Accrington Stanley vs Walsall F.C.: League One Match Preview
An intense, 6 point relegation match, is coming up this Saturday 13 April between currently 17th place Accrington Stanley and Walsall F.C. (23rd place) at WHAM Stadium in Accrington, England. The Saddlers of Walsall and Accy are currently separated by 6 places, but just 3 points in the standings. Accrington currently sits on 45 points, and Walsall 42 points. In League One, just six points separate 13th place Gillingham, with 23rd place Walsall, with just 5 games left to play. Of the 11 teams battling, plus Bradford City who is all but relegated already at 36 points, 3 more will be relegated, and the loser of this game will be in dire straights.
Both of these teams are struggling massively lately as Walsall have lost 5 games in a row since last winning against Fleetwood Town on 9 March 2019. Stanley has struggled nearly as badly, gaining just one point in their last 5, a draw with AFC Wimbledon on 6 April 2019. Their last win came in 12 March 2019, 3-1 at Wycombe. Billy Kee leads Accrington in scoring with 12 goals, but has struggled lately, missing a penalty against Wimbledon, and leaving their last match against Rochdale with a cramp in the 68th minute. Walsall’s top scorer is Andy Cook, (not to be confused with Andy Holt) who also has 12 goals.
Accrington Stanley vs Walsall F.C. Vital Information
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This match can be viewed on iFollow (which must be purchased from the Walsall website) in the United States, and on iFollow in the UK at 6:55 AM ET.
Darren Drysdale will be the referee in the middle of the park along with assistants Nik Barnard and Duncan Street. The fourth official will be James Mainwaring.
This will be the 5th meeting all time between Accrington Stanley and Walsall F.C. In the previous 4 meetings, Accrington City has won 2 times, Walsall has won 2, and there have been 0 draws. It was The Reds winning the most recent of those, 1-0, over the Saddlers at Walsall back on 29 September 2018.
Five Points That Shouldn’t be Overlooked
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Before this season, these two clubs had last matched up against each other in a 2009 match, won by Stanley 2-1, in The Carling Cup. Their only other prior meetings were in League Two back in 2006 and 2007, both of which were won by Walsall.
Accrington has struggled to score goals this season, and their total of 41 is tied for second lowest in League One this season. Walsall has struggled on both ends, as their 67 goals allowed are the 4th most in the league, while their 44 scored is the 5th lowest total.
In their first season in League One, Accrington is currently in the highest division in team history. Walsall has been in League One since being promoted from League Two in 2007, which was ironically Stanley’s first season in League Two. The loser of this match will be in serious trouble of heading back to League Two.
Billy Kee’s next goal for Stanley will be his 70th across all competitions since joining the club in 2015. He has a long way to go to catch the club’s all time scoring leader, the late, Dave ‘Haggis’ Hargreaves, who scored 309 in 322 appearances with the club.
Left-back Luke Leahy recently made his 100th appearance with Walsall in their 5 April 2019.
Interview With Accrington Author Darren Woodhead
Accrington Stanley vs Walsall F.C. Prediction
Both of the of these teams have had their struggles especially offensively. With the winner of this game facing almost certain relegation, every centimeter will be at a premium on the pitch. Accrington has really struggled to score recently, but I think in a moment of desperation, John Coleman will get his guys fired up to save the season. 2-1 Accrington.
