Following two away wins, Walsall return to Bescot to face the challenge of one of the better footballing teams in the Division, and one which secured promotion last Saturday. Hull City will now be hunting the title, however, while the players will be determined to prove their worth for Championship football!

Hull manager Peter Taylor has one or two selection dilemmas on his hands for the trip to Walsall, with both Ryan France and Jason Price unavailable due to injury and, as they are the two players who have been sharing the right side of midfield slot, that will mean an enforced change, something Taylor wanted to avoid.

“I’m not looking to change too many things,” Taylor told their official site. “I’m looking to get maximum points from our three remaining games and will only experiment if there’s nothing to play for.”

The main dangers in the Hull team are top scoring left winger Stuart Elliott (29 goals in all competitions this season!), Nicky Barmby, one of the few players to have scored for five different Premier League sides, and the recently acquired former Birmingham City trainee Craig Fagan, whose performance against the Saddlers at Colchester will raise unhappy memories, as will the thought of Barmby’s seven second goal at the KC Stadium! They have plenty of other goalscoring options available too.

The key area may well turn out to be the right side of the Walsall defence, where Craig Pead is yet to totally convince and the prospect of marking Elliott will be a daunting one for him and Mark Wright/Darren Wrack, depending on who is covering that side at any one time.

As for the Saddlers, it’s beginning to look as if it’ll be no change again after two consecutive away wins. Merson is talking in terms of even the bench remaining exactly the same, but therein lies a worry, as the last time (Bristol City) he had success with the 4 5 1 away from home, he refused to change the system for the Franchise game and we ended up with a very sterile contest. The 4 5 1 can be an attacking formation, but so much depends on the two “attacking” central midfielders (Surman and Standing) joining and getting beyond the striker. If he does go down that route, he needs the personnel on the bench to change things if it’s not working and that should, really, include himself at home, something which he has said he is unlikely to do.

Walsall come into the game on an unbeaten run of 3 matches, after the away wins at Swindon and Peterborough, but, unfortunately, that tends to hide the fact we have failed to win in our previous 6 home matches! Hull’s away record is:

Played 21, W 10, D 3, L 8, Points 33,

with 37 goals scored and 31 conceded, so it’s not the best for a team challenging for the title, being only the fourth best in the league. 8 defeats is level with Bournemouth as the second worst in the top ten. It’s their home record which is frightening, where they have the best record in League One, as well as being the Division’s top scorers.

Predictions? Despite Hull’s away record seeming to be “win or bust”, I tend to suspect this has score draw written all over it. 1 – 1.

Walsall Player Manager Paul Merson has been heaping praise on the recent performances of central midfielder Simon Osborn and says that he would like to resign him when his current contract ends in the summer.

“Ossie is an organiser,” Merson told the official site. “There are a lot of young players around him and he is always helping them and telling them where to go and what to do.
He has good composure on the ball and if he plays well then invariably so does the team. His form has been impressive in recent weeks and his presence is important both on the field and off it.
“I will be sitting down with him as soon as our safety is confirmed to talk about how I see things next season. He has a lot to offer both on the playing and coaching side in helping to develop the high number of younger players that will form part of our squad next season.”

Also on the playing front, Merson says he wants to start talks with Julian Joachim as soon as safety is assured about a permanent move, and with Surman, Gerrard and their clubs about (presumably) loans for next season, as he says the signings will show where the club is going.

In the background, Merson also said that he wanted to look at getting Eric McManus’s position sorted in a more permanent role with the youth team, in order to give Mick Halsall more time to work with the first team. This contrasts with what Halsall himself said at the “Meet the Manager” evening, when he said he was eager to get back to working with the youth set up.

The latest reports from South Africa suggest that the Toni Nhelko deal is a “dead duck” and, despite the last official news being that he was still expected in the summer, it has been since January.

South African International Toni Nhleko’s transfer to the Saddlers was originally held up because of work permit problems and, once they were sorted out, by his mother’s illness. The last word from the club was that he had signed a short term contract with his original club, Jomo Cosmos, until the end of the season, and would then be joining Walsall.

According to South African football web site, Kick Off, however, Nhleko never had any intention of joining Walsall once the work permit problems stopped him coming in January, although his contract with Cosmos is only short term.

The site says Nhelko was not entitled to a work permit under the International rules, as he had not played enough games. The player is quoted as saying, “There was no option for me but to terminate the contract with Walsall. I’m just going to play here and help my teammates win games,”

Kick Off goes on to say the 28-year old might yet be on another overseas move at the start of the next season, but could not give details. “There is a possible overseas move for me but at the moment I can’t mention any names.”

