Football Season Guide

Walsall will be looking to kick on after a steady, if unspectacular, first season under head coach Mat Sadler. The Saddlers briefly flirted with the play-offs last season before eventually finishing in 11th place. It should have been the platform to go one better this time around however they have been dealt a significant blow this summer with midfield playmaker Isaac Hutchinson, their standout performer, being sold to League One Bristol Rovers. Sadler will also be disappointed to have lost goalkeeper Jackson Smith, who established himself as No. 1 before leaving for League One Barnsley. Wing-back Tom Knowles decision to step down a division with Forest Green Rovers also came as a surprise. The West Midlands club are always going to be in the shadow of their much-bigger neighbours in Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Sadler has wandered slightly further north for goalkeeper Tommy Simkin and centre-back David Okagbue from Stoke City. The latter impressed during a loan spell last season and his move has now been made permanent. Albert Adomah is their biggest signing of the summer, at least by name, although he is in the twilight of his career. There is a disjointed feel to the squad as it stands and Sadler will need to work on developing it into a cohesive unit. There are fitness issues over centre-back Priestley Farquharson and midfielder Oisin McEntee, who missed significant parts of last season. Centre-back Donervan Daniels and holding midfielder Brandon Comley have already been ruled out for the first two months of this season through injury. Scoring goals is going to be another problem, with striker Danny Johnson also set to miss the start of the season following a viral infection.