The Purple Stand, newest development at Bescot Stadium. Although now the Floors-2-Go Stand even the Walsall OS still calls it the Purple Stand. Photo © 2005 Ciderspace

The Saddlers actually dropped out of the fledgling Football League with fairly monotonous regularity during their early years, always being re-elected immediately afterwards, until 1901 that is, when their fellow league clubs tired of their feckless ways. Walsall were left out in the cold until 1921, when they joined the newly-formed Division 3 North or was it South?. Actually it didn't matter, for the next 37 years they were put in either the North or South divisions depending on which other clubs were also promoted/relegated from those divisions. The procession of mediocrity followed until 1958 when Walsall finally left the Third Division - to join the newly formed 4th division, naturally.

This was a prelude to the Saddlers finest hour however, to date the only major trophy the club has ever won - the Fourth Division Championship trophy in 1960. Don't sneer Glovers fans - we're very proud to have just won the modern-day equivalent, the League Two Championship, to put the achievement in perspective. The Walsall team put together at the time was obviously a formidable one as they went on to gain back-to back promotions, finishing runners-up the following in season in Division Three and then gaining what to date is still the best ever league position for the club, finishing 14th in the then Division Two (today's Championship).

It didn't last of course, and a couple of years later the Saddlers were back in Division Three (League One as we now know it) where they've stayed for the greater part of their history, brief flirtations with the other divisions excepted. They moved into the new Bescot Stadium in 1990 - look quickly and you might think you're at Huish Park, apart from the all-seated and covered away end and the new and impressive Purple Stand. Look longer and you'll notice lots of pillars. Don't get stuck behind one. The overall red colour isn't very Huish Park-like either, come to think of it. Their very recent history has included a couple of seasons back in the Championship, but they never finished better than 18th before coming back down to League One.

The H.L. Fellows Stand. Rather unimpressive as a main stand. The Bonser Suite conference centre and clubhouse, built in 1998, which can hold 500 and is far more impressive, is attached. Photo © 2005 Ciderspace

There aren't too many Glover/Saddler links that we're aware of (leather industries apart). In fact in recent times the only players that we can think of are Howard Pritchard, Paul Sanderson, Steve Winter, currently playing at Tiverton, Andy Bishop, who we took on loan from the Saddlers for a month the season before last, Joe Broad who we had on a short loan from Plymouth Argle, and of course Dani Rodrigues, now at AFC Bournemouth, who had brief spells with both outfits.

There have been four previous meetings in the F.A. Cup. As a Non-league side the Glovers had a good record. In 1936-37 Yeovil & Petters United secured a 1-1 at The Saddlers then home of Fellows Park in Round Two before losing 0-1 in the replay at Huish. The next meeting, in 1960-61, saw Yeovil Town win away in Round One, Dave Taylor getting the solitary goal. By the time the clubs met again in 1991-92, also in Round One, Walsall had moved to the Bescot, and it was there, after a 1-1 at Yeovil's new home, Huish Park, that The Glovers knocked out the League side 0-1 with a winning header from Richard Cooper. In the first ever meeting between the clubs on equal terms in football's hierarchy on 10th September 2005 Yeovil Town emerged with a 2-1 victory. The meeting at the start of December 2005 in the F.A. Cup is probably best forgotten about.

The Banks's Brewery Stand. A stand named after them. They sponsor the shirts. And their beer isn't available in the clubhouse. Weird. Photo © 2005 Ciderspace

The Glovers and Walsall parted company at the end of the 2005-06 season, with Yeovil putting one of the nails in the Saddlers coffin in the form of a 2-0 win at the Bescot Stadium, in one of the oddest atmospheres we've ever experienced. Walsall fans abused their players throughout, including their brand new manager, the man announcing the man of the match over the tannoy and pretty much anyone representing their own side. That sort of spleen-venting is now long-gone - the arrival of Richard Money as manager stabilised their club and within a season they'd pushed themselves back up to League One and so after the briefest of absences here they are again. And doing rather well with it - after a slow start that implied they might end up being a bit of a yo-yo club by returning to League Two, a significant unbeaten run saw them soar up the table and into one of the play-off slots. League One is that kind of a division. They'll do well to stay there, surrounded by a whole load of big hitters, but will be tough opposition for the Glovers to deal with, having already beaten us 2-0 at Huish Park just a month ago.

