2013–14 Walsall F.C. season

The 2013/14 season saw Walsall finish 13th in League One. The campaign was most notable for the Saddlers' meetings with Black Country rivals Wolves, including a 1–0 away at Molineux.

Walsall

2013–14 season
Chairman	Jeff Bonser
Manager	Dean Smith
Stadium	Bescot Stadium
League One	13th
FA Cup	Second round
League Cup	Second round
Top goalscorer	Craig Westcarr (14)
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Season summary

The summer of 2013 saw the Saddlers lose the attacking trio of Will Grigg, Febian Brandy and Jamie Paterson, who had been responsible for close to two-thirds of the club’s goals in the previous campaign. Their replacements included Chelsea loanee Milan Lalkovic, playmaker Romaine Sawyers and striker Troy Hewitt.

After a mixed start, September saw Walsall take on Wolves twice in the space of two weeks. A short trip to Molineux in the Football League Trophy saw Wolves emerge victorious on penalties following a 2–2 draw. However, the Saddlers had the better of the corresponding league fixture, winning 1–0 thanks to a goal from captain Andy Butler. Minor controversy followed the fixture with derogatory comments towards Wolves posted on Walsall’s official Twitter account. The club apologised for the "frankly disgusting" Tweet, which it said was the work of a hacker.

Walsall spent much of the first half of the season in and around the playoff spots, with a 5–1 away victory at Notts County lifting the club into sixth in late January. Despite seemingly being well-placed for a playoff challenge, the Saddlers went on to win just twice in the final 18 games of the season. This included a 3–0 home loss to Wolves, who would finish the season as champions.

This disastrous run saw the Saddlers end the campaign in 13th, 16 points adrift of a playoff place.

Competitions

Football League One

Main article: 2013–14 Football League One

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
11	Bradford City	46	14	17	15	57	54	+3	59
12	Bristol City	46	13	19	14	70	67	+3	58
13	Walsall	46	14	16	16	49	49	0	58
14	Crawley Town	46	14	15	17	48	54	−6	57
15	Oldham Athletic	46	14	14	18	50	59	−9	56

Updated to match(es) played on 3 May 2014. Source: BBC Sport
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored

Results

  Win   Draw   Loss

Walsall v Tranmere Rovers

3 August 2013 (2013-08-03) 1	Walsall	3–1	Tranmere Rovers	Walsall
15:00 BST	Westcarr 4', 71' Lalkovic 25'	Report	Robinson 40'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 4,788 Referee: Brendam Malone

Oldham Athletic v Walsall

10 August 2013 (2013-08-10) 2	Oldham Athletic	0–1	Walsall	Oldham
15:00 BST		Report	Baxendale 25'	Stadium: Boundary Park Attendance: 4,538 Referee: Gary Sutton

Walsall v Notts County

17 August 2013 (2013-08-17) 3	Walsall	1–1	Notts County	Walsall
15:00 BST	Sawyers 50'	Report	Arquin 74'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 4,295 Referee: Iain Williamson

Brentford v Walsall

24 August 2013 (2013-08-24) 4	Brentford	1–0	Walsall	Brentford, London
15:00 BST	Donaldson 42'	Report		Stadium: Griffin Park Attendance: 5,781 Referee: Hayward

Walsall v Preston North End

31 August 2013 (2013-08-31) 5	Walsall	0–3	Preston North End	Walsall
15:00 BST		Report	Byrom 30' Humphrey 58' Holmes 61'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 4,205 Referee: Phil Gibbs

Crewe Alexandra v Walsall

14 September 2013 (2013-09-14) 6	Crewe Alexandra	0–3	Walsall	Crewe
15:00 BST		Report	Westcarr 66', 69' (pen.) Baxendale 84'	Stadium: Gresty Road Attendance: 4,260 Referee: Keith Hill

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Walsall

17 September 2013 (2013-09-17) 7	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0–1	Walsall	Wolverhampton
19:45 BST		Report	Butler 69'	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 22,240 Referee: Mick Russell

