There’s barely time to catch our breath after Saturday’s five-goal thriller at the Bescot as Walsall make the short trip up the M6 on Tuesday evening to take on Crewe Alexandra.
And, even this early in the season, this looks like a really interesting test.
Both clubs have taken seven points from their opening three League Two fixtures.
Walsall head into Tuesday sitting second after Saturday’s 3-2 victory over Accrington Stanley, while Crewe are fifth following a goalless draw away at local rivals Port Vale.
Both remain unbeaten in the league.
The major difference has been how they’ve gone about it.
Walsall have already scored six league goals, including three against Gillingham and another three on Saturday.
Crewe have scored only twice.
But they haven’t conceded one yet.
Crawley couldn’t break them down.
Northampton couldn’t.
Neither could Port Vale.
So we head to Gresty Road with one of League Two’s more productive early attacks facing the only defence yet to concede.
Not bad for a Tuesday night in early September.
SEVEN POINTS FROM NINE
It’s difficult to complain too much about Walsall’s start.
Lee Grant has overseen three League Two games and we’re still unbeaten.
The 3-0 victory at Gillingham was followed by a goalless home draw against Grimsby Town before Accrington visited the Bescot on Saturday.
After two successive 0-0s at home, we certainly got the goals we’d been asking for.
Reece Smith opened the scoring after only eight minutes, reacting quickest after Louie Moulden had saved Aaron Pressley’s initial effort.
Unfortunately, the advantage lasted just four minutes.
Jed Ward couldn’t hold Alex Henderson’s long-range free-kick and Josh Woods was there to turn home the loose ball.
For the first time under Grant, Walsall had conceded in normal play.
The response was good.
Deep into first-half stoppage time, Mason Hancock delivered from the left and Harrison Burke produced an excellent header to restore the lead.
Then, eight minutes after the restart, Smith turned provider.
His deep cross found Pressley at the back post and the striker headed home to make it 3-1.
Game over?
Not quite.
Stefan Mols pulled one back four minutes later and suddenly the final half-hour became considerably less comfortable than we’d hoped.
Accrington kept pushing.
Ward redeemed himself with some important saves and Stanley had further opportunities to level before Walsall eventually saw the game out.
It wasn’t perfect.
It was three points.
That’s what matters.
MAYBE WE NEEDED THAT
There had been plenty of talk about Walsall’s clean-sheet run.
Four competitive matches had come and gone without anybody scoring against us in normal time.
Bristol City failed.
Gillingham failed.
Grimsby failed.
Leyton Orient failed.
Eventually somebody was going to score.
Accrington managed two.
The important thing was what happened afterwards.
Walsall still won.
Grant had already seen his team successfully defend narrow leads and grind out clean sheets. Saturday gave him something different.
We made mistakes.
We conceded.
We came under pressure.
And we still found a way to take all three points.
There will be plenty of afternoons like that during a League Two season.
You aren’t going to play well for 46 matches.
You certainly aren’t going to keep 46 clean sheets.
Sometimes winning ugly, or simply surviving a difficult final 20 minutes, is every bit as important as putting somebody away comfortably.
Saturday showed Walsall can do that too.
PRESSLEY CONTINUES TO DELIVER
Another game.
Another Aaron Pressley goal.
His header against Accrington was his third goal of the season following earlier strikes against Bristol City and Gillingham.
That’s exactly the sort of start you’d want from your centre-forward.
Pressley’s goal on Saturday also showed what Walsall need to keep doing around him.
Smith had time to look up.
The delivery was good.
Pressley attacked the back post.
Goal.
It sounds simple because, when it’s done properly, it is.
Pressley has already shown he’s capable of causing defenders problems physically, but we don’t want him spending the entire evening wrestling with centre-backs 40 yards from goal.
Get him into the box.
Get quality around him.
That’s where he’s dangerous.
Crewe haven’t conceded a league goal yet.
If we’re going to become the first team to break through, Pressley will fancy being the man to do it.
A BIG AFTERNOON FOR REECE SMITH
Saturday also felt significant for Smith.
A goal and an assist is a pretty useful afternoon’s work.
He was in the right place to finish the rebound for the opener and then produced the cross for Pressley’s goal after the break.
