Crewe Alexandra. I hate Crewe-bloody-Alexandra. It isn’t just the “we’re special because we’re the only club that ever produce any decent youngsters” nonsense, or even the former Manager and “Darling of the Press” Dario Gradi, who I always found to be one of the most ungracious of losers every time we beat them. No, it’s more than that.

After all of the success of the late seventies and early eighties under Buckley and the roller coaster ride of Terry Ramsden’s tenure as Chairman, all Saddlers must have been wondering if the good times would ever come back after the move to Bescot. Then we got into the play offs in 1993 with a chance to make Wembley for the firt time ever in the club’s history. What happened? We met Crewe. Bloody Crewe. We didn’t just lose to them – we were bladdered, home and away. Humiliated. Look at it:-

Crewe Alexandra 5 Walsall 1, Walsall 2 Crewe Alexandra 4
(Crewe Alexandra won 9-3 on aggregate)

It doesn’t matter how many times we beat them ever again, that will live on in the memory. They didn’t even have the grace to win the final, either, as York won on penalties.

Walsall are playing their cards close to their chest, but it seems that we don’t have any injury worries for tomorrow’s short trip up the M6, other than the continued absence of Dobson and Boertien. That probably means an unchanged side, with Clayton Ince returning to his former club, of course.

Crewe will be missing former Bradford City midfielder Steve Schumacher and Nigerian defender George Abbey (formerly of Macclesfield and Port Vale).

Predictions?

Crewe are having a funny season. They are 14th, four points behind us at the moment, but have a reasonable home record of won 5, drawn 1, lost 3. Trouble is, one of those defeats came on Tuesday night 2 – 3 to lowly Gillingham, so they do seem to be rather inconsistent.

Our win in the week against Forest shows that we needn’t fear anyone in this Division, but we also have to hope that the game didn’t take too much out of the players. Personally, another away draw will do me.