Walsall vs. Tranmere Rovers match preview

Can the goals continue for Greenacre against Walsall?

A poor recent run of form has seen Walsall slip out of the play-off places and below Tranmere in the table, meaning a win for Rovers could all but end the Saddlers play-off dreams for this year.

However, having only been promoted from League Two last season, this season has been a huge success for Richard Money's side, and they will certainly be seen as contenders for promotion next season, if they don't make it this time round.

Walsall team profile:

Formed: 1887

Ground: The Bescott

Manager: Richard Money

Nickname: The Saddlers

Season Finish 2006/07: 1st (Coca-Cola League Two)

Previous Meetings:

There is very little to say about the last meeting between these two teams, as Tranmere and Walsall played out a drab 0-0 draw on a Friday night at Prenton Park In October.

John Achterberg started in this game due to the absence of Danny Coyne, whilst Walsall came to the Wirral and stuck ten men behind the ball as they went in search of a point, which they deservedly got due to some determined defending and desperately poor finishing from Tranmere.

Tranmere though did have chances, with Gareth Taylor having an effort cleared off the line in the opening twenty minutes whilst Zola also hit a 25-yard shot narrowly over the bar.

The absence of Davies was showing on the Tranmere team though, as with Carl Tremarco on the left-wing and a struggling Chris Shuker on the right, Rovers struggled to produce many chances from open play.

In the closing moments of the first half Sherriff and Taylor missed further chances for Tranmere whilst the top of the table side couldn't do any better in the second half either, with Tremarco heading the first chance over the bar.

Walsall came more in to the game and did threaten John Achterberg's goal, with Dann having a shot blocked before Shuker missed for Tranmere at the Kop end when it was surely easier to score from just a couple of yards away from goal.

Achterberg then made excellent saves from Mooney and Deeney whilst substitute Jones had Tranmere's best chance of the final twenty minutes but his 22-yard effort was deflected over the bar.

Vital Stats:

Tranmere have won just five times in 28 trips to Walsall, with the Saddlers picking up an impressive eighteen home wins

The last four games between these two sides have either ended 0-0 or 2-1

Tranmere have never lost at the Bescott Stadium since Walsall moved to their new home in 1999

Rovers have scored just 25 goals compared to Walsall's 52 in their 28 away trips to the Midlands

Only once before, in 28 previous seasons of league meetings, have both matches between Tranmere and Walsall ended all-square

On This Day:

2003: Tranmere draw 0-0 away to Luton in Division Two as they continue their surge for the play-offs under Ray Mathias

1999: John Aldridge's Tranmere draw 2-2 at home to Oxford United in Division One, showing just how far Oxford have fallen in recent years

1969: Oldham suffer an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Tranmere as the Mighty Whites hammer the Lancashire side 6-2 at Prenton Park in Division Three

Tranmere have played thirteen previous fixtures on April 5^th, picking up eight wins, four draws and just one defeat in those games. They have hit the back of the net 26^th times on April 5^th, but only conceded on twelve occasions.

The Form Book:

Walsall last 6 home games: DLLWDW
Tranmere last 6 away games: LDLDDW

It's fair to say that after their impressive run of nearly twenty games without defeat, a run that was ended by Millwall in January, Walsall have not set League One alight with their performances, and indeed have picked up just two wins in their last nine home games (in all competitions) - although there have been a high number of draws.

The Saddlers started their six match sequence on home soil with a 2-1 win against Gillingham thanks to goals from Mooney and Sonko before the play-off hopefuls drew 0-0 with promotion rivals Leyton Orient, another team who have slipped off the promotion radar somewhat in recent weeks, three days later.

A 2-0 win at the Bescott Stadium thanks to goals from Holmes and Betsy followed, but since, Walsall are without a win in their own back yard, having played a further three games.

Firstly, Richard Money's side lost 2-0 against Northampton who continue their strong charge for a play-off place before losing 2-1 against Brighton and Hove Albion three days later, this having lead the game through a 29^th minute Antony Gerrard goal.

Other notable results at the Bescott Stadium for Walsall this season include a 4-0 drubbing of Huddersfield Town, as well as wins over Nottingham Forest (1-0), Cheltenham Town (2-0) and Millwall (3-0).

So far this season, Walsall have played nineteen home league games, picking up 26 of an available 57 points thanks to six wins, eight draws and five defeats.

Impressive results on the road for the Saddlers include wins over Swindon Town (3-0), Millwall (2-1), Doncaster Rovers (3-2) and Oldham Athletic (2-0).

No win in their last five on the road is worrying for Tranmere Rovers,
especially as they continue in the hunt for a play-off place, but a number of draws have kept confidence high amongst the Tranmere squad ahead of this Saturday's match.

Tranmere started their six game sequence with a superb 2-0 win away at Leeds thanks to second half goals from Jennison Myrie-Williams and Ian Moore before picking up a handy point thanks to a 0-0 draw in a Tuesday night game away at Brighton.

An Antony Kay goal then gave Tranmere the lead which they eventually surrendered against Bristol Rovers in a 1-1 draw at the Memorial Ground before Ronnie Moore watched his side but in a poor performance on his return to Boundary Park as Rovers lost 3-1 to Oldham Athletic.

Three days later, Tranmere picked up a magnificent 1-1 draw away at Swansea City at Chris Greenacre scored an injury time equaliser for the Wirral side before in their most recent away game Tranmere put in a dismal half display that ultimately cost them as they lost 2-1 away to Bournemouth on Easter Monday.

Other important away results for Tranmere this season include wins over Carlisle United (1-0), Gillingham (2-0) and Southend United (2-1), as well as a 3-0 F.A. Cup second round victory away to Bradford.

Tranmere have played twenty away games so far this season, picking up 22 points from an available 60 in the process thanks to five wins, seven draws and eight defeats.