Grant has plenty of options in the attacking areas and competition for places should only become stronger as the season develops.
Performances like that make selection decisions more difficult.
That’s exactly what we want.
Smith offers something slightly different.
He’s comfortable receiving the ball in wider positions and, as we’ve already seen at Bristol City and again against Accrington, he can put dangerous deliveries into the penalty area.
Crewe are going to make chances difficult to come by.
Quality from those areas could become particularly important.
THE OPPOSITION
Crewe have made an excellent start.
No fireworks.
No massive scorelines.
Just results.
Lee Bell’s side began their League Two campaign at Crawley Town.
For a long time it looked like ending goalless.
It was also a fairly bizarre afternoon.
Crawley had Kellan Gordon sent off shortly after half-time and then went down to nine when Malcolm Ebiowei was also dismissed.
Crewe captain Mickey Demetriou was subsequently shown a second yellow late in the game, leaving the visitors with ten.
Then, in the fifth minute of stoppage time, Josh March struck.
Joel Tabiner supplied the ball and March headed home at the far post.
1-0.
A dramatic start.
A week later, Northampton Town visited Gresty Road.
Again, 1-0.
Again, March.
This time the goal came early in the second half as he took advantage of goalkeeper Zach Jeacock rolling the ball out inside his own penalty area.
March nipped in and punished the mistake.
Crewe then defended their advantage to make it six points from six.
Saturday’s local derby at Port Vale brought the first dropped points.
It also brought another clean sheet.
0-0.
Seven points.
Still unbeaten.
Still yet to concede in League Two.
Bell couldn’t really have asked for much more.
LAST SEASON
Crewe finished 11th in League Two last season with 67 points.
That placed them two positions and two points above Walsall.
They spent periods of the campaign in and around the Play-Off conversation but ultimately fell short, finishing twelve points behind seventh-placed Grimsby Town.
It was still another respectable campaign under Bell.
Crewe have become a fairly established top-half League Two side during his time in charge without quite managing to get themselves back into League One.
They came closest in 2023/24 when Bell took them all the way to the Play-Off Final at Wembley.
Crawley Town beat them there and Crewe have been trying to put themselves back into that position ever since.
The early signs this season suggest they’ll expect to be competitive again.
LEE BELL
Bell has been in charge since November 2022 and there aren’t many managers who understand their club much better.
He played for Crewe.
He coached within the academy.
He worked with the first team.
Then he became manager.
That connection matters at a club which has always placed huge importance on developing its own players and giving young footballers opportunities.
There’s continuity there too.
Crewe haven’t spent every summer ripping everything up and starting again.
Bell knows the environment.
He knows what the club expects.
And the players know what he wants.
It doesn’t guarantee success.
But in a division where clubs can change managers and playing styles with alarming regularity, stability has its advantages.
JOSH MARCH
Two league goals.
Two match-winners.
Not a bad start.
March is the obvious player Walsall will need to keep an eye on.
His stoppage-time header decided the game at Crawley.
His alertness decided the Northampton game.
He didn’t score at Port Vale, although he did go close during the second half.
What stands out is that he doesn’t appear to need loads of chances.
Crewe have scored only two league goals.
March has both.
That makes the job fairly obvious.
Don’t give him anything cheap.
Grant’s defenders have started the season well, despite Saturday being more uncomfortable than the previous games.
March will provide another test.
CREWE’S DEFENSIVE START
Three consecutive league clean sheets doesn’t happen by accident.
There has been some good goalkeeping involved.
Tom Booth has been excellent since coming into the side and made important saves against Northampton before producing another crucial stop at Port Vale on Saturday.
There is experience in front of him too.
Demetriou remains club captain and is one of the division’s more experienced defenders.
Luke Offord has returned to the club and provides further know-how in the back line.
Lewis Billington and Reece Hutchinson have both been involved during the opening weeks.
It has worked.
What will be interesting is what happens when somebody finally scores against them.
Crewe haven’t had to chase a league game yet.
They haven’t been behind.
Walsall will want to change that.
An early goal would ask Bell’s side a question they haven’t had to answer so far.
SATURDAY AT VALE PARK
There wasn’t much between Crewe and Port Vale at the weekend.
