By Neil Ravenscroft
October 13 2002

Well, it's two away games and only one point gained for the Saddlers, but the story is a little more complex than that. It's the culmination of three year's efforts. Not many Walsall fans will ever forget that magical afternoon when we beat Oldham and gained promotion to Division One, after being the bookies favourites to go down that season.
However, the club at the time was still a second division outfit which was over achieving, thanks mainly to the efforts of the Manager, Sir Ray Graydon.
The relegation that season was painful, but we should give the board some credit for hanging on to the players we had signed that season, presumably on far higher wages than we were used to paying, in the hope that we would get back, only for Graydon to perform his second miracle.
We struggled through the next season, realised Graydon had probably taken us as far as he could and along came Colin Lee to save a lost cause (in his case, for the second season running).
Now Colin Lee has taken the club in hand, with the help of the board, and is making us look like a proper first Division outfit, (new stand, new facilities, players comfortable at this level).
How can we tell?
We have played away over the last two weekends a club who were in the Premiership last season and one which nearly got there last season and we are disappointed we haven't got six points.
All of a sudden, we have a team which, at full strength and on it's day, is a match for almost any other in this League and that is something we should all be proud of.

After all the excitements of the last few seasons, the wonders and welcome boredom of mid table mediocrity look achievable at last!