18th August 2000   

Saddlers preview

ATHLETIC will be bidding to repeat their away-day heroics tomorrow when they make the difficult trip to promotion fancies Walsall. Andy Ritchie's side have lost only four out of 19 league games on their travels and last season's revival was based on excellent form away from Boundary Park. They are now looking to extend that run and build on the opening-day hammering of Port Vale. Victory at the Bescot Stadium would be a huge tonic. Ritchie, however, will tell his side: "That was then, this is now." He said: "Our away form was good last year and I'm hoping a lot of our fans will be there because it isn't far to go. "But this is a new season. We must start all over again and make sure we get things right. "Walsall have rejigged their squad and came back from 2-0 down at Rotherham last week, which shows their never-say-die spirit. "We always have a difficult game there, although the way we played against Port Vale means we should be confident for tomorrow."

Ritchie's plans hinge on veteran midfielder John Sheridan, who is a major doubt due to back and knee injuries. Sheridan will have a fitness test, putting Mark Innes and Danny Boshell on alert as obvious replacements. Otherwise, Athletic have a clean bill of health as Neil Adams has recovered from the groin strain picked up last weekend. Striker Steve Whitehall, who was absent last week with a toe injury, is back in the squad and likely to be named on the bench. Scott McNiven also returns, despite playing only one reserve-team game since fracturing his cheekbone. Craig Dudley is recalled, but he may not be involved as Carlo Corazzin has returned safe and sound from Canada's international in Mexico.

Athletic (from): Kelly, Jones, Garnett, Hotte, Adams, Holt, Sheridan, Duxbury, Rickers, Corazzin, Allott, Innes, Boshell, McNiven, Tipton, Whitehall, Miskelly, Dudley, Futcher. 

Walsall are likely to be unchanged from last week's win at Rotherham, although ex-Aston Villa striker Darren Byfield is pushing for a full debut.

Walsall (from): Walker, Brightwell, Tilson, Roper, Aranalde, Hall, Bennett, Bukran, Matias, Angell, Leitao, Byfield, Wrack, Keats, Carter, Emberson. 

WALSALL may axe their most expensive player for tomorrow's clash with surprise Second Division leaders Oldham Athletic at Bescot Stadium. Portuguese hitman Jorge Leitao, a £150,000 summer buy, failed to make the expected impact last week as the Saddlers came from behind to win at Rotherham. Now he is under pressure from former Villa striker Darren Byfield who replaced him during the second half at Millmoor and scored a fine goal for the reserves at York City on Wednesday. Leitao has been doing a lot of travelling and needs time to adjust, but manager Ray Graydon is confident he will prove a valuable addition to the squad. Some supporters will see a number of the new players for the first time. One of them, Brett Angell, has been an instant hit with his two-goal debut against the Millers.

Oldham enjoyed a 4-1 win over relegated Port Vale last week and hope to be unchanged. Latics boss Andy Ritchie said: "It will be very tough for us. "Walsall are one of the strongest sides in the division and they also showed a never-say-die spirit in coming back from two down to win at Rotherham." Graydon said: "We had a wonderful reception from our travelling supporters last week so we are hoping for a big crowd to get behind the lads again tomorrow. "We want to make Bescot a fortress that visiting teams don't fancy coming to and our fans can play a big part in that. "Having won at Rotherham, it is very important to build on that by following up with a win at home. "This season our home form will obviously be vital." Graydon stressed that everyone in the squad was equally important. Anyone not in the starting line-up tomorrow needed to stay focused because they could be required at any moment. Transfer-listed striker Andy Rammell is back in the squad after injury, but may not be quite ready for a spot on the subs' bench. Walsall have had a number of inquiries about him, but so far nothing concrete. 

Walsall should take note of the fact that the Latics performed better on their travels with a haul of 31 points being accumulated from eight victories and seven draws on opposition soil.  Ritchie's summer activity centred on trimming his squad with eight players heading out of Boundary Park. The only addition to the ranks is Canadian striker Carlo Corazzin who agreed a Bosman switch from Northampton. Corazzin was looking to add to his 10 international goals last night when he lined up for Canada in a World Cup qualifier with Mexico. Oldham's pre-season programme saw them win the Isle of Man Tournament courtesy of victories over Burnley, Isle of Man and a penalty shoot-out final success against Bury. A 3-1 victory over a Leeds XI and a 4-0 defeat at home to Manchester City completed their build-up to the season.