Walsall v Rotherham United

21 September 2013 (2013-09-21) 8	Walsall	1–1	Rotherham United	Walsall
15:00 BST	Mantom 34'	Report	Nardiello 21'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 5,002 Referee: Stuart Attwell

Leyton Orient v Walsall

28 September 2013 (2013-09-28) 9	Leyton Orient	1–1	Walsall	Leyton, London
15:00 BST	Mooney 38'	Report	Westcarr 71'	Stadium: Brisbane Road Attendance: 5,429 Referee: Scott

Walsall v Bradford City

5 October 2013 (2013-10-05) 10	Walsall	0–2	Bradford City	Walsall
15:00 BST		Report	Reid 45' Hanson 47'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 5,364 Referee: Eddie Ilderton

Colchester United v Walsall

12 October 2013 (2013-10-12) 11	Colchester United	1–1	Walsall	Colchester
15:00 BST	Sears 7'	Report	Taylor 90+7'	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 2,945 Referee: Jeremy Simpson

Walsall v Stevenage

19 October 2013 (2013-10-19) 12	Walsall	2–1	Stevenage	Stevenage
15:00 BST	Sawyers 11' Westcarr 55'	Report	Zoko 72' Akins  80'	Stadium: Broadhall Way Attendance: 3,720 Referee: Andrew Madley

Swindon Town v Walsall

22 October 2013 13	Swindon Town	1–3	Walsall	Swindon
19:45 BST	Ranger 83'	Report	Hemmings 18' 78' Mantom 48'	Stadium: County Ground Attendance: 8,188 Referee: Darren Sheldrake

Walsall v Coventry City

26 October 2013 14	Walsall	0–1	Coventry City	Walsall
15:00 BST		Report	Moussa 54'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 6,519 Referee: Gavin Ward

Milton Keynes Dons v Walsall

2 November 2013 15	Milton Keynes Dons	1–0	Walsall	Bletchley, Milton Keynes
15:00 GMT	Williams	Report		Stadium: Stadium MK Attendance: 7,711 Referee: Dean Whitestone

Walsall v Peterborough United

18 November 2013 16	Walsall	2–0	Peterborough United	Walsall
19:45 GMT	Lalkovic 26' Sawyers 69'	Report	51'  77' Brisley	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 4,597 Referee: David Coote

Crawley Town v Walsall

23 November 2013 (2013-11-23) 17	Crawley Town	0–0	Walsall	Crawley
15:00 GMT		Report		Stadium: Broadfield Stadium Attendance: 3,296 Referee: Tim Robinson

Sheffield United v Walsall

26 November 2013 18	Sheffield United	1–1	Walsall	Sheffield
19:45 GMT	Porter 45+2' (pen.)	Report	Westcarr 47'	Stadium: Bramall Lane Attendance: 14,796 Referee: Chris Sarginson

Walsall v Port Vale

30 November 2013 19	Walsall	0–2	Port Vale	Walsall
15:00 GMT		Report	Pope 20' Tomlin 66'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 4,909 Referee: Michael Naylor

Shrewsbury Town v Walsall

14 December 2013 20	Shrewsbury Town	0–1	Walsall	Shrewsbury
15:00 GMT		Report	Lalkovic 54'	Stadium: New Meadow Attendance: 6,015 Referee: David Phillips

Walsall v Carlisle United

21 December 2013 21	Walsall	2–0	Carlisle United	Walsall
15:00 GMT	Sawyers 15' Lalkovic 66'	Report		Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 4,062 Referee: Darren Bond

Bristol City v Walsall

26 December 2013 22	Bristol City	1–0	Walsall	Bristol
15:00 GMT	Baldock 41' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Ashton Gate Stadium Attendance: 12,031 Referee: David Webb

Gillingham v Walsall

29 December 2013 23	Gillingham	2–2	Walsall	Gillingham
15:00 GMT	McDonald 46', 90+2'	Report	Sawyers 62' Gray 90'	Stadium: Priestfield Stadium Attendance: 5,394 Referee: Trevor Kettle

Walsall v Sheffield United

1 January 2014 (2014-01-01) 24	Walsall	2–1	Sheffield United	Walsall
15:00 GMT	Westcarr 52' (pen.) Chambers 62'	Report	Porter 17'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 5,015 Referee: Lee Collins

