Walsall away preview for Saturday

[Sweden Stag]

That was a rout. A record-equalling 9-2 home victory against in-form Harrogate Town last Tuesday, equalling a 9-2 home victory against Rotherham in the old division Three (N) on December 27, 1932. But only a few weeks later, our record EFL defeat came at the hands of our next opponents, Walsall, to a 8-1 scoreline on January 19, 1933, at the Saddlers’ old heaquarters, Fellows Park.

But 13 goals scored on aggregate in two consecutive League fixtures has happened before in preview history. And this was also in a February. On February 2, Dartford were beaten 5-0, and one week, Barrow were clipped to a 8-1 scoreline, both games at headquarters on our way to the EFL return.

Before that, we had scored twelve in two consecutive games way back in 1994-95 (Hereford 7-1 at home, then Scarborough 5-2 away).

Thirteen goals scored against the same opponent must also be a record in preview and Stags entire League history, This season against Harrogate Town. Twelve goals against Barrow in 2012-13 (8-1 home, 4-0 away) and ten in 2011-12 (7-0 home, 3-2 away).

On a few other occasions, opponents have been hit for double figures on aggregate during the same campaign.
One such was in 1964-65, when we thrashed Southend 6-1 at home and 4-1 away in the third tier.

On the other hand, we have been hit by double figures on aggregate as well. In 1965-66, it happened twice. Against Peterborough (2-3 away, 1-7 home) and Swindon (2-6 away, 1-5 home) respectively.

Meanwhile, Walsall drew 1-1 away at Crawley last Tuesday. But the Saddlers have blown hot and cold this season, and are winless since their 6-1 away mauling of Grimsby on New Year’s day, their biggest away win for decades, amd have drawn five times at headquarters, yet beaten a few of our promotion rivals at home this season, i.e. Crewe and Walsall in successive home fixtures just before the New Year.

Earlier this season, the Stags beat the Saddlers 2-1 at home, and this was the follow-up to two consecutive 4-1 away routs of Notts County and Harrogate, respectively.

On January 15 2022, the Stags were on the way to their record-breaking winning run in the EFL by beating Walsall to a 2-0 scoreline at headquarters. And exactly nine months later, the Stags disposed of Walsall to the tune of 2-1 at One Call. More in the match centre.

This is also a fixture which once upon a time was a regular one at current League One level (see more below). A fixture which between the 1963-64 and 1978-79 campaigns, all of the third level campaigns in which the Stags were part of, twelve in all. The fixture mentioned is between the Saddlers and the Stags, or Walsall and Mansfield Town.

The home fixture against Walsall in October 2020 was the first one between the Stags and the Saddlers for thirteen years as the 2019-20 home fixture belonged to the ones which were not played due to that season ended up being curtailed. In Janury 2007, it was at League Two level during the 2006-07 season, a few weeks after the controversial sale of Richard Barker to Hartlepool.

Then, Walsall were high flying eventually ending up being promoted. But in typical Stags style, Walsall were beaten at Mansfield to a 2-1 scoreline after goals by Conlon and Gritton, and a superb Stags performance against a Walsall side which then fielded the Swedish equivalent to Championship top goal scorer of all time, Pär Cederqvist (see more below).

But the Stags played Walsall very frequently in the middle sixties and early seventies when both sides were stalwarts of the old third division and during that time, the Stags won at Walsall's old ground, Fellows Park, for the first time, and that was on the opening day of the 1966-67 season, August 20, 1966, when Bill Curry netted twice in front of 10429. And that season, the Stags did the double over the Saddlers as the 4-1 victory at Field Mill on December 17, 1966, was the last of six consecutive league wins, which made the Stags sit in second place behind runaway leaders QPR. The scorers then in front of 8771 in Stagsland was once again Curry twice, maybe his taste of goal-poaching was too strong for the Saddlers then? The other Stags goals that December Saturday were scored by Mitchinson and a Morris penalty. And on two other occasions have the Stags done the double, and this in consecutive mid-seventies division 3 seasons. The 1-0 on April 6, 1976, was the sixth of seven consecutive away wins during the run-in, scorer Hodgson, and the 2-1 at Fellows Park was the first of six games unbeaten run late on in the Stags' second championship season, scorers on April 19, 1977 in Black Country attended by 7001 were Ernie Moss and an own goal, Walsall scorer then, not unexpectedly, Alan Buckley from the spot. And the sides have also faced each other at Walsall on a final day of a season. The date was May 7, 1994, when Sykes and Lampkin netted for the Stags, whose line-up included Adrian Boothroyd, later manager of Watford while the Stags' most recent EFL promotion manager, Stuart Watkiss, starred for the Saddlers. In 1986, a long Stags unbeaten run back at third level ended at Walsall, while in March 1971, a 1-0 win at Fellows Park ended a run of twelve away third level games without winning thanks to a spot-kick converted by Stenson.