Walsall’s best performance of the season came 42 games in - but at a very welcome time - as London Road Peterborough saw wave after wave of Saddlers attacks, and their most convincing away performance for 2 years resulting in a 2-0 win.

Few can deny that this season Walsall fans have had their patience tested, and their loyalty questioned, as we swapped survival in England’s second tier for a desperate attempt to avoid dropping to the equivalent of the 4th. Made all the more galling by seeing long ball Luton secure promotion at a canter.

But now, with Walsall a mathematical point away from safety - barring a miracle we can savour same division football next season. But will the Walsall board confound expectation and dust off that contract waiting for Merson’s signature? Or will, as widely speculated, they shake hands with Merson in early May, bid him adieu, and laud the arrival of a new man on half the wages, proclaimed by their official website with typical fanfare in the close season. The time has come. Walsall board - either offer him a contract this week, or end the speculation. No doubt the timing of any announcement will coincide with instructions for us all to text-2-win or subscribe to a knock-down-World price before the chance escapes us. Time will tell.

Well, it’s Bye Bye Mr Barry Fry, as Don MacLean might have had it, as one of football’s more colourful characters makes his final appearance against the Saddlers on Saturday. Yes, Posh’s season is so bad that Barry Fry the Chairman has been forced to sack Barry Fry the Manager and he will stand down at the end of the season. I, for one, won’t miss him!

Walsall should be full of confidence for the game, following last week’s excellent win at Swindon and are likely to play the same side. Indeed, the only change is likely to be on the bench, with Merson himself replacing the suspended Mark Kinsella. There have been hints that Taiwo Atieno’s scoring performance for the reserves in the week might see him return, but the lone striker formation means that he would only do so on the bench ahead of Fryatt or Leitao and that doesn’t look likely. Emblen is facing a fitness test on his groin strain to see if he is in with a chance of making the bench, as his time with the club draw to an end, with him departing for New Zealand in the close season.

One man who will be looking forward to the game will be the Peterborough born Julian Joachim, whose run of form since he arrived on loan has contributed to the Saddlers pulling clear of the bottom four. It’s just a pity his stay will only be a short one, as Paul Merson made it clear this week that there is no way we could afford to make his move permanent.

It’s been a strange time all round for the Posh, as Fry has struggled to hold the team and the club together, with such incidents as former Saddler Clive Platt’s alleged assault on Tony Butler of Bristol City and his subsequent departure not helping matters much, and, equally, neither has the illness of player coach Andy Legg, who has a tumour in his neck and will be out for some time. After what seemed to be a reasonable start with them hovering above the relegation zone, they have slowly but surely sunk into the relegation zone and what seems like an inevitable descent into the basement division.

They have also now lost wing back Adam Newton for the rest of the season, but, having said all of that, they have had some decent away results recently, with draws at Hartlepool and Brentford and a win at Blackpool, but they are balanced by them having lost their last two home games, against Colchester and Huddersfield. They have, as ever, managed to turn up one or two decent youngsters who have performed reasonably well for them.

So, what about a prediction, then? Posh’s home record is:-

Pl 21, W 5, D 6, L 10, Points 21.

That’s second only to Stockport in the “worst record in Division 1” stakes. Their goal difference, though, is only minus 3, so you shouldn’t expect loads of goals. For me, this game has “score draw” written all over it.

Mark Kinsella has decided not to appeal against his ban, as he originally intended – a sure sign that the club thinks the season is over and the danger of relegation passed.

Kinsella was set to appeal against the ban imposed for him being sent off from the dugout when managing the reserves at Tranmere earlier this year. His appeal would almost certainly have been held during the Summer and, if it had failed, he would have been suspended for the start of the season.

He has now withdrawn his appeal, a sign that the club now thinks the next few games are “dead” and that we are safe for this season.

Kinsella will not, therefore, be available for the away game at Peterborough this weekend.

Walsall Player manager Paul Merson has said that the decision to drop himself for Saturday’s vital win at Swindon had been made days before, as he gave an insight into the thoughts of the bench during the game.

“I didn’t play well last week and I decided what the team would be not long after I came off the pitch last week,” he said.

He went on to say that he had no complaints about the penalty which gave Swindon their equaliser.

“We scored just before half-time and had a few chances, and they got the penalty and all of a sudden we were thinking about hanging on for a draw.”

“The ball did hit somebody’s arm. I think it was Craig Pead, but he was only about a yard away from it and the shot was hit hard, straight at him. I would want a penalty if that happened to me, and I would get the hump if I didn’t get it”.

He also lavished praise on the performance of Captain Simon Osborn.