The weather didn’t help.
Driving rain contributed to a fairly scrappy first half, although Jordan Gibson did test Vale goalkeeper Jackson Smith early on.
Both teams had opportunities as the game progressed.
March found the side-netting for Crewe, while Onel Hernandez came close to winning it for Vale.
Booth produced the save.
The game ended 0-0.
For a local derby away from home, Bell probably won’t have been too unhappy.
They didn’t lose.
They kept another clean sheet.
And they moved on to seven points.
The slight frustration will be that Crewe haven’t yet really got going in front of goal.
They’ve been good enough defensively that it hasn’t mattered.
Yet.
CUP DISTRACTIONS ARE GONE
Like Walsall, Crewe’s Carabao Cup run ended in Round Two.
They travelled to League One Barnsley last Tuesday and were beaten 3-2.
Crewe actually took the lead at Oakwell through Adrien Thibaut after 21 minutes.
Barnsley responded emphatically, scoring three times before half-time.
Reyes Cleary levelled, Tyrese Noslin put the hosts ahead and Corey O’Keeffe added a third.
Crewe did manage to make the closing stages interesting when young Joel Ewusi headed home in the 89th minute.
There wasn’t enough time to find another.
3-2.
Cup run over.
It means neither Crewe nor Walsall have that particular competition to worry about anymore.
For both clubs, League Two is very much the priority.
WE HAVE GOOD MEMORIES OF GRESTY ROAD
The last visit went rather well.
Walsall travelled to Crewe on 14th March with Darren Byfield taking caretaker charge for the first time following Mat Sadler’s departure.
It took only four minutes to take the lead.
Charlie Lakin’s low ball found Albert Adomah, who applied the finish inside the area.
Walsall had opportunities to extend the advantage before half-time.
Daniel Kanu saw a penalty saved by Ian Lawlor and later struck the post with a header.
Crewe also threatened, with March forcing a save from Myles Roberts.
The second goal eventually arrived seven minutes from time.
Adomah produced an excellent outside-of-the-boot delivery and substitute Pressley finished from close range.
Then Adomah added another in stoppage time, clipping the ball over Lawlor to round off a superb individual afternoon.
Crewe 0.
Walsall 3.
Given the circumstances surrounding the club at the time, it was exactly the result we needed.
SIX POINTS AND TWO CLEAN SHEETS
The earlier meeting also ended in a Walsall victory.
Crewe visited the Bescot on Boxing Day.
This one was very different.
There wasn’t much between the sides and chances were at a premium.
The breakthrough finally came in first-half stoppage time.
Evan Weir’s free-kick found Aden Flint at the back post.
Flint’s header was saved, but Jamille Matt was waiting to slam home the rebound.
1-0.
That was enough.
Crewe pushed late in the game and Omar Bogle forced Myles Roberts into a save during stoppage time, but the Saddlers held on.
So Walsall did the double over Crewe last season.
Four goals scored.
None conceded.
A repeat would be lovely.
It certainly shouldn’t be expected.
THIS CREWE SIDE LOOKS HARDER TO BREAK DOWN
The obvious warning comes from their first three games.
Last season’s results don’t mean much on Tuesday.
Crewe have changed.
Walsall have changed.
And Bell’s side have clearly started this campaign with a real defensive discipline.
Nobody has found a way through yet.
That means Walsall may have to be patient.
The important thing is not confusing patience with playing slowly.
Move the ball.
Change the point of attack.
Get Smith and Courtney Clarke into the game.
Make Crewe’s defenders move rather than simply standing in front of Pressley and heading balls away all evening.
There is no need to force things after ten minutes.
But there is also no reason to approach the game timidly.
Walsall are second in the league.
We’ve started well too.
DON’T GIVE THEM THE FIRST GOAL CHEAPLY
If there is one thing Saturday should have reinforced, it’s the danger of giving teams goals.
Ward has been excellent during the opening weeks, but he’ll know he should have dealt better with Henderson’s free-kick before Woods equalised.
It happens.
You move on.
Against Crewe, cheap mistakes could be especially costly.
Bell’s side have shown they’re perfectly comfortable protecting a one-goal advantage.
