Will it be - Goals - Goals - Goals ?


By 4two
April 10 2004

A healthy crowd is expected at Bescot for this crunch relegation match between Walsall and Burnley.

 

WALSALL EXPECTS

Who on paper would give us a chance?  They attract higher crowds, they have a bigger stadium and they work on a better budget.

However, we have learnt not to let this bother us. It makes games all that more exciting. Anyone who can cast their mind back to the days of Division 4 will agree - these are the good times.

For Burnley, it would be fair to suggest that they are merely average. Despite being better off in the League Table,  many still see Walsall as the underdog.

TEAM NEWS

Walsall  - Darren Wrack is still injured and will not feature. Vinny Samways will not be joining the squad, he still has his feet up in Spain. Paul Ritchie starts his 2 game suspension. It is unlikely that Lee will change the line up that won at Derby. 

 

Burnley - Boss Stan Ternent starts his four game ban. He will be forced to watch from the stands. West, Chaplow and Adebola are all serious doubts.

 

 

STAR MEN

Walsall - Paul Merson is back. He is now showing the kind of form we have expected of him all season. At last he is getting on the ball, playing in midfield and influencing games. He is coming good at just the right time. We have needed a leader all season, Merse has the qualities.  

Burnley team news - How many teams at our end of the table can say they have a striker who has hit 20 plus goals already this season?  Robbie Blake is one of the divisions most exciting offensive talents. If it wasn't for his 21 goals so far this season - the Clarets could well be doing a lot worse than they are now. He has scored in each of his last two appearances.   

mmTHE SCORE?

Both sides are in the same situation. They need the points for survival. Both will have looked at their remaining fixtures and marked this one down as a possible three points.

The Clarets have only managed one win their last eight games, and that came at struggling Bradford City who look doomed for the drop. But anyone who thinks they can read anything in to this poor run of form should remember that they have given the likes Norwich, Forest, Preston and West Ham a good run for their money in recent weeks. 

The bad patch of form Walsall hit after Christmas seems to be behind them. The goalless draw against West Ham, the return of Paul Merson and a few fresh faces in the camp seems to have done the trick. Walsall have only lost one in the last six.

If anyone thinks this one is going to run to form then think again. Burnley have plenty of pace and movement up front. The forward lines of Coventry, Ipswich and Sunderland had the same qualities, and took our defence to bits. So if that Burnley attack is so good, why are they in danger of going down?

Look no further than their defensive record. The League Table shows that Burnley have conceded 40 goals away from home. How does this compare to that of their rivals...

Goals conceded away from home
Forest 30
Crewe 36
Walsall 25
Rotherham 30
Watford 32
Burnley 40
Gillingham 31
Derby 32

As you can see, it's a pretty poor record - one which Walsall will need to exploit. Then, ironically enough, guess who has the best goal scoring record away from home in our little mini league? Yes, you guessed it - Burnley.

So are we in for a high scoring entertaining encounter which could go either way? It would be nice to think so. Either way, it's sure to be a tense affair.

 

 

 

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