) Since then five draws and a defeat, and we have only won twice away in that time amongst five succesive defeats and a draw. So it would be safe to say that until the two Clarkes scored in a 2-0 win at Walsall on Oct. 20 last year things were swinging the Black Country teams way.

Sadly a lot of those 36 wins were at the start after winning three times on the trot between October 1927 and February 1929. A McCrory hat-trick along with Hollis saw a 4-1 result at Roots Hall on October 19 1957. The sixties and seventies were also fertile ground, a terrific 5-3 win on Feb. 5 66 stands out; Bentley, Bradbury, Smith, Firmani and an Atthey OG the scorers. This set off four succesive home wins over eight years ending on Sep. 16 74 with a 3-0; Brace, Guthrie and little Davie Cunningham on this occasion.

Since then more downs than ups and though many would be content to see a repeat of the goaless draw that 7,906 saw on Feb. 25 2006, the last time we played them at the Hall, most will believe three points are important with some tough trips on the horizon.

THE HISTORY

Two of the leading clubs around Walsall were Walsall Swifts (founded 1877) and Walsall Town (founded 1879). Walsall Swifts won the Birmingham Senior Cup in 1881, and Walsall Town reached the fourth round (modern 5th round equivalent) of the FA Cup in 1883. These clubs amalgamated as Walsall Town Swifts in 1888, becoming simply Walsall in 1895. In 1892 the club joined the newly formed Division Two of the Football League and three tears late in 1895 was renamed Walsall FC.

Walsall also hold the honour of being the team most re-elected to the football league from the old Third Division, when it was split between North and South. Walsall would swap from one to the other, dependant on which teams would be relegated from Division Two, with Walsall generally performing better in the North than the South! Also a Walsall player has the record of scoring more than 20 goals in five consecutive seasons, a feat rarely performed. The player: Alan Buckley.

Walsall moved into their Bescot Stadium in 1990, having previously played at nearby Fellows Park. Their opening game was a friendly fixture against rivals Aston Villa. The Villa winning 4-0. The ground is now known as Banks's Stadium for sponsorship purposes.

Currently reigning champions in the 2006-07 season in Football League Two.

On 14 April 2007, Walsall beat Notts County 2-1 to ensure that they got promotion back to League One at the first time of asking, and on the last day of the season Walsall drew 1-1 with Swindon Town to secure the League Two championship.

(Thanks to all the usual suspects with their help with this article.)