All We Are Saying Is Give Us A Win!

Under Pressure
By Neil Ravenscroft
September 28 2004

It's "Our FA Cup" tonight - other than the real FA Cup, of course. Can we actually get a win against a team from a lower division with injury problems?

Walsall go into tonight's LDV Trophy tie with Rushden and Diamonds in a strange position. Normally, fans would have mixed feelings about the competition and do not tend to get too excited about it unless the team makes progress to the latter stages. Indeed, Walsall, like many other teams, has tended to use a mixture of fringe and reserve players in the past.

Tonight, though, is completely different.

It isn't just that the team haven't won since August, or that they are coming off the back of a terrible performance on Saturday when losing their unbeaten home record to Brentford and are badly in need of a confidence boost. It's not even that the Manager's job must be hanging by a thread in view of the shambles on the pitch and that the crowds are either disappearing fast or turning against him.

No, it's quite simple why this is a must win game.

Manager Paul Merson has either pressed the self destruct button again, or has taken a massive gamble on his and the team's future by stating in the Press that this is a competition we are going out to win. No ifs, or buts, no needing to put in a good performance, we are going out to win it, apparently. If ever there was a case of putting your backside on the line, then this is it. At the weekend, he said that he was wrong to say we would win the title, which given our poor start, is hardly surprising, but, instead of leaving it at that, and despite playing a reserve side in the far more prestigious League Cup, he has said that we are going out to win this one. He has set himself up for yet another fall, but let's hope that this time, he doesn't trip.

He has, by all accounts recalled himself to the side for the game, which would, presumably, mean either a change back to 4 3 1 2, or Merson playing up front. Joe Broad has also won a recall to the side, and the only injuries are the long term ones to Kofi Dakinah, Ryan Willetts and Nathan Jameson.

What the rest of the team will be, quite frankly, I haven't got a clue, which is hardly surprising, as Merson said he hadn't in the Press on Sunday.

Merson wants a morale-boosting Trophy win against Rushden to set up Walsall for their return to League One action at Huddersfield on Saturday and, for once, I think he should get it. Let's face it, Rushden are fifteenth in Division 2, are missing defender John Dempster tonight, who will be replaced by a youth team player, and have no fewer than four more first team squad players missing. With all due respect, with their problems, our reserve side ought to be able to put up a decent show against them. Whether we will, remains to be seen. If we don't, Mr Bonser's knife may well be out when he returns from holiday.