Cheltenham Town vs Walsall - preview: Saddlers chase record breaking win on the road

The Saddlers maintained their 12-point cushion at the League Two summit by coming from behind to beat fellow promotion contenders Notts County 2-1 at Meadow Lane on New Year's Day. 

That latest success propelled Walsall to seven league wins on the spin in a single season for the first time in 65 years and extended their unbeaten run to 14 in League Two. 

Mat Sadler's charges have gone almost four months without a league defeat on the road and boast the best away record in the division after matching their tally of 23 points from the previous campaign after just 11 games. 

Walsall also possess the meanest defence in League Two (conceding just six goals) while Alassana Jatta's 26th-minute opener was the first time Tommy Simkin had conceded a league goal in 476 minutes. 

That ended a sequence of five clean sheets but the Stoke City loanee still tops the charts with 11 shutouts in the race for the League Two golden glove. 

The League Two leaders trailed at the break for the first time since losing 1-0 at MK Dons on September 7 but continued their remarkable track record in the second half to mount a memorable comeback. 

Jamille Matt climbed off the bench to equalise in the 65th minute before Nathan Lowe bagged a crucial 82nd-minute winner to score his fifth goal in four games 

The 19-year-old has scored 17 goals across all competitions and 14 in the league to lead the race for the golden boot by two as it stands. 

Meanwhile, Walsall have scored 72 per cent of their goals in the second half (31) with opponents Cheltenham scoring the second-most with 21. 

Evan Weir had his finger prints over both goals as he collected a pair of assists on only his second league start for the club. The Irishman also made a miraculous last-ditch clearance to deny Jatta in the first half and gave Sadler another selection dilemma ahead of the weekend. 

Former Walsall boss Michