MATCH FACTS
Walsall vs Crawley Town, Sky Bet League Two match nineteen
Banks’s Stadium, Walsall, WS1 4SA
Tuesday 7 December
19:45 kick-off
Pay-on-the-gate with CARD ONLY
Adult: £20
Over 60: £16
U21: £5
U18: £10
Carer: FREE
Car Parking available at the stadium for £5
THE OPPOSITION
Walsall have endured a steady start to the season, currently sitting in 14th position in League Two. The Saddlers have had an inconsistent run of results since matchday one in August, where they lost 1-0 away to Tranmere.
Tomorrow’s opponents shot up the table after a superb month of October, where they both won and drew three times in six league games. In their last outing, Matty Taylor’s men crashed out of the FA Cup after a 1-2 defeat to Swindon Town in the West Midlands. Their last league encounter was in late November when they lost narrowly away to struggling Carlisle United, 1-0.
ONES TO WATCH
George Miller - Forward
23-year-old Miller is spending the season on loan from Championship Barnsley. The striker has made an impressive start to life in League Two under Matt Taylor, scoring seven league goals in 14 games. Impressively, six of these goals came from three braces in games that Walsall avoided defeat. The first came at home to Mansfield in September in a 3-1 victory. Miller then shone with a brace in a 2-2 away draw at in-form Exeter in October.
The Barnsley loanee also scored twice against Barrow in late October, but has hit a drought recently, unable to score since then in nine competitive games. Miller has previously had spells at Bury, Middlesbrough, Wrexham, Bradford and Scunthorpe - where he spent the 2019/20 season on loan.
Joss Labadie - Midfielder
The 31-year-old joined the Saddlers from Newport County in the summer in a fairly surprising transfer, after five seasons in South Wales. Joss took on the role of captain at Walsall on arrival and already plays a pivotal role in the midfield, often being partnered by Jack Earing, who they also brought in over the summer.
The midfielder poses a physical threat, and also has an eye for a cutting pass forward. Despite often sitting deep, Labadie can also cause trouble going forward, and scored five league goals last season. The 31-year-old last faced the Reds in April of this year, when we lost 2-0 to his old club in Newport County.
HISTORY
In this league fixture last season, it was Ex-Red Mathew Sadler who scored the decisive goal in a 1-0 defeat. Crawley hit the woodwork through Tom Nichols and went close through Max Watters but couldn’t find the back of the net despite the chances created. Glenn Morris suffered an injury as Tom McGill replaced him shortly after the half-time break.
In March, Yems’ Reds earned a point at home against Walsall, as Tom Nichols’ dramatic 97th minute penalty cancelled out Emmanuel Osadebe’s opening spot-kick early in the second-half.
Reds also faced the Saddlers three times in the 2019/20 season, twice in league competition and once in the first round of the Carabao Cup. The cup game ended in a 2-3 victory as Filipe Morais, Tom Dallison and Ashley Nadesan all scored on the road. Just over a year later, The Saddlers travelled to West Sussex and got revenge, winning by the same scoreline after being 1-3 up at half-time, with goals from James Clarke, Elijah Adebayo and Wes McDonald.
Crawley again lost out in January of 2020 despite going ahead through Panutche Camara, as late goals from Josh Gordon and Wes McDonald sent the reds home with no points to show for a solid away showing.
Since 2012, the Reds have played Walsall on twelve occasions, losing four times but winning three. Both teams scored in seven of these games.
MATCH ODDS*
Walsall 19/20
Draw 23/10
Crawley 11/4
*Correct as of SkyBet at the time of writing. Please gamble responsibly.
