Saddlers boss Dean Smith spoke to his club's official website ahead of his side's League One match against Carlisle at Brunton Park this evening, Smith looking for some more outstanding professionalism from his players:
“The players are displaying outstanding professionalism and from the moment that we walked off the pitch at Brentford on Saturday, our focus turned to the task in hand at Carlisle this evening. Greg Abbott and Graham Kavanagh have done a great job up at Carlisle on tight resources. We lost at home to them earlier in the season when a draw would have been a fairer result. But we're now going in there with a bit of form and belief. It's another tough challenge for us, but we go there on a four-game unbeaten run and with confidence high.
“There were plenty of positives to come out of our draw at Brentford at the weekend as we took a deserved point and clean sheet from a good side who are sure to be there or thereabouts in the final reckoning. It was always going to be a tough task at Griffin Park, but on a lively surface we had some good spells of play where we caused our hosts problems.
“We are organised and the players know exactly how to see games through, qualities that will stand us in good stead for the battles that lie ahead. I thought that the backing we received from our travelling fans on Saturday was excellent and I would like to thank those who will be back on the road again this evening for what is another long journey.”
In team news for the Saddlers this evening they look likely to have one player definitely missing through injury in right-back Richard Taundry (ankle), while two others are around 50-50 to take part in the match. The pair being two more right-backs in Ben Purkiss (hamstring) and James Chambers (badly cut ankle), those defensive problems for Walsall seeing 19-year old defender Ben George make his Saddlers debut on Saturday.
The referee for this evening’s match is Paul Tierney from Wigan and he will be assisted down the lines by Shaun Hudson from Houghton-le-Spring and Geoffrey Liddle from Darlington. Meanwhile the fourth official is Ross Joyce from Middlesbrough.