“I thought Osborn was outstanding,” he said. “I don’t like singling people out but he was brilliant in the first half and he did so well that Swindon had to change the way they were playing to put Sammy Igoe on him”.

Amidst all of the negative publicity following the revelations about him staring drinking again, Paul Merson decided to revert to the 4 5 1 away formation at the County Ground this afternoon, for the first time since the victory at Bristol City and the narrow defeat at Luton, in an attempt to gain the points needed to make the Saddlers safe from relegation fears.

Merson dropped himself, Leitao and the injured Emblen and went for a much more solid look, with a midfield of Wrack, Osborn, Standing, Surman and Wright and Joachim as the lone striker. Wrack and Wright continually swopped wings during the first half.

The move was rewarded with what was only the Saddlers third away win of the season (and first double), with a first half goal from Joachim (set up by Wright) and another in second half injury time from Mark Wright (set up by Joachim), sandwiching a Sam Parkin penalty.

The Saddlers put up a battling and efficient performance, but were still thankful for a first half goal-line clearance from Pead and Swindon hitting the woodwork twice. Walsall themselves, however, had two decent chances missed by Leitao, who had come on for Standing, when the team reverted to a 4 4 2, and Wright, just before he got the winner.

General opinion on the message board from those who went (and Merson) was that Simon Osborn was the Man of the Match.

For what seems the umpteenth time this season, Walsall go into a crucial game with the Manager saying he’s confident we will do well, despite our appalling away record. Whether that is the case or not, it would seem that Merson’s future is yet again hanging in the balance.

So what do Swindon look like? Well, their leading scorer this season is the dangerous Sam Parkin, with 22 goals, but Parkin has himself said that when he doesn’t score the team doesn’t seem to. Until this week, they were still in with an outside chance of the play-offs, but that seems to be out of the question following their 3 – 0 defeat at Hartlepool last time out.

Manager Andy King has no injury worries at all, with the return of defender Steve Jenkins, who was missing last week with illness, although one question to ponder is the possible effects of Assistant Manager Mick Harford leaving to take over the top job at Rotherham earlier this week.

As for the Saddlers, the defence looks a little thin on the ground, as Neil Emblen is doubtful with a groin strain and will face a late fitness test and Julian Bennett is, of course, out for the rest of the season. If Emblen doesn’t make it, the defence, presumably, picks itself, with Wright or Pead, Gerrard, Roper and Perpetuini.

Mark Kinsella will probably be on the bench after his two month lay off with ankle ligament damage, as the 90 minutes he played for the reserves in the week won’t have got him match fit. Merson himself is still suffering from the bruised ankle that needed pain-killing injections to allow him to turn out against Torquay United last weekend and that may restrict his appearance. The shape of the midfield is anyone’s guess, however, with Wright, Wrack, Osborn, Standing, Kris Taylor and Surman all vying for a place and even Joe “Two More Years” Broad coming into contention.

Matt Fryatt will be hoping to start up front, following his goal from off the bench last week, but, if the “away” 4 5 1 formation returns, he will probably be a sub, as Merson has already said Joachim will play as it “suits his style” away from home.

So, what about a prediction? Swindon’s home record is better than our own, being:

P 19, W 11, D 3, L 5, Points 36.

Walsall have, of course, the worst away record in the Division and one of the worst in the entire football league. We are low on confidence, short of defenders and unsure of our best tactics and formation. We leak bad goals and have stopped scoring them at the other end. We should get well and truly stuffed. Which means, of course, a fighting 1 – 0 to the Saddlers.

Paul Merson has appeared to conceed defeat with trying to talk Mick Halsall into taking over as first team coach.

He is quoted on the official site as saying that he as asked to see the Chairman about bringing in a coach and that he has someone in mind. There is no indication as to whether the Chairman is likely to agree or not to this request, nor is there to the question of how long the appointment might be for, given that the manager’s contract runs out in the Summer.

“Mick’s been a massive help but it is hard for him combining his first-team duties with his Head of Youth role,” Merson told the official website. I have someone in mind, but it is a matter of me discussing it with the chairman to see if it is possible.”

Merson is clearly quoted in the Express and Star as saying that this is a short term measure until the end of the season.

Merson said: “I’ve got somebody in mind who I would like to bring in for the final five games of the season. I think this person could help us and it wouldn’t be a case of replacing Mick. He would work alongside Mick and myself until the end of the season and then we could look at things again in the summer.”

The newspaper also said he was hoping to have the person in before Saturday’s trip to Swindon.

Merson has been managing without a full time coach since the departure of Frank Barlow to Forest in January.