It’s into the final straight tomorrow. Four games to go, three points needed for automatic promotion and hot on the heels of the leaders, we get to play what passes for a local derby in this division. It’ll be memories of semi final play off victories and David Kelly’s outrageous back heel into the net from 25 yards out and, at the end, the possibility of a celebratory trip home. My God, but it’s good to be a Saddler again!

Walsall do have some injury worries for the game. Ian Roper and Scott Dann will be missing, of course, but there are other problems at the back. Geordie Lyall is still suffering form his ankle knock and is doubtful, while Richard Money is likely to give Allan Picken another reserve match to get fit, given the impressive debut by Mannie Smith last week. It is a delicate judgement, however, as marking the old, experienced and dangerous Jason Lee is a whole new ball game, compared to the somewhat lightweight Hereford strike force. When Lee made his debut, in the dim and distant mists of time, Mannie was probably just moving onto solids from baby milk. He’d have been less than six months old!

In midfield, Kevin Cooper will be available again, having missed out on the last two games with a knee injury, while Troy Deeney will also be hoping to be involved, as Per Cederqvist is doubtful with his back injury

Given that Betrand Bossu will have recovered from the injury that kept him out on Monday, I’d expect a line up of:

Ince, Westwood, Gerrard, Smith, Fox, Harper, Dobson, Keates, Cooper, Butler, Benjamin, with a bench of

Bossu, Wrack, Sam, Deeney and Taylor, Pead, Bradley or Demontagnac.

As for County, they don’t have the same number of injury problems, with midfielder David Pipe their only doubt. They did leave Jason Lee out in their last game, but that was just to rest their aging star. They do have a couple of kids from Charlton on loan who have been impressing, James Walker and Myles Weston, and both could start.

Their dangerman is, of course, Jason Lee. He no longer has a pineapple on his head – in fact it looks more like a billiard ball nowadays – but his 16 goals this season prove that the man still can be a dangerous proposition in front of goal. His 18 yellow cards this season, including one in each of five games on the trot in February and March, show that he’s still an awkward bugger as well!

Predictions?

County go into the game 10th, only three points behind Shrewsbury, who occupy the last play off spot. They are there because of a late run of form, having been unbeaten in their last four games, all without conceding a goal.

A slightly different picture appears when you take their home and away records in isolation, however. They are sixth in the away form table , with a record of 8-6-7, but 16th in the home form table, with, unusually, the same record of won 8, drawn 6, lost 7.

That suggests that the team aren’t at their best at home and, if that is the case, I can’tr think of any teams better at exploiting that than the Saddlers at the moment. I think one point is on the cards and three points far from impossible.

There will also be a minute’s silence before the game for former Notts County star Bill Brindley, who died recently. Despite the party atmosphere, I expect Walsall fans will observe it impeccably, as usual.

We have received a tip-off that Mark, landlord of the Trent Bridge Inn, known to the locals as the “TBI” (right next door to Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, 3-4 minutes from the County ground) -is a Walsall fan, a few of his Walsall fan mates will be visting the pub before the match, but he’d be over the moon if some fellow saddlers were in there before the promotion winning game tomorrow. The pub is on the corner of Radcliffe Road and London Road -there’s loads of street parking near there (on the embankment, near the river).