Walsall Boss Chris Hutchings On The Game

Last updated : 30 April 2010 By Thetashkentterror

Chris Hutchings
Saddlers manager Chris Hutchings spoke to his club's official website and the Walsall Express and Star ahead of his side's League One game against Carlisle at Brunton Park tomorrow, Hutchings seeing some similarities between the two clubs :


" In many ways, Carlisle have been similar to us this season in that one minute they have been within touching distance of the play-offs and the next they have been out of reach.

" It will be a tough game for us. Greg Abbott and his staff have done a good job up there and like ourselves, they too will be hoping to go into the summer on the back of some positive results.

" Our objective is to finish the season with two wins to give ourselves the chance of making that tenth spot. We want to end on a high and find ourselves up against two teams in Carlisle and MK Dons who are near us in the table.

" The youngsters are coming along nicely. That said, they know themselves that they've got so much more to do and so much more to learn. Sometimes it has to come from within; I want to see them staying behind after training and putting the extra work in to help themselves and the club progress. "



" Throughout pre-season there are going to be clubs who have nothing going on, at least we have something going on. Players are paid for three months with no revenue coming in and it makes you wonder how clubs survive. You see teams asking for players to take reduced wages and that's got to come.

" All clubs have got to run a tight ship, so credit to the chairman and the board for doing it and keeping us in the black. Premier League sides are in massive debt, so it's tight and you have to work within your means and budgets will be reduced.

" They might think they might have the same money to spend next year as what they've had this year, but you can't see it if you're not getting people through the gate. We rely a lot on the corporate side and even that's gone quiet because people aren't spending the money one way or another and it's massive for the club.

" Having money doesn't guarantee success. Look at Brighton, they have a much bigger budget than us and have slowly got away from the bottom of the league but they are a prime example. "

 



Meanwhile Saddlers utility man Richard Taundry told the Express and Star :

" It would be massive for us to go above Milton Keynes Dons at the end of the season as they are a big team, it would be a massive bonus for us. I think it will show what effort we've put into the last few games.

" Earlier in the season there were some good performances but we weren't quite getting the results. Then we weren't putting in the performances we knew we were capable of. The last few games have been a big plus. "

 

 

In team news for the Saddlers, out-of-contract right-back Rhys Weston will be available for selection after spending a two day trial at SPL outfit Motherwell earlier this week. Weston though expecting competition for that defensive berth at Brunton Park tomorrow from 19-year-old Darryl Westlake who should be fit again after suffering a slight ankle twist at home to Hartlepool last Saturday.

Also returning for the visitors is midfielder, and captain, Mark Hughes who has just completed a two-match ban after picking up two red cards in the space of four games. One player rated as 50-50 for tomorrow's match though is experienced striker Darren Byfield who has been out recently with a knee injury, while definitely sidelined is midfielder Dwayne Mattis who has been missing for a couple of weeks with an Achilles problem.

 


The referee for tomorrow's match is David Foster from Newcastle, and he will be assisted down the lines by Scott Duncan, who is also from Newcastle, and Scott Oldham from Poulton-le-Fylde in Lancashire. Meanwhile the fourth official is Tony Harrington from Hartlepool.