Walsall board aware of 'urgency to improve' results

Walsall have said the board has met "numerous times" in the past few days to discuss "the challenges we currently face" this season in the light of their faltering promotion bid.

The League Two club's challenge to go up has lost momentum since the start of 2026 and has seen them win only once in seven league games this year.

That run of form has seen them drop from the top of the table on 26 December to their current spot of seventh, one point above the teams chasing a play-off place.

In a statement to fans,, external the club said they "absolutely acknowledge" that recent results had "not met the elevated standards we have set for ourselves" and understood "the urgency to improve the situation".

"Everyone at the club has been working diligently to use this week as an opportunity to reflect and reset ahead of the rest of the season," it added.

Head coach Mat Sadler has come under increasing pressure in recent weeks, with fans calling for him to go during, and after, last Saturday's home defeat by Barnet - their second loss of the week after being beaten at Bristol Rovers four days earlier.

Sadler, who has been in permanent charge since May 2023 and signed a contract extension until 2028 last January, struck a defiant tone after the Bees game, blaming an instant-success culture for driving a lot of supporters' discontent.

Increasing sensitivity to Walsall's form is heightened by what happened last season and the concern that history might be repeating itself.

The Saddlers lost a 12-point lead going into the final third of 2024-25 to finish in the play-offs, only to lose in the final at Wembley.

Walsall co-chair Ben Boycott will be at the club next week to meet with staff and players to "ensure that we take advantage of the opportunity we have in front of us".

The Saddlers do not play again until Wednesday when they go to Grimsby Town and could find themselves outside the play-off spots before they travel to Blundell Park.