Tranmere Rovers v Walsall

11 January 2014 (2014-01-11) 25	Tranmere Rovers	1–1	Walsall	Birkenhead
15:00 GMT	Stockton 78'	Report	Lalkovič 19'	Stadium: Prenton Park Attendance: 4,871 Referee: Andy Haines

Walsall v Oldham Athletic

14 January 2014 (2014-01-14) 26	Walsall	1–0	Oldham Athletic	Walsall
19:45 GMT	Mantom 65'	Report		Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 3,522 Referee: Fred Graham

Walsall v Brentford

18 January 2014 (2014-01-18) 27	Walsall	1–1	Brentford	Walsall
15:00 GMT	Westcarr 45'	Report	Donaldson 30'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 5,295 Referee: Scott Duncan

Notts County v Walsall

25 January 2014 (2014-01-25) 28	Notts County	1–5	Walsall	Nottingham
15:00 GMT	McGregor 61'	Report	Butler 24', 33', 45+2' Butler 49' Westcarr 53'	Stadium: Meadow Lane Attendance: 5,701 Referee: Darren Sheldrake

Walsall v Swindon Town

28 January 2014 (2014-01-28) 29	Walsall	1–1	Swindon Town	Walsall
19:45 GMT	Sawyers 37'	Report	M. Smith 71'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 4,059 Referee: Mark Brown

Walsall v Milton Keynes Dons

8 February 2014 (2014-02-08) 30	Walsall	0–3	Milton Keynes Dons	Walsall
15:00 GMT	Butler  43'	Report	McLeod 30', 70' Reeves 44' (pen.)	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 4,116 Referee: James Linington

Peterborough United v Walsall

14 February 2014 (2014-02-14) 31	Peterborough United	0–0	Walsall	Peterborough
19:45 GMT		Report		Stadium: London Road Stadium Attendance: 4,263 Referee: Graham Horwood

Walsall v Crawley Town

22 February 2014 (2014-02-22) 32	Walsall	1–2	Crawley Town	Walsall
15:00 GMT	Mantom 64'	Report	Tubbs 4' (pen.), 51' Clarke  71'  80'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 3,904 Referee: Kevin Wright

Preston North End v Walsall

1 March 2014 (2014-03-01) 33	Preston North End	2–1	Walsall	Preston
15:00 GMT	Downing 3' (o.g.) Wright 29'	https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/26300271 Report	Mantom 5'  82'	Stadium: Deepdale Attendance: 10,034 Referee: Seb Stockbridge

Coventry City v Walsall

5 March 2014 (2014-03-05) 34	Coventry City	2–1	Walsall	Northampton
19:45 GMT	Wilson 22' Delfouneso 84'	Report	Benning 54'	Stadium: Sixfields Stadium Attendance: 1,637 Referee: Richard Clark

Walsall v Wolverhampton Wanderers

8 March 2014 (2014-03-08) 35	Walsall	0–3	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Walsall
15:00 GMT		Report	Dicko 31', 48' Sako 67'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 10,139 Referee: Paul Tierney

Walsall v Crewe Alexandra

11 March 2014 (2014-03-11) 36	Walsall	1–1	Crewe Alexandra	Walsall
19:45 GMT	Ellis 90+1' (o.g.)	Report	Aneke 51'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 3,777 Referee: Tony Harrington

Rotherham United v Walsall

15 March 2014 (2014-03-15) 37	Rotherham United	1–1	Walsall	Rotherham
15:00 GMT	Adams 89'	Report	Lalkovič 19' Purkiss  47'  73'	Stadium: New York Stadium Attendance: 8,212 Referee: Andy Woolmer

Walsall v Leyton Orient

22 March 2014 (2014-03-22) 38	Walsall	1–1	Leyton Orient	Walsall
15:00 GMT	Downing 14'	Report	Clarke 78'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 5,779 Referee: Tim Robinson

Bradford City v Walsall

25 March 2014 (2014-03-25) 39	Bradford City	0–2	Walsall	Bradford
19:45 GMT		Report	Westcarr 68', 78'	Stadium: Valley Parade Attendance: 12,165 Referee: Keith Stroud

