Well, it had to happen sooner or later, didn’t it – Dicky Dosh winning Manager of the Month? Let’s face it, he’d been extremely unlucky not to have picked up any of the previous three awards this season, so it could count as poetic justice that he finally picked it up for a month when there are three other managers with better records, taking cup games into account. Whatever, it’s now time to try and break the curse of the award and take another three points in our seemingly inexorable march towards promotion against Swindon tomorrow, in a first versus third clash.

It’s also going to be an emotional farewell for Mark Kinsella tomorrow, as he returns next week as Coach to the club where he made over 200 appearances, Charlton Athletic. Kinsella had come in for some criticism in his first season, when he suffered from a string of injuries, and last season, when Merson seemed to freeze him out of the playing side, but has proved his worth in the middle of the park this season, as he and Dobson have looked our most accomplished partnership. He will be missed, but we must be thankful to Charlton for giving permission for his swansong in the Swindon game.

Walsall should be able to welcome back skipper Dobson from injury, which will be a relief, given the patched up nature of the midfield at Bury on Tuesday. Craig Pead did, however, perform well in that game, so may well be pushing for a start. Tony Bedeau also will be hoping to have shrugged off his calf strain to take his place in the side, but Dean Keates looks like missing out.

Money’s difficult decision is likely to be whether to disturb the blossoming partnership between Dann and Roper in order to bring back Anthony Gerrard. I suspect it depends whether he thinks youngster Dann needs a rest yet or not. I would suspect us to line up:

Ince, Westwood, Dann or Gerrard, Roper, Taylor, M Wright, Kinsella, Dobson, Fox, T Wright, Butler

Bossu, Pead, Dann or Gerrard, Sam and Demontagnac look like making up the bench.

Swindon it is then, home of the Great Western railway and Mark Lamarr. Nevermind, one out of two ain’t too bad.

They have a couple of injury problems, as former Saddlers target, striker Lee Peacock, is doubtful with a shoulder injury and Royce Brownlie has a dead leg picked up against Mansfield.

Swindon go into this game in third place, a full ten points behind the Saddlers, following their somewhat turbulent season, losing Denis Wise and Gus Poyet and with Paul Sturrock taking over. Their away record is very similar to the Saddlers, being:-

Played 10, won 5, drawn 3, lost 2, for 12, against 9, points 18

(We have drawn one more and lost one less and we’ve scored one more goal).

That all suggests that this will be a very close game, but the odds are surely on DD’s men breaking the manager of the month hoodoo and Walsall stretching their lead even further.