Walsall Defender Liam Gordon has issued an apology to his club’s fans following their catastrophic fall from grace.
In January, The Saddlers sat 15 points clear of 4th place, largely down to loanee Nathan Lowe’s goals. Lowe managed 20 goals and assists leading to Stoke City recalling the youngster to help them in their own battles.
In their final 21 matches, Walsall would go on to win just 3 games. An aggregate score of 4-1 against Chesterfield in the play-off semi-final would see the Saddlers reach the final and be within touching distance of League One. This would lead to the club needing to beat AFC Wimbledon in the play-off final at Wembley, however, to reach League One on Bank Holiday Monday. They didn’t manage it, the Dons running out 1-0 thanks to winger Myles Hippolyte’s goal. The Londoners didn’t have it all their own way though with a late Jamille Matt effort cleared off the line as Walsall pushed for an equaliser. This would prove to be game-defining.
Speaking to the Club Website, Gordon had this to say:
“Firstly, I want to apologise. There is no hiding away from the fact of where we should have been.
“I want to apologise on a personal note and as a group that we did not achieve what we wanted to achieve this season.
“But I also want to thank them for their support. They came out in their numbers on Monday, came out in their numbers all season and are always the loudest.”
“That is above any home team. Wimbledon had nearly 30,000 and I only heard the Walsall fans. That is the fans for you, they have been unbelievable and stuck behind us for what has been a hard season for them and us. I want to thank them for everything.”
“A lot of us haven’t been in this position before, being top of the table for so long and probably doing what others didn’t think we were going to do, and being in a position that nobody ever thought we were going to be in.
“So it’s not just since February, when we had a big blip in form, it’s been the whole season.
“It’s been psychologically, mentally and physically tough and Monday has added to that.”
Will Walsall Keep Sadler?
The result has put yet more pressure on manager Mat Sadler which has led to Co-chairman Ben Boycott saying he wont be drawn on Sadler’s future, stating that the club are ‘processing’ this season. Sadler himself has stated that the club and the players need to use it as ‘fuel’ heading into next season. The question remains will Sadler lead the Saddlers into next season?
This will be a huge summer for Walsall, losing the likes of Keeper Tommy Simkin who will also return to Stoke and most likely 37 year old forward Albert Adomah, to name but two, the Saddlers will need to sign players capable of promotion to League One as this will undoubtedly be the goal next season. Lowe having a successful loan spell before being recalled by his parent club will surely be noticed by young players looking to emulate Lowe’s loan themselves.
Your Opinion
Do you agree with this article or do you think it’s too tough on Walsall? Who would you look to sign if you were the Saddlers manager and board? Let us know in the comments!
