THE CHALKBOARD

WALSALL currently sit comfortably in 14th in the League One table but with nothing to play for, end-of-season blues seem to have had an impact in recent months.

Jon Whitney’s troops are without a win in their last six games and have endured a run of three losses and three draws since their 1-0 win over Chesterfield in early March.

Whitney’s side have also struggled in front of goal recently as they have failed to score more than once in their three games.

This isn’t a new issue which is hurting the Saddlers as they have only managed to notch a total of 49 goals from the 42 games they have played this season.

At the other end, they have the eighth best defence in the league with 52 goals conceded, alongside AFC Wimbledon, Charlton Athletic and Oxford United.

Swindon Advertiser:
Walsall boss Jon Whitney

LIKELY LINE-UP

Swindon Advertiser:

A MAN IN FORM: Jason McCarthy

LUKE Williams will have told his Swindon Town side to keep an eye on Walsall’s star defender Jason McCarthy during their Easter Monday encounter.

The 21-year-old has been constantly involved since his arrival at Bescot Stadium at the start of the season on loan from Premier League side Southampton.

Since making the temporary switch from the Saints, McCarthy has racked up 48 appearances for the Saddlers, scoring five goals in the process.

The youngster first joined on a deal which would see him stay in League One for half the season but after proving he is far too good for this level, Walsall boss Jon Whitney quickly moved to extended his stay for the entirety of the campaign.

The 21-year-old is comfortable in a number of positions across defence and midfield, is defensively sound and also possesses a real threat going forwards due to his speed.

TREATMENT ROOM

WALSALL are likely to be without key duo Erhun Oztumer and Neil Etheridge for today’s clash against Swindon Town.

Oztumer, who is the club’s top scorer with 14 goals this seson, was unable to recover from an ankle injury in time for the Saddlers’ 1-1 draw at Shrewsbury Town on Good Friday and is expected to sit out again.

The 25-year-old has been named in the League One team of the year despite the fact he hasn’t played since Walsall’s 3-2 defeat to Southend United on March 18.

Meanwhile, former Fulham goalkeeper Etheridge is also out as he too was sidelined for the Good Friday draw.

Walsall boss Jon Whitney will be boosted by the return of defender Eoghan O’Connell from a recent hamstring injury, with the 21-year-old making his comeback against the Shrews after more than a month out.

Midfielder Florent Cuvelier featured as a substitute in that game after recovering from a hamstring problem.

Swindon Advertiser:
Erhun Oztumer (blue) in action against Town earlier in the season

OPPO FORM GUIDE

FRI, Apr 14 - SKYBET LEAGUE 1 - 1-1 DRAW V SHREWSBURY (A)

SAT, Apr 8 - SKYBET LEAGUE 1 - 1-1 DRAW V OXFORD (H)

SAT, Apr 1 - SKYBET LEAGUE 1 - 1-0 LOSS V BRADFORD (A)

SAT, Mar 18 - SKYBET LEAGUE 1 - 3-2 LOSS V SOUTHEND (A)

TUE, Mar 14 - SKYBET LEAGUE 1 - 1-0 LOSS V FLEETWOOD (H)

GOALSCORERS

ERHUN OZTUMER 14; ARMADOU BAKAYOKO 10; SIMEON JACKSON 7

DISCIPLINE

JOE EDWARDS 6Y, 1R; ARMADOU BAKAYOKO 6Y, 1R; MATT PRESTON 6Y

THE STAT

TOWN have scored in each of their last nine away games against Walsall and only lost once during that time - a run dating back to 2006.