Fri 31st July

Travelled home on a quiet M74 & M6 and consequently missed the visit to Willenhall.  I currently don’t know the score of this one.  Suppose I’m a bit of a bit of a part timer really.

Wed 29th July - Queen of the South

The Legendary Butlins entertainment offered a Glamorous Granny Competition (no long skirts or trouser suits allowed - honest!) followed by the Brotherhood of Man. It was close but Queen of the South proved a tad more appealing.

Free car parking and a reduced entry fee of a fiver meant the credit card got a small rest. Uncle Ray reverted to our strongest line up again but included another un-named triallist from Scotland up front.

The Doonhamers - which is a sensationally brilliant nickname - took the lead midway through the second half after our back four went to sleep (it’s becoming a bit of a habit) but the reds levelled with an Andy Rammell penalty. Gary Porter went close at the death but 1 - 1 was fair dinkum.

The boys looked much more organised tonight and the midfield operated fairly effectively at times. When Peron had the ball he looked the class act we know he is, without the ball he seems completely uninterested.

The general lack of creativity is a worry though. If nothing else comes out of the tour it seems that Ray has the back four and the spine of the team sorted out now. All he has to do now is replace Boli and Hodge..........and Lightbourne and O’Connor and Houghton and................

Bad News........The lack of attacking options

Good News......The performance of Matthew Gadsby

Annual Triallist Count...11

Tue 28th July

Took a trip into Kilmarnock on the eve of their UEFA cup tie (they're playing NK Zeljeznicar from Bosnia) and grabbed a glimpse of Rugby Park. A gate at the ground was open so I had a good view of the inside of the stadium. It’s very much like Molineux but with blue seats instead of custard coloured ones and obviously it doesn’t get occupied by 18,000 brain deads every other Saturday.

Mon 27th July - Partick Thistle

Let’s get this one into perspective shall we. Four seasons ago Rod McDonald left Chez Bescot under a rather dark cloud and spent the next two seasons plying his trade here at Firhill in the Scottish Premier Division. Since then the Jags have suffered consecutive relegations and begin this term in the Scottish Second Division. No mistake, they are piss poor.  

Only one stand was open for this one so it was out with a tenner on top of the £2.00 parking charge. This is North Glasgow and I was strongly advised to pay up and not risk street parking as the natives apparently have a taste for burning anything with wheels.

The Saddlers lined up in green for this one and included four more triallists. A centre half, a midfielder, a winger and a striker.  Andy Walker was the striker and he lined first with Rammell and later Watson. It has to be a worry when your potential strikeforce has an average age rivalling that of the Saddlers Club Committee.  The fact that they also showed the cutting edge of a rusty pre war lawnmower was also a concern. Not good. The other triallists, clueless to a man, proved yet again that Mr Taylor hasn’t lost his touch. 

Essentially, it appears that the idea of a pre season friendly in Scotland appears to be that they get to kick lumps out of you and you simply have to accept it. This was the case for much of the Ayr game and again tonight, however this one ended up being much more interesting. Three bookings and a sending off may be tame for the World Cup Finals but you don’t often get it in a pre-season kick about. Saidi (real name) and Kiester(obviously) were booked for Walsall whilst Roper was dismissed for a particularly late, surprisingly nasty and all round beast of a tackle.  

The natives were rather unimpressed to say the least and it got a little spicy in the stand. The Walsall support was loud and patient, whilst the Jocks sang about Argentina ousting England in France 98.  Costa Rica, Peru and Morocco sprang to mind but so did getting out of Northern Glasgow alive at full time. For a time it looked as if it was going to kick off outside but nothing came of it.  

The match itself was utterly forgetful with Thistle taking the lead after Matt Gadsby was unluckily adjudged to have felled an opponent in the box and the spot kick was converted. Gary Porter please note. Walsall levelled in the last minute as Jeff Peron crossed for Watson to finish from about ten yards, a pretty good goal in fact. Overall, this was the most disappointing performance so far and I’ll leave to last word on this one to Mr Frank Stubbs - “Different country, same old shit”. Nuff said.

Bad News........Roper's impending suspension.

Good News......Peron looked interested.  Getting out alive

Annual Triallist Count..10

Sun 26th July

The papers up here are buzzing about Dundee United’s latest signing after he scores a hat-trick on debut.  Tannadice is in a bit of a frenzy about a talented little Frenchman called Roger Boli.

It can’t possibly last. Or will it? Somehow I think that we all know that the answer will be 'non'.

Sat 25th July - Ayr United

A lifetime ambition about to be realised - on tour with the Saddlers.  I've waited quite a few years for this opportunity and it starts today.

We set off for Scotland very early and  five hours later we arrive in Ayr.  Why do Scottish teams get such poor crowds?  Perhaps it’s because they charge £12.50 for a seat at a pre-season friendly.  We decided to stand at the bargain price of £9.  An impressive sixty or so Walsall fans had made the effort and gave good support.  

Uncle Ray sent out what again appears to be his strongest side with Matt Gadsby replacing the injured Evans in defence.  Marshy didn’t appear again.  Is he injured or out of favour?  The Saddlers were, in truth, very disappointing and Ayr not much better. We created little and generally looked like a bunch of strangers who'd met an hour before kick off on the car park. 

