Walsall vs Southend United
Blues will travel to the Midlands tomorrow to face Walsall at the Banks’s Stadium looking to not only build upon last weekend’s win over Bury but to improve on their poor recent away form.
Southend have only managed the one win on the road this campaign – a 4-2 win against Fleetwood – and to make it two wins from eight they’ll need to win away at Walsall for the first time in 10 years.
Walsall go into this weekend’s clash off the back of a superb 3-0 away victory against Doncaster last time out but they’ve found it difficult to record wins on home soil so far this season.
But, just like Southend, they have managed to stay unbeaten in the league at home, recording two wins and five draws from their seven league games so far at the Banks’s Stadium.
Walsall: WDDDDL
Southend United: WDLLWW
18th March 2017: Southend United (Ranger, Ferdinand, Cox) 3 vs 2 (Moussa 2) Walsall
26th November 2016: Walsall 0 vs 0 Southend United
16th April 2016: Walsall (Hiwula-Mayifuila) 1 vs 0 Southend United
Phil Brown has no fresh injury concerns ahead of the trip to Walsall with Nile Ranger looking to have shaken off a knock he picked up in Blues’ Essex Cup defeat in midweek.
Michael Turner looks like he may finally make a first appearance for Blues as he’s expected to travel to the Midlands with the team who’ll be without Jermaine McGlashan who remains suspended.
Full-back Ben Coker remains sidelined long-term, although he’s recovering a lot quicker from a broken leg than first anticipated with goalkeeper Ted Smith also nearing a return.
Phil Brown, Southend United Manager;
“We’ve now played 15 games; won five, lost five and drawn five, which sounds like it’s an average team.
“But as far as I’m concerned that’s without the players we brought in during the transfer window to try and improve on last year’s campaign.
“A lot of the team’s that we’ve played so far have been able to boast or put out their best team, but we haven’t.
“Walsall is always a difficult place to go to. It’s a very tight ground, a very vociferous crowd and we’ve been there on a couple of occasions where we haven’t had the rub of the green."
Jon Whitney, Walsall Manager;
“They’re a team who are expecting to be around the play-offs – Phil Brown has come out in the papers and said that this week,” he said.
“They’re similar to us – unbeaten at home, indifferent away. They got a good 1-0 win against Bury, with a late goal from Ryan Leonard.
“He’s got strength in depth. They’ve got experience with Anton Ferdinand at the back, Phil’s raving about Leonard in midfield.
“They’ve got pace in the wide areas and an abundance of talent up top with Nile Ranger, Marc Antoine Fortune, Simon Cox and Theo Robinson.
“He’s got a lot he can pick from and we’ve got to make sure we’ve got our shop in order.
“They’ll be a true test for us, like everybody has been, but we’ve got concentrate on ourselves.”
We have sold 230 tickets ahead of the trip to Banks's Stadium.
They are on sale on the day for a £2 increase than the advanced sale prices and it is cash only from the turnstiles.
Advanced ticket prices:
Adults - £20.50
Over 60’s - £15.50
Under 18’s - £15.50
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