THE CHALKBOARD
IT has been a mixed start to the campaign for Walsall as they continue to recover from the blow of missing out on promotion last term.
Jon Whitney’s side came up one point short of securing an automatic spot before being humbled in the play-off semi-finals by Barnsley.
As a result of having one of the smallest budgets in the league, 10 players departed in the summer and Walsall, like Swindon, have gone down the route of relying on youth and the loan market.
They have the talent but so far have been inconsistent and have been caught out by naivety against more experienced sides.
An unbeaten run of four games, which includes three wins, shows that things might be starting to click for Whitney’s team.
Walsall manager Jon Whitney
LIKELY LINE-UP
A MAN IN FORM: Erhun Oztumer
SWINDON Town will have to be alert to the dangers of Walsall number 10 Erhun Oztumer tomorrow.
The 5ft 3in midfielder may be small but he is a tricky customer, who is composed on the ball, has a fine range of passes in his arsenal and is also not afraid to run with the ball at defences to make things happen going forward.
With Oztumer on the pitch, Town cannot afford to give away too many set-pieces away around their own penalty area as, more than likely, the 25-year-old will punish them.
Signed on a free from Peterborough United in the summer, the Turkish-born playmaker has already got five goals in his 11 league starts and will be looking to make the most of any space left between Town’s midfield and defence, or any loose balls and stray passes that come his way.
Erhun Oztumer
TREATMENT ROOM
WALSALL will be without influential striker Simeon Jackson this weekend as he continues to recover from a thigh injury, which has kept him out since the beginning of October.
Jackson, whose prolific spell at Gillingham early in his career earned him a big money move to Norwich, has already got five goals to his name this term, the 29-year-old having joined on a free from Blackburn Rovers in the summer.
Jackson was expected to return for last Tuesday’s game against former side Gillingham but he was not risked in the end and he has now been ruled out for Saturday’s trip to the County Ground.
With Amadou Bakayoko returning from suspension, having missed Tuesday night’s draw with the Gills, Jon Whitney has nearly all of his first-team regulars to pick from.
The other absentees are fringe players who would not have started this weekend in the form of Maz Kouhyar and Reece Flanagan, who are both long-term absentees with knee injuries.
Simeon Jackson
Oppo Form Guide
Tue, Oct 18
Skybet League 1
1-1 Draw v Gillingham (A)
Sat, Oct 15
Skybet League 1
3-2 win v Shrewsbury (H)
Tues, Oct 4
EFL Trophy
2-1 Win v Sheff Utd (A)
Sat, Oct 1
Skybet League 1
2-1 Win v Millwall (H)
Tue, Sep 27
Skybet League 1
4-1 Loss v Scunthopre (H)
TOP SCORERS
Erhun Oztumer 5, Simoen Jackson 5, Amadou Bakayoko 5.
DISCIPLINARY
Amadou Bakayoro 4Y 1R, Joe Edwards 2Y 1R, James O’Connor 3Y.
THE STAT:
Walsall have failed to win on their previous six visits to the County Ground, their last win coming in a 2-1 success in November 2008.
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