Walsall Looking Forward to a Third Year in Div 1?

By Neil Ravenscroft
April 16 2003

Despite last night's disappointing draw, Neil Ravenscroft looks at how close does that leave safety and asks if we are already safe?

The question this morning is whether the point gained in the sterile encounter against Coventry was enough to ensure safety already this season.

The League table this morning shows the following position: -

Walsall P42 Points 47, Goal Diff -13
Stoke P42 Points 41, Goal Diff -26
Brighton P42 Points 40, Goal Diff -20
Shef Wed P42 Points 38, Goal Diff - 23
Grimsby P42 Points 37, Goal Diff - 35

This means that Wednesday need 10 points to overtake us from 4 games, assuming they don't score hatfuls and we don’t concede similar amounts.
Brighton need 8 points from 4 games, Grimsby 11 and Stoke 7, even assuming we lose all our remaining fixtures.

What has to be added into the equation, though, is the remaining games. For Wednesday to get 10 points from their remaining games, they would have to beat Grimsby (who then couldn't catch us) and win or draw at Brighton, (who would then need to win two and draw one, or win all three). Brighton are away at Leicester on Saturday, then have Watford at home and Grimsby away.
Stoke would need to win 3, out of Wimbledon at home, Coventry away, Palace away and Reading at home.

The only dangers left, realistically, are Stoke or Brighton catching us and, again realistically, even two draws might be enough. Two defeats in the four games for either of them and it's curtains.

By the time we play Grimsby they will be relegated and, by the time we play Derby, they should be safe. We are, indeed, within touching distance and might even have crossed the finishing line.