Due to the geographical position of both clubs, the sides managed to face each other in both sections of the regionalized third division up to 1957-58. January 19, 1933, is a day that any Stags fan would best like to forget. On that day, the Stags suffered their biggest-ever league defeat, a 1-8 reverse, scorer Bowater in front of 3068 in the first-ever league fixture between the sides, and that game was played only a few days after one of the biggest FA-Cup giant-killings of all time, as on January 14, 1933, Walsall kayoed then mighty Arsenal at Fellows Park to a 2-0 scoreline in the FA Cup third round, and on the way to that game, the Saddlers kayoed the Stags 4-1, Mansfield scorer Johnson in front of 9838 in Saddlers Country. Other sides kayoed by the Saddlers over the years include Manchester United in 1974-75 (in a home replay) and Leicester a few seasons later.

While the Stags have played just one season above current League One level, Walsall have played a few seasons at current Championship level. In 1963-64, after the Stags’ first ever promotion campaign, Walsall came from above after losing the final home game against Charlton after two seasons there. During the first one, way back in 1961-62, the Saddlers drew 1-1 against Liverpool and beat sides like Sunderland and Newcastle at their old Fellows Park ground. They also played at second level early on this century, i.e. three consecutive seasons between 2001-02 and 2003-04.

Revenge was sweet on April 8, 1933, when Fisher and Bowater striked for the Stags without reply attended by 4023 at Field Mill, this in the northern section of the old third. A few seasons later, both clubs had due to relegations from the second tier been transferred to the southern section, and in the last pre-war season, 1938-39, both games ended goal-less. After WW II, Walsall hadn't before the 1994-95 home fixture beaten the Stags at home by more than two clear goals compared to two 3-0-victories at Field Mill, on January 15, 1966 and on May 4, 1968 up to the fixture in the Black Country on September 30, 2006, when the Saddlers took four out of five chances in the second half. And at Field Mill now One Call Stadium, Walsall have in fact won five of the last eleven league outings there, five won by the Stags, the last before 2007 on November 30, 1991, when 3398 watched Phil Stant net twice, Gary Ford once for the Stags, McDonald for the Saddlers. By the way, Gary Ford came to the Stags after playing a few games for the Saddlers on loan from Port Vale. Assistant manager for the Stags in 1991-92 was Billy Dearden!

Not only Stuart Watkiss has appeared for both sides. Others include Matt Gadsby, who sadly died on the pitch playing for Conference North side Hinckley a few weeks before the Stags' trip to Walsall in September 2006, fittingly enough tributes were made at Bescot Stadium that Saturday. Another one is Terry Austin, who in the 1978-79 season managed 49 league games: 33 for Walsall and after his transfer to the Stags (which took Dave Syrett the other way) the last sixteen Stags league fixtures. That 1978-79 season, Austin played for Walsall at Field Mill on October 14, 1978, and SCORED one of the goals in the Saddlers' 3-1-victory in front of 6066. After Austin's transfer to the Stags, he managed five Stags goals, one of them in a 2-1 win at Hillsborough over Sheffield Wednesday in front of 11065 on April 3, 1979. Other both-sides-men include Tom Curtis and David Kelly, and more recently Hayden White, who is now starring for Ebbsfleet in National League. Last season, Danny Johnson was ineligible to play due to loan conditions, but is currently out for a while. Ryan Stirk, who was on loan at the Stags in 2021-22, is now starring for the Saddlers and has played 26 games so far this season.

In the 2020-21 season, both games ended in 1-1 draws. This was not unexpected as both sides were among the League Two draw specialists. While the Stags drew on nineteen occasions, the Saddlers drew on twenty. Incredibly enough, despite finishing 19th, three rungs below the Stags, the Saddlers lost less away games than any other side in League Two, even the promoted ones. The answer is that the Saddlers drew a League record 14 times on the road out of 23, lost only five away games, also a record for a side which finished well inside the bottom half. At headquarters, the Saddlers were one out of six sides which managed double figures in home reverses. They in fact lost twice as many at Bescot Stadium as they did on their travels. And the game between the sides at One Call in 2020-21 was the first Stags one after the departure of Graham Coughlan and the subsequent appointment of Nigel Clough. The game on October 31, 2000 ended in a 1-1 draw.

And not since early on in the first post-WW II League season, a game between the Stags and Walsall at different Walsall grounds have finished goal-less. But the Stags have scored in every away fixture so far this campaign.

