2023-24 Prediction League; Game 23 v Walsall (home)

Div3North · 22-12-2023, 00:08

Accrington Stanley

V

Walsall

2023/24 Prediction League Game 23 v The Victoria Swifts (home)

So; by my count, seven for the draw at Crewe, but no-one for 3-3; however there were three who predicted three goals for Crewe, but none of them predicted a draw ……….. therefore, lots of four pointers to tighten up the grouping of the table, and three one-pointers, but still no TensFromLen (for some weeks now) …… So as a penance, your first Starter for Ten this week is: ……………. “Walsall” is just “Walsall” ………. not Walsall Town, City, Firebirds, Nutters …… just “Walsall” ……….. Very boring …… so how many other League Two sides weren’t christened with a middle name, apart from The Saddlers? (like Millwall in a different League) And for these purposes I don’t count “FC” or “AFC” ………. needs to be something - a name - you can shout as encouragement from the terraces, and you can’t shout “Up the AFC”, unless you want a short trip with two men in white coats ……….

And due to time pressures, the customary run-down of the Fleshpots of Walsall will have to wait until later in the season (for which you might be grateful!) ..... Not a pretty sight!

Walsall FC was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town and Walsall Swifts. Walsall Town had been founded in 1874 as Walsall Football Club and Walsall Swifts in 1875 as Victoria Swifts. Walsall Town Swifts' first match was a goalless Desmond against Aston Villa in the Birmingham Charity Cup final on 9 April 1888. A disagreement over the venue of the replay resulted in Villa being awarded the trophy.The “new” club moved to the Football Alliance before being invited to help found the Football League Second Division in 1892. They failed re-election in 1895, but were elected back into the Football League after one season. They failed re-election again in 1901 and this time spent two decades outside the Football League, primarily in the Birmingham & District League. Invited to help form the Football League Third Division North in 1921, they would remain in the third tier for the next 37 years before becoming founder members of the Fourth Division.

The club's nickname, "The Saddlers", reflects Walsall's status as a traditional centre for saddle manufacture - which those of you without a horse might not have known. Walsall moved into the Bescot Stadium in 1990, having previously played at nearby Fellows Park for almost a century, following a short spell at Follyhouse Lane. The team play in a red and white kit and their club crest features a swift.

Second Starter for Ten: both Walsall Swifts and Walsall Town had played at the same quaintly named ground, Walsall FC playing there from 1875 to 1893 …………….But what was that ground known as?

The early 1950s saw some of Walsall's most troubling and dismal times in the Football League, as the club faced seeking re-election four years in a row; they finished bottom of the league in 1951–52, 1952–53 and 1953–54 and improved to only second bottom in 1954–55. The club, however, managed to retain its Football League status through this period, largely thanks to the high attendances at Fellows Park demonstrating a healthy desire for League football in Walsall. In 1958, following a reorganisation of the Football League, Walsall became founder members of the Fourth Division — now holding the distinction of being founder members of the Second, Third and Fourth tiers. Under the management of Bill Moore, the club achieved successive promotions, scoring 102 goals on their way to winning the Fourth Division title in 1959–60 and finishing as Third Division runners-up in 1960–61. The league title in 1960 was the club's first in their 72-year history.

In the last 50 years or so they’ve been up and down the Leagues, with a best-ever finish of 6th in the Second Division in season 1898/99 …. Top goalscorers over the years included Kyle Lightbourne, Jorge Leitão, Troy Deeney, Jon Macken and Will Grigg, but - aside from Alan Buckley, maybe one of their best known players was Allen “Sniffer” Clarke, later of Leeds Utd ………. Well-known managers include Dave Mackay, Alan Ashman, Ray Graydon and Paul Merson ……. they won the Division Four crown in 1959/60 and League Two in 2006/07, they hit Round Five of the FA Cup six times in all…. Their biggest League win was 10-0 against Darwen in March 1899, and their biggest loss was 12-0 to Small Heath in 1892 ….. biggest cup success was 12-0 over Warmley (1QR in 1890) … most appearances - Jimmy Walker (534), most League appearances was Colin Harrison (473), and top goal scorer with 202 is Allan Buckley

They ended last season 16th in League Two with a record of P49 W12 D19 L15 GF43 GA46 and 55 points, above the Gills and Donnie on GD and with only two wins after January 1st … 13 players moved on (only three staying in the League, plus one who signed for Waterford, so he did) ………… they ProperSigned eight, including Priestley Farquharson (no, really), Wolves GK Jackson Smith, and LB Chris Hussey from Stockport, who recovered from The Great Unhappiness Against Aldershot by stuffing Sutton 8-0 ……….. This season they’re currently 15th (P21 W7 D6 L8 GF27 GA32 on 27 points) ……….. they’ve won their last two games, and have three wins on the road (Salford and Notts Co by 2-1 and Bratfud by 3-1) … they’re at Southampton in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup on 6th January (good luck with that!), out of the EFL Cup 4-3 at Blackburn, and plumb last in their Trophy Group

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday the anti-penultimate day before Chrissymas Day ………. I thought we were maybe a tad unlucky at Crewe (whose on-loan GK had a right ‘mare of a game) …. We lost to them twice in season 2006/07, and beat them twice in 2018/19, plus we knocked them out of the League Cup in August 2009, but no high-scoring games ………. all to play for, then ………… and by my reckoning the other League Two sides without a “title” (ie City, Rovers, Town etc) are Barrow, Wrexham, Morecambe and Gillingham (and well done to Morecambe on their 5-0 away demolition of The Team We Cannot Beat aka Doncaster) ………… and the ground where Walsall played between 1875 and 1893 delighted in the name “The Chuckery"

Good luck to everyone! …… Lots of Carols and Mince Pies and Face-stuffing Generally to look forward to in the next few days! … Keep the Faith! …. And thanks for playing!

And it's a Happy Christmas from Me, and a Happy New ... oh no, hang on, it's just me this year

So anyway, have, as we used to say, "A Cool Yule, and a Gear New Year"