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RECENT RESULTS

05/04/2008	Tranmere Rovers	Home	CCL1	W	2-1	5745		N'Dour 45, Demontagnac 59
12/04/2008	Cheltenham Town	Away	CCL1	W	2-1	4861		Mooney 27, Gerrard 28
15/04/2008	Bristol Rovers	Home	CCL1	L	0-1	5200
19/04/2008	AFC Bournemouth	Home	CCL1	L	1-3	4530		Betsy 33
19/04/2008	AFC Bournemouth	Home	CCL1	L	1-3	4530		Pitman 63
26/04/2008	Huddersfield Town	Away	CCL1	L	0-2	9969
03/05/2008	Hartlepool United	Home	CCL1	D	2-2	5021		Dobson 9, Mooney 15

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES

CLUB GOALSCORERS

Name	LGE	FAC	FAT	LGC	CC	Total
Tommy Mooney	11	0	0	0	0	11
Edrissa Sonko	5	0	0	0	0	5
Michael Ricketts	3	1	0	0	0	4
Ishmel Demontagnac	3	1	0	0	0	4
Lee Holmes	3	0	0	0	0	3
Scott Dann	3	0	0	0	0	3
Mark Bradley	3	0	0	0	0	3
Anthony Gerrard	3	0	0	0	0	3
Daniel Fox	3	0	0	0	0	3
Kevin Betsy	2	0	0	0	0	2
Alex Nicholls	2	0	0	0	0	2
Michael Dobson	1	0	0	0	0	1
Martin Butler	1	0	0	0	0	1
Darren Wrack	1	0	0	0	0	1
Paul Hall	1	0	0	0	0	1
Troy Deeney	1	0	0	0	0	1
Stefan Moore	1	0	0	0	0	1
Ian Roper	1	0	0	0	0	1
Alassane N'Dour	1	0	0	0	0	1
Brett Pitman	1	0	0	0	0	1
Own Goals	2	0	0	0	0	2

ATTENDANCE STATISTICS

Highest League Attendance: 10102, vs Leeds United, 15/12/2007
Lowest League Attendance: 4309, vs Brighton and Hove Albion, 11/03/2008
Average League Attendance: 5620

CURRENT LEAGUE SEQUENCE STATISTICS

Games Without A Win:	4		Games Without A Home Win:	3
Games Without An Away Win:	1		Games Without Defeat:	1
Games Without A Home Defeat:	1		Games Without An Away Defeat:	0
Games Without A Draw:	0		Games Without A Score Draw:	0
Games Without A No-Score Draw:	17		Games Without Scoring:	0
Games Without Conceding:	0		Home Results Sequence:	LDWLLD
Away Results Sequence:	WDLLWL		Overall Results Sequence:	WWLLLD

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The away end, your home for the afternoon. Officially The Healthland Stand, but with the usual fans dislike of ever-changing sponsorship names more commonly referred to as the William Sharpe Stand. Photo © 2005 Ciderspace

It's possible to get to Bescot Station via both Yeovil Junction or Pen Mill Station in time for a 3 o'clock kick off and back again on a Saturday, though you'll have to change trains several times at either Bristol Temple Meads or Basingstoke and Reading, depending on where you leave from/want to get back to - see www.nationalrail.co.uk for more details.

By Bus

Nos. 401 and 405 run every 15 minutes from Walsall town centre to Bescot Crescent. Alternatively, No. 404 runs every 8 minutes from the town centre and stops on the nearby West Bromwich Avenue.

By Taxi

A selection of Walsall taxi companies can be found here. The stadium is a couple of miles from the town centre. Expect to pay about £3.00 to £4.00 for that journey.

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The brewery in Walsall is Highgate. It produces Special Bitter, Davenports Bitter, Saddlers Best Bitter, Dark Mild and the seasonal (winter) Old Ale.

Half the Yeovil support seemed to end up in the McDonalds on the trading estate the Bescot is part of, not out of choice but because there is sod all else in the vicinity.

Club Bar :

The Saddlers Club generally allows away fans admission before and after games, with an entrance charge of £1.00. It's a good club house dating from 1998, part of the very impressive Bonser Suite facilities, with a wide range of keg, though oddly no Banks's beers given they are the team sponsors. However with so few alternatives near the stadium it soon fills up, at which point they stop new entrants, so as we warned ahead of the F.A. Cup tie get there early pre-match. Early arrivals in December got in, later arrivals didn't. On that occasion it wasn't accepting away fans after the game because there was a function scheduled in the largest section of the suite - well only very special away fans, like our party of five who managed to wheedle our way in :-)!