During the 2006-07 season, there were quite a few Sweden connections in Black Country. Their boss then, Richard Money, had managed Västerås SK at Swedish Superettan=UK Championship level. And in eleven games, among them the Stags 2-1 home victory in January 2007, a Swedish player starred for the Saddlers. And that is the Swedish Superettan (equivalent to UK Championship) topscorer of all time since that league was inaugurated in 2000, namely Pär Cederquist with 140 goals at that level, most of those for IFK Värnamo. But Cederquist failed to score in eleven Walsall games. In the 2020-21 corresponding fixture at Walsall, Darrell Clarke, a former Stags player, was Walsall boss. But he left for Port Vale a few days later to take up the then vacant Port Vale managerial position following the sacking of John Askey after the Valiants had been routed 4-0 at One Call one month before that season’s trip to Walsall, which was postponed due to weather conditions on the original date. Other famous Walsall bosses include Paul Merson, Kenny Hibbitt and Dave Mackay.

Played for both sides: Colin Askey, Terry Austin, Andrew Barrowman, James Baxendale, Lee Beevers, Malvind Benning, Eric Betts, Mark Blake, Michael Cain, Steve Cherry, Trevor Christie, Andy Cook, Tom Curtis, Gary Ford, Matt Gadsby, David Grof, Bryn Gunn, Ashley Hemmings, Joe Hill, Kevan Hurst, Robert Hutchinson, Danny Johnson, David Kelly, Otis Khan, Brian Kilcline, Cyrille L'Helgoualch, Tony Lowery, Vincent McBride, Paul McLoughlin, Rollin Menayesse, Harry Middleton, Frederick Morris, Stuart Naylor, Dean Peer, Steve Peplow, David Prentice, Matt Preston, Stuart Ryder, Ryan Stirk, Dave Syrett, Wayne Thomas, Adrian Thorpe, Gus Uhlenbeek, Stuart Watkiss, Craig Westcarr, Hayden White.

Home stats: P 30, W 15, D 7, L 8, GF 51, GA 39
Away stats: P 30, W 6, D 7, L 17, GF 26, GA 55

Season Home Date Away Date

1932-33 2-0 1933-04-08 1-8 1933-01-19 Div 3 (N)
1933-34 1-2 1933-12-25 0-0 1933-12-26 Div 3 (N)
1934-35 4-2 1935-01-19 2-2 1934-09-08 Div 3 (N)
1935-36 2-2 1936-02-28 0-7 1935-10-05 Div 3 (N)
1937-38 3-1 1937-09-03 0-2 1938-05-02 Div 3 (S)
1938-39 0-0 1938-09-17 0-0 1939-02-02 Div 3 (S)
1946-47 1-1 1946-09-18 0-0 1946-09-09 Div 3 (S)
1963-64 2-1 1963-09-07 1-3 1964-11-01 Div 3 (old)
1964-65 2-0 1964-12-28 1-2 1964-12-26 Div 3 (old)
1965-66 0-3 1966-01-15 1-2 1965-10-23 Div 3 (old)
1966-67 4-1 1966-12-17 2-1 1966-08-20 Div 3 (old)
1967-68 0-3 1968-05-04 1-2 1968-04-23 Div 3 (old)
1968-69 2-1 1969-04-25 1-3 1969-04-01 Div 3 (old)
1969-70 0-0 1969-08-23 0-1 1969-12-26 Div 3 (old)
1970-71 2-2 1970-10-14 1-0 1971-03-09 Div 3 (old)
1971-72 1-1 1972-04-01 1-2 1971-12-27 Div 3 (old)
1975-76 4-1 1975-09-27 1-0 1976-04-06 Div 3 (old)
1976-77 3-0 1977-02-28 2-1 1977-04-19 Div 3 (old)
1978-79 1-3 1978-10-14 1-1 1979-02-24 Div 3 (old)
1986-87 2-0 1987-05-02 0-2 1986-11-29 Div 3 (old)
1987-88 1-3 1988-04-05 1-2 1987-11-28 Div 3 (old)
1989-90 0-2 1989-10-14 0-1 1990-03-20 Div 3 (old)
1991-92 3-1 1991-11-30 3-3 1992-02-11 Div 4 (old)
1993-94 1-2 1993-11-27 2-0 1994-05-07 Div 3
1994-95 1-3 1994-11-26 0-1 1995-02-04 Div 3
2006-07 2-1 2007-01-20 0-4 2006-09-30 League Two
2019-20 not played 2-1 2019-10-26 League Two
2020-21 1-1 2020-10-31 1-1 2021-02-09 League Two
2021-22 2-0 2022-01-15 1-3 2021-09-11 League Two
2022-23 2-1 2022-10-15 1-2 2023-01-01 League Two
2023-24 2-1 2023-10-28 (at One Call) League Two

FA Cup

1926-27 0-2 1926-12-11 2nd round at Fellows Park, Walsall
1932-33 1-4 1932-11-26 1st round at Fellows Park, Walsall
1949-50 4-1 1949-11-26 1st round at Field Mill

League Cup

1986-87 0-1 1986-08-26 at Fellows Park, Walsall
1986-87 2-4 1986-09-02 at Field Mill
(Walsall through 5-2 on aggregate)

Expect a good game on Saturday. Come on Mansfield!