Notable home results for Tranmere include wins over Bournemouth (3-1), Carlisle United (2-0), Huddersfield (3-0) and Luton Town (2-1).

Double Hit:

Former Chesterfield midfielder Tom Curtis had loan spells at both of these clubs, Tranmere and Walsall from now Premiership side Portsmouth.

Starting his career with Derby County, Curtis failed to break into the first team at the Baseball Ground, and in 1993 he made the short trip to Chesterfield on a free transfer.

Curtis became a cult hero at Chesterfield as he went on to serve the club for seven years, and he played a huge part in the Chesterfield team that reached the F.A. Cup Semi-Finals in 1997.

In his seven year stint at Saltergate, Curtis played an impressive 291 games for Chesterfield, of which only seven appearances were as a substitute, whilst he also scored thirteen goals for the Spireites.

In 2000 Curtis joined Portsmouth for £50,000, signing for the South Coast side in time for the 2000/01 season. However, his spell at Portsmouth was not a happy one as he made just fifteen appearances in two years at the club.

It was whilst with Portsmouth that Curtis spent time on loan at Tranmere and Walsall. He was first at Walsall between September and November 2001, but made just four appearances for the club, and then in August 2002, Curtis joined Dave Watson's Tranmere on a two month loan spell, scoring a hilarious own goal as well as playing eleven games for the club.

In October 2002, Curtis joined Mansfield Town from Portsmouth on a free transfer and he stayed with the Stags for three years, playing over 100 games for the club before joining Chester and later Notts County, also on free-transfers, eventually retiring in January 2007.

One To Watch: Lee Holmes

21-year old midfielder Lee Holmes is currently on loan at the Bescott Stadium from Premier League outfit Derby County, where the youngster has risen through the junior ranks.

Making his debut in the 2002/03 season Boxing Day defeat to Grimsby Town (3-1) for Derby, Holmes has now made 52 appearances for the Rams, but he has failed to make himself a regular in the Derby side, and as a result has spent time away from Pride Park on loan spells at three different clubs.

Firstly, in the 2004/05 season, Holmes spent just over five months on loan at Swindon Town for whom he played sixteen times and scored once, before joining Bradford City in the 2006/07 season and played nineteen times for the Bantams in a four month loan spell.

In the January transfer window, Walsall became Holmes' third loan club, and he has become a favourite with the Walsall fans ever since, playing fifteen times and scoring four goals, showing that he is finally making goals a part of his game, as well as creating them!

A winger with plenty of pace, Holmes hugs the touch line and likes the get the ball into the box from out wide, something that has certainly been to the assistance of free-scoring striker Tommy Mooney.

Around League One:

With over 1,000 Tranmere fans set to make the trip to the Bescott Stadium this weekend, this is one massive game that Tranmere will definitely be looking to get something from to reward their travelling fans.

Rovers lie sixth in the League One table, five points ahead of Walsall in tenth place and just one point ahead of Leeds who lie seventh and have a game in hand over Rovers. A win for Tranmere though could move them up to fifth, and should Nottingham Forest lose their two games this week, at home to struggling Cheltenham on Saturday and at home to Bristol Rovers on Tuesday, then Rovers could overtake the former European Champions when the two teams meet on Saturday.

At the top end of the season, Swansea City will be looking for what they see as a certain three points as they take on Bournemouth at the Liberty Stadium. A win for the Swans and a defeat for Doncaster Rovers away to Huddersfield would mean that they have secured promotion to the Coca-Cola Championship for next season, that with five of their fixtures remaining.

Second placed Carlisle United are at home to an indifferent Yeovil Town who have struggled to maintain any kind of form this season, whilst Carlisle will be looking to pull six points clear of nearest challengers Doncaster Rovers who are third in the table.

Southend United, fifth and three points ahead of Tranmere in the table, are away to 20^th placed Crewe Alexandra, who could slip into the relegation zone this weekend should Gillingham win away to Millwall, whilst Southend have another game midweek as they take on eighth placed Brighton.

Another game between two teams in the play-off race sees stumbling Leyton Orient take on Leeds United at Brisbane Road, with Tranmere hoping that Orient can pick up at least a draw against Rovers' play-off rivals, whilst Brighton are at home to bottom club Port Vale.

Oldham Athletic, four points adrift of Tranmere in ninth place, are a team some still consider to be challengers for that final play-off place, and they are away to Swindon Town.

Team News:

A return to action for Steve Davies is only a few days away but this game has come too early for the left-winger as he continues his rehabilitation from cruciate knee ligament damage sustained in September, whilst Chris Shuker could miss out again having missed the last couple of games with a reaction to his knee problem. Otherwise, Ronnie Moore should have a fully fit squad available for selection.

Jones' Prediction: Walsall 1-1 Tranmere Rovers

This is going to be a tough game for both teams and I can see this game ending a very closely fought draw. Each side will be desperate not to lose, and we could see a lot of passion from both sets of players as they fight for every ball, perhaps resulting in a few yellow cards for both teams.

Ronnie Moore could well line up with a 4-5-1 formation for this game, bringing Adnan Ahmed or even Antony Kay into a three man central midfield, as Rovers look to flood the midfield and make it hard for Walsall to get anywhere near the Rovers goal, just the like the Saddlers did when they visited Prenton Park earlier in the season.

Walsall have a tall defence and for that reason, especially if Calvin Zola doesn't start, Rovers should be looking to pass the ball around the midfield and try and create openings in the Walsall backline instead of pumping it forward from defence for the strikers to win in the air. With Ian Moore in the side, Tranmere can play the ball into the channels and then expect the number nine to hold the ball up well, so both wingers should be seeing plenty of the ball to get crosses into the box on Saturday.