Walsall welcome Accrington Stanley to Bescot Stadium this Saturday. Both sides sit nestled in the tight League Two mid table, needing all three points to close in on a spot in the top half of the table.
Walsall currently sit 13th in League Two after 26 games. The Saddlers have ten wins, six draws and ten losses, leaving Walsall on 36 points, two points from this weekend’s opponents and three points from the top half of the table.
In their last five games in all competitions, Walsall have three wins and two losses.
Freddie Draper scored in the first half to give Walsall the 1 - 0 lead over Crewe Alexandra at halftime. Oisin McEntee then added to the lead in the second half to give Walsall the 2 - 0 win. The next time out was against high-flying Wrexham. Jack Earing gave Walsall the early lead but a penalty from Paul Mullin made it level at halftime. However, Isaac Hutchinson and Taylor Allen both scored in the second half to give Walsall the 3 - 1 win.
Walsall continued their good form against Grimsby Town. Despite Danny Rose giving Grimsby the lead, Douglas James-Taylor, Earring, Priestley Farquharson and Danny Johnson all scored along with a brace from Hutchinson in the 6 - 1 win for Walsall, even with just 33% of the possession. In the Third Round of the FA Cup, Walsall took on Championship Southampton. A brace from Ryan Fraser and goals from Sekou Mara and Che Adams gave Southampton the 4 - 0 win.
The last time out for Walsall was against Stockport. Akil Wright opened the scoring for Stockport in the added time of the first half, but James-Taylor also equalised in the same added time. However, Isaac Olaofe and Paddy Madden both scored in the second half to give Stockport the 3 - 1 win.
Accrington Stanley currently sit just above Walsall in 12th in League Two. In 27 games, Stanley have 11 wins, five draws and 11 losses which leaves them on 38 points, just one point from tenth-place Wimbledon.
In their last five games in all competitions, Accrington Stanley have one win, one draw and three losses.
Jack Nolan gave Accrington Stanley the lead early in the second half, but a goal from Jack Muldoon levelled the game just six minutes later. George Thomson then scored in the 93rd minute to give Harrogate Town the 2 - 1 win. Stanley went behind first again, this time against Barrow through a Ben Whitfield goal. However, Joe Pritchard equalised and forced a 1 - 1 draw.
Stanley picked up a win in the visit from Salford City. All three goals came in the first half for Stanley as Shaun Whalley opened the scoring and a brace from Nolan, including a penalty, gave Stanley the 3 - 0 win. In the Third Round of the Football League Trophy, Stanley hosted Bolton. A goal from Cameron Jerome and a penalty from Aaron Morley gave Bolton the 2 - 0 lead, but Alex Henderson did manage to get on the scoresheet before halftime. Kyle Dempsey also scored in the second half in the 3 - 1 win for Bolton.
The most recent outing was back in League Two against Gillingham. Henderson scored again to give Stanley the lead, but goals from Conor Masterson and Macauley Bonne gave Gillingham the 2 - 1 win.
Walsall and Accrington Stanley have met six times in their histories, with the first meeting coming back in 2006. Stanley have the better record with four wins in comparison to Walsall’s two wins, with points never being shared.