Walsall v Shrewsbury Town

29 March 2014 (2014-03-29) 40	Walsall	1–0	Shrewsbury Town	Walsall
15:00 GMT	Westcarr 5'  72'	Report	Mills  62'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 4,222 Referee: Bobby Madley

Port Vale v Walsall

5 April 2014 (2014-04-05) 41	Port Vale	1–0	Walsall	Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent
15:00 BST	Myrie-Williams 52' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 5,569 Referee: Carl Berry

Walsall v Bristol City

12 April 2014 (2014-04-12) 42	Walsall	0–1	Bristol City	Walsall
15:00 BST		Report	Baldock 45' (pen.)	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 5,110 Referee: Nigel Miller

Carlisle United v Walsall

18 April 2014 (2014-04-18) 43	Carlisle United	1–1	Walsall	Carlisle
15:00 BST	Noble 13'	Report	Ngoo 82'	Stadium: Brunton Park Attendance: 4,389 Referee: Darren Drysdale

Walsall v Gillingham

21 April 2014 (2014-04-21) 44	Walsall	1–1	Gillingham	Walsall
15:00 BST	Brandy 55'	Report	McDonald 84'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 3,890 Referee: Darren Sheldrake

Stevenage v Walsall

26 April 2014 (2014-04-26) 45	Stevenage	3–2	Walsall	Stevenage
15:00 BST	Smith 35' N'Guessan 53' Freeman 82'	Report	Benning 46' Westcarr 50'	Stadium: Broadhall Way Attendance: 2,973 Referee: Graham Horwood

Walsall v Colchester United

3 May 2014 (2014-05-03) 46	Walsall	0–1	Colchester United	Walsall
15:00 BST		Report	Eastmond 54'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 4,271 Referee: David Webb

FA Cup

Main article: 2013–14 FA Cup

Walsall v Shrewsbury Town

9 November 2013 First round	Walsall	3–0	Shrewsbury Town	Walsall
15:00	Westcarr 29', 59' Sawyers 73'	Report		Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 3,338 Referee: Charles Breakspear

Leyton Orient v Walsall

7 December 2013 Second round	Leyton Orient	1–0	Walsall	Leyton, London
15:00	Cox 41'	Report		Stadium: Brisbane Road Attendance: 2,604 Referee: Mark Brown

League Cup

Main article: 2013–14 Football League Cup

Port Vale v Walsall

6 August 2013 First round	Port Vale	1–2	Walsall	Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent
19:45 BST	Robertson 59'	Report	Westcarr 43' Baxendale 84'	Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 4,013 Referee: Andy Haines

Stoke City v Walsall

28 August 2013 Second round	Stoke City	3–1	Walsall	Stoke-on-Trent
19:45 BST	Jones 22', 31', 84'	Report	Hemmings 57'	Stadium: Britannia Stadium Attendance: 11,667 Referee: Michael Naylor

League Trophy

Main article: 2013–14 Football League Trophy

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Walsall

3 September 2013 First round	Wolverhampton Wanderers	2–2 (4–2 p)	Walsall	Wolverhampton
19:45	McAlinden 5' Sako 63'	Report	Hemmings 54' Hewitt 85'	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 13,481 Referee: Darren Deadman
	Penalties
	Sigurðarson Sako Doherty Davis		Westcarr Taylor Mantom Downing

First-team squad

Squad at end of season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	ENG	Richard O'Donnell
2	DF	ENG	Ben Purkiss
3	DF	ENG	Andy Taylor
4	DF	ENG	Andy Butler
5	DF	NIR	Dean Holden
6	MF	ENG	Nicky Featherstone
7	MF	ENG	Adam Chambers
8	MF	ENG	Sam Mantom
9	FW	SVK	Milan Lalkovič (on loan from Chelsea)
10	FW	ENG	Craig Westcarr
11	MF	ENG	Ashley Hemmings
12	DF	ENG	Paul Downing
13	GK	ENG	Shane Lewis
14	DF	ENG	Mal Benning
15	DF	ENG	James Chambers