Both league victories have been 1-0.
They aren’t going to get bored and start throwing bodies forward simply because supporters want more entertainment.
If March gives them the lead and they can settle into a shape, the evening becomes much harder.
Make them earn everything.
WHAT DOES GRANT DO?
This will be Walsall’s third game in seven days.
Grimsby on Saturday.
Leyton Orient on Tuesday.
Accrington on Saturday.
Now Crewe.
Grant rotated heavily for the cup tie, so plenty of those who started against Accrington haven’t been asked to play four full matches in quick succession.
Even so, there may be changes.
Elicha Ahui replaced Rico Browne at half-time on Saturday.
Charlie Crew is pushing for league minutes after featuring prominently against Orient.
Lewis Simper came from the bench against Accrington.
Andy Dallas and Tai Sodje provide alternatives in attack.
Albert Adomah remains another option.
Grant has already demonstrated that he is prepared to use his squad.
Tuesday could be another evening where the bench becomes important.
THE BATTLE IN MIDFIELD
This feels like one of those games where whoever gets hold of the middle of the pitch could dictate what sort of evening we have.
Crewe have players who are comfortable on the ball.
Matúš Holíček is technically good.
Joe White gives them energy.
Tabiner can influence things further forward.
Calum Agius is another young player who has come through their system and looks comfortable at this level.
Walsall need to stop Crewe settling into a rhythm.
That doesn’t mean charging around after everything.
It means getting close enough to disrupt them and then being good enough to use the ball when we win it.
Sven Sprangler has made a good start.
The same applies to the other midfield options.
This should be a decent examination of how far Grant’s ideas have developed in the opening weeks.
TWO UNBEATEN STARTS
Nobody wins promotion in August.
Or on the first night of September.
The table means very little after three games.
Still, being near the top is considerably nicer than being near the bottom.
Walsall are second.
Crewe are fifth.
Both have seven points.
Both have won twice and drawn once.
Neither has lost in League Two.
Walsall have been the more dangerous attacking side.
Crewe have been the tighter defensive side.
It’s a nicely balanced game on paper.
The sort where you genuinely wouldn’t be shocked by any of the three possible results.
A POINT WOULDN’T BE A DISASTER
There are some away fixtures where you leave disappointed if you haven’t won.
I’m not sure this is one of them.
Crewe finished above us last season.
They’ve started this campaign extremely well.
And nobody has scored against them in League Two.
Obviously, we should go there trying to win.
We’re Walsall supporters.
We’re hardly going to spend Tuesday hoping everyone shakes hands on a draw before kick-off.
But context matters.
A point at Gresty Road would keep the unbeaten start going.
A win would be an excellent result.
Ten points from the opening four games would represent a seriously good beginning to the Grant era.
THEN IT’S EXETER
There won’t be much time to recover afterwards either.
Walsall are back on the road on Saturday with the long trip to Exeter City.
That makes managing the squad important.
Tuesday night at Crewe followed by Exeter away four days later is a demanding little run.
The good thing is that Grant has already shown he trusts more than eleven players.
We’re going to need that over the course of the season.
Especially during weeks like this.
THE FINAL WORD
Saturday probably told us more about this Walsall side than another clean sheet would have done.
Things went wrong.
We conceded.
Accrington made the final stages uncomfortable.
And Walsall still won.
That’s useful.
Seven points from nine is a very good start.
Pressley is scoring.
Smith produced his best performance of the campaign at the weekend.
Burke got himself on the scoresheet.
And although the clean-sheet run finally ended, there is still plenty to like about the way Grant has organised the team.
Now comes another test.
Crewe are unbeaten.
They haven’t conceded a league goal.
March has scored both of the goals they’ve needed.
Bell has been there long enough to know exactly what he wants from his side.
And a goalless draw at Port Vale on Saturday kept their own good start moving along nicely.
But Walsall shouldn’t travel with any fear.
We won at Gresty Road last season.
We beat Crewe twice.
We’re second in the league.
And we’ve already shown we can win difficult games away from home.
Something has to give.
Crewe’s perfect defensive record.
Our unbeaten league start.
Or maybe neither.
Either way, this looks like a very decent Tuesday night fixture.