A major asset, and income earner, at Bescot - the clubhouse. Photo © 2005 Ciderspace

Local Pubs :

Home of one of the great beers. © Beacon Hotel: Included more for information than as a realistic option, with Walsall the closest we're likely to get in the near future. Sedgley is seven miles away from Walsall but the Beacon Hotel is one of the great pubs in the country, both for its Victorian authenticity and, more importantly, because it is the brewery tap for some of the best beers you'll ever drink. The brewery started in 1860 but was bought by Sarah Hughes in 1921. It was she who began brewing Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby, a 6% beer which whilst technically an ale has many characteristics of a very strong mild. Whatever it is it's wonderful. After Sarah shuffled off this mortal coil the brewery was defunct for nearly forty years until her grandson John Hughes resurrected her genious and stable of beers in the late Eighties. The Beacon is the only tied pub and stocks the full range : Dark Ruby, Pale Amber, Sedgley Surprise and the seasonal (winter) Snow Flake at a scary 8%. Two guests are also carried, though why anyone one would drink them, whatever they are.........? The pub has four rooms, each served through hatchways from a tiny central bar, one of which is the family room and allows children. Has its own parking. Opening 12.00 noon - 2.30 p.m. weekdays (3.00 p.m. Saturdays), 5.30 p.m. (6.00 p.m. Saturdays) - 10.45 p.m. weekdays (11.00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 7.00 p.m. - 10.30 p.m. Sundays. Beacon Hotel, 129, Bilston Street, Sedgley, West Midlands, DY3 1JE. Tel: 01902 883380. Map: Click Here.

On one of the routes in to the stadium. © Bell Inn: If you are coming in off Junction 7 of the M6 on the A34 you'll go past this pub; in fact it's on the corner where you turn into Walstead Road. The stadium is just over two miles further on. Banks's outlet, Cask Marque accredited, which is worth something though not necessarily a lot. Opening 11.00 a.m. - 11.00 p.m. Bell Inn, 450, Birmingham Road, Great Barr, Walsall, West Midlands, WS5 3JP. Tel: 0121 3577461. Map: Click Here.

King George V: I can't speak lowly enough of this pub. As the closest to the ground, just off the junction of Wallows Lane and Bescot Road, the very limited number of home fans - like virtually none - in there should have been a warning. There was the odd miserable, surly, rude local who clearly didn't like football fans full stop, let alone away scum. Whatever supposed real ale it had was off. But given they couldn't even keep keg decently that was probably a relief. The soft drinks on tap were undrinkable. The few locals got glasses, but anyone who looked like a dangerous football fan - families with children, people in wheelchairs, that sort of thing - unceremoniously had a flimsy plastic cup dumped in front of them. The whole experience was thoroughly unpleasant and we walked out after one drink never, ever, to return. King George V, Wallows Lane, Walsall, West Midlands, WS2 9BZ. Tel: 01922 626130. Map: Click Here.

The Tiger Inn: Mile and a half from the stadium eastwards along the Walstead Road. More a home for West Brom supporters than Walsall ones. The Tiger Inn, Walstead Road, Walsall, West Midlands, WS5 4DP. Tel: 01922 724828. Map: Click Here.

White Lion: Closest outlet specialising in real ale to the ground we can find, and that's at a somewhat inconvenient 1.4 miles. Large back street local with a L-shaped bar, lounge and pool room with two tables. Drinkers pub, no food, with Adnams Bitter, Ansells Mild, Fuller's London Pride, Marston's Pedigree, Tetley's and a rotating guest. Opening is 12.00 noon - 11.00 p.m. (10.30 p.m. on Sundays). White Lion, 150, Sandwell Street, Walsall, West Midlands, WS1 3EQ. Tel: 01922 628542. Map: Click Here.

Likelihood the Natives Will Understand You :

Half the world and his brother lives in and around Birmingham, they should have no problem with our rustic burr. Whether we'll understand them is something else entirely.

Top-Tip :

Avoid the King George V - have we mentioned what a bl**dy awful pub it is?

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