Stockport travel to the Bescot Stadium to face Walsall this weekend in the second week of the 2023/24 League Two season. Both Walsall and Stockport failed to win their first games of the season and will be looking for their first points this weekend.
Walsall currently sit 16th in League Two on zero points after their opening day loss. However, of those who lost their opening game, Walsall is one of the teams with a negative one goal difference, the best of those on zero points.
The Saddlers had an away trip to Morecambe for their first game of the season. Adam Mayor fired Morecambe ahead in the 25th minute before Walsall could reply through Danny Johnson before the end of the first half. The game was even for the majority of the second half with Morecambe’s Farrend Rawson popping up with a 92nd minute winner giving The Shrimps a 2 - 1 win.
The midweek clash with Championship Blackburn Rovers was a goal frenzy with seven goals scored. Oisin McEntee, Ross Tierney and Ronan Maher were all on the scoresheet for Walsall but those three goals weren’t enough to beat Blackburn. Goals from Zak Gilsenan, Niall Ennis, Jake Garrett and John Buckley gave Blackburn the 4 - 3 win and the spot in the Second Round.
Stockport is the last team on a negative one-goal difference, sitting 20th in League Two currently. Below them right now are just Wrexham, Forest Green, Newport County and Notts County, separated by just goal difference.
The Hatters opened their League Two campaign with a game against Gillingham. Even with 17 shots with three of them being on target, Stockport were on the losing end. Robbie McKenzie grabbed all three points for Gillingham with his goal in the 86th minute.
A trip to Sheffield Wednesday was Stockport’s midweek match for the First Round of the League Cup. Stockport took an early lead within the first 20 minutes with a goal from Paddy Madden, but in the last minute of the seven minutes of extra time Tyreeq Bakinson scored for Sheffield Wednesday. His late heroics sent the tie to penalties, of the three penalties taken by Stockport only Ryan Rydel scored, with Paddy Madden and Louie Barry both missing, handing Sheffield Wednesday the 4 - 1 win.
Walsall and Stockport have met 50 times in their histories with the first meeting coming all the way back in 1900. Stockport have won on 18 occasions whereas Walsall have won 23 times giving them the slight edge in the fixture. A draw is not too common, only happening nine times with two of those draws coming in the last five games.
The last time the two met was in January in the FA Cup where Walsall took a 2 - 1 win, a result that’s likely to be repeated this weekend. However, whichever way the win can go, it’s likely to be low scoring with the fixture not having over three goals since 1970.