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
16	MF	ENG	James Baxendale
17	MF	ENG	Reece Flanagan
18	DF	ENG	Ben George
19	FW	ENG	Jake Heath
20	DF	ENG	Matt Preston
21	MF	ENG	Kieron Morris
22	GK	ENG	Liam Roberts
23	FW	ENG	Danny Griffiths
24	FW	ENG	Troy Hewitt
25	MF	SKN	Romaine Sawyers
26	MF	NIR	James McQuilkin
27	FW	SLE	Amadou Bakayoko
29	FW	ENG	Febian Brandy (on loan from Sheffield United)
30	FW	ENG	Michael Ngoo (on loan from Liverpool)

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
27	MF	ENG	Julian Gray (released)

Squad statistics

Source:

Numbers in parentheses denote appearances as substitute.

Players with squad numbers struck through and marked † left the club during the playing season.

Players with names in italics and marked * were on loan from another club for the whole of their season with Walsall.

Players listed with no appearances have been in the matchday squad but only as unused substitutes.

Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
				League		FA Cup		League Cup		FL Trophy		Total		Discipline
1	GK	ENG	Richard O'Donnell	46	0	2	0	2	0	1	0	51	0	2	0
2	DF	ENG	Ben Purkiss	10 (4)	0	1 (1)	0	0	0	0	0	11 (5)	0	3	1
3	DF	ENG	Andy Taylor	32 (1)	1	2	0	1	0	1	0	36 (1)	1	6	0
4	DF	ENG	Andy Butler	45	2	2	0	2	0	1	0	50	2	3	2
5	DF	ENG	Dean Holden	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	MF	ENG	Nicky Featherstone	10 (15)	0	1	0	1 (1)	0	1	0	13 (16)	0	1	0
7	MF	ENG	Adam Chambers	45	0	2	0	1	0	1	0	49	0	7	0
8	MF	ENG	Sam Mantom	43	5	2	0	2	0	1	0	48	5	3	1
9	MF	SVK	Milan Lalkovič *	30 (8)	6	2	0	1	0	1	0	34 (8)	6	4	0
10	FW	ENG	Craig Westcarr	40 (3)	14	2	2	2	1	0 (1)	0	44 (4)	17	1	1
11	FW	ENG	Ashley Hemmings	14 (13)	2	1 (1)	0	2	1	1	1	18 (14)	4	1	0
12	DF	ENG	Paul Downing	43 (1)	1	2	0	2	0	1	0	48 (1)	1	5	0
13	GK	ENG	Shane Lewis	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
14	DF	ENG	Mal Benning	14 (2)	2	0 (1)	0	1	0	0	0	15 (3)	2	3	0
15	DF	ENG	James Chambers	40	1	1	0	2	0	1	0	44	1	4	0
16	MF	ENG	James Baxendale	25 (15)	2	1 (1)	0	2	1	1	0	29 (16)	3	0	0
17	MF	ENG	Reece Flanagan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
18	DF	ENG	Ben George	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
21	MF	ENG	Kieron Morris	1 (1)	0	0	0	0 (1)	0	0	0	1 (2)	0	0	0
22	GK	ENG	Liam Roberts	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
24	FW	ENG	Troy Hewitt	8 (19)	0	0 (1)	0	0 (1)	0	0 (1)	1	8 (22)	1	0	0
25	MF	SKN	Romaine Sawyers	29 (15)	6	1 (1)	1	1 (1)	0	1	0	32 (17)	7	2	0
26	MF	NIR	James McQuilkin	2 (7)	0	0	0	0 (1)	0	0	0	2 (8)	0	0	0
27 †	MF	ENG	Julian Gray	0 (12)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0 (12)	1	0	0
27	FW	SLE	Amadou Bakayoko	0 (6)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0 (6)	0	0	0
29	FW	ENG	Febian Brandy *	20	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	20	4	0	0
30	FW	ENG	Michael Ngoo *	4 (10)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4 (10)	1	2	0

Players not included in matchday squads

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name
19	MF	ENG	Jake Heath
20	DF	ENG	Matt Preston
23	FW	ENG	Danny Griffiths