Both sides started pretty slowly and our ball possession throughout was pretty hopeless. This was encapsulated in the decisive moment of the game where our back four managed to get involved in the most ridiculous series of bad schoolboy passes,  resulting in an unnecessary corner for the home side.  The corner was only half cleared and an unmarked Traynor fired home the loose ball. That hardly jolted us into action however and Rammell had our only real chance where he blasted straight at the keeper when he should really have scored and that was pretty much that.  

The second half was arguably even worse although the boys did put themselves about following some crunching tackles from the home side.  All in all, if it was possible to get less than nil we would have. Left the ground and checked into the ever delightful Butlins for a week of luxury and pampering. It can’t get any worse than today can it?  Oh yes.

Bad News.......The performance

Good News.....The Walsall support

Annual Triallist count..6

Thu 23rd July

No game today but Uncle Ray - unsurprisingly after last night - decides to drop the idea of signing Mahorn.  The boys set off for Scotland tomorrow without any of the triallists who have appeared so far. In the press we're still saying that we're interested but if we truly were I suspect we'd be driving them north of the border and out of the reach of others. Their time here looks over to me. Shocked?  Nor me.

Wed 22nd July - Stafford Rangers

A reserve and triallist XI vs Stafford Rangers.  It wasn't too many moons ago that we used to send the first team for a fixture here but Stafford have fallen backwards in a major almost Wolves-esqe during the mid 80’s kind of way.  

O’Neill Donaldson, a Walsall target for a long time now,  appeared alongside former Spurs frontman Paul Mahorn, neither looking especially great however.  A couple of other (un-named) trialists appeared at the back with Dean Keates and Andy Watson returning from injuries. Michael Ricketts again looked impressive during the first half and the Saddlers raced into a 3 - 1 lead. The half time withdrawal of Ricketts blunted the Walsall attack and sloppy defending allowed Rangers to level the game at 3 - 3.  Probably a fair result.

Bad News.......The waste of a 3 - 1 lead.

Good News....Ricketts performance and the return of Keates and Watson.

Annual Triallist count..6

Tue 21st July - Leek Town

I just couldn’t wait any longer.  The World Cup had filled the gap between last season and the new one and all systems were go, go, go.  

The chaos that had been post Old Trafford could now be forgotten as Uncle Ray attempts to install some discipline and method into what our beloved owner described as the best squad ever assembled at Bescot only 10 weeks ago.  Viva big Jeff.  Leek Town of the GM Vauxhall Conference would probably provide a fairly stiff test as openers go.  They did.  

The Saddlers sent out what was just about our best XI.  New signings Andy Rammell and Neil Pointon appeared alongside the first pair of what will probably end up being a cricket score of triallists.  Pointon slotted in at left back very well and seems a good organiser.  The boys looked fairly comfortable in defence but created little up front.  Rammell won a penalty mid-way through the first half and up stepped Gary Porter.  Gazza picked his spot (the goalkeeper’s hands) and executed the kick with pin point accuracy. To be honest it was as poor a penalty that I've seen in a long time.  The second half was basically a non-event with both sides seemingly happy not to lose.  However Ricketts, looking useful whilst on as a sub, stole a Saddlers win in injury time with a very tidy finish.

Bad News.......An injury to Evans

Good News....The win and a clean sheet.

Triallist count..2

Preface

A Year In The Saddle.
My 1998/99 Walsall FC Diary.

I got my first PC in early 1998, having not owned a computer since my Sinclair Spectrum died a decade earlier after one of Sir Clive's budget chip-boards burned out. Predominantly bought to co-write & produce our new fanzine One Step Beyond it also offered the opportunity to create an electronic diary of what should have been a pretty mundane if not miserable season.

In July 1998 we were nailed on 98/99 relegation favourites, had an inexperienced manager - Ray who?, Boli & Hodge were either gone or on their way and others were desperate to follow. Indeed the ultra popular Jeff Peron was looking like the last survivor in a game of bulldog, our star asset wriggling clear as the faithful tried in vein to hang onto him.

Oh, and the majority shareholder and landlord wasn't being particularly communicative with press or public nor especially sympathetic as the rent at WS1 became more and more of an issue amongst fans. Hope wasn't as crushed as it is in 2012, but it wasn't that much different.

What happened over the next nine and a half months was as close to a miracle as you'll ever see. Granted ultra discipline, togetherness, an unbelievable work ethic and the fact that everyone wanted to beat Manchester City all helped but Ray Graydon crafted the only team I have ever seen that was better on grass than it ever looked on paper and proved that impossible doesn't exist. Misfits, cast-offs, those no-one else wanted and a couple of kids came together and blended to become the most efficient football team I've ever seen in Walsall shirts.

And whilst they weren't unbeatable, they never accepted defeat until the referee's final whistle ensured there was no way back. They fought for themselves and each other like no other, although Jason Brissett did stretch this theory and Graydon's patience to the limit.

It was, without doubt, the best season I've ever had Walsall FC watching and I was lucky enough to create the following. I haven't edited it, barring spelling errors and the occasional libel avoiding swerve, so it is how I felt on each day.

Apologies if you're a wolves fan, an ex-Villa striker who fell out with John Gregory & Ulrika, a football stadium landlord, a majority shareholder of a football club, the apologetic mouthpiece of the aforementioned landlord or shareholder, a sun tanned former director of football or a fan of Roger Boli - some of the following may twang a nerve or two.

However if you're a Walsall fan looking for a reason to believe a decade and a half on then please dig in and hopefully enjoy. Miracles really do happen. I was there.