Football Season Guide

Darrell Clarke has achieved his first aim in bringing some much-needed stability to the Bescot Stadium. He faced a huge rebuilding job last summer with several influential players leaving the club. He took a gamble on some young players whilst relying on some experienced others and it eventually paid dividends. The first half of the campaign saw some inconsistent results and they struggled at home but were on an upward curve when the season was prematurely ended by the Covid-19 pandemic. Clarke relied on Danny Guthrie and Stuart Sinclair to control the middle of the park whilst Wes McDonald provided some flair on the wings. Striker Josh Gordon finished as leading goalscorer and player-of-the-season and has been attracting some interest. Clarke has only made two additions so far this summer in loan defender George Nurse and making loan midfielder Rory Holden’s move permanent. He has however held on to all of the players he will have wanted to and the Saddlers can go into the new season with an established side. Clarke will be looking for greater consistency and has admitted he is keen to add three or four new faces to his small squad before the transfer window closes in October. If he succeeds, there will be plenty of cause for optimism at the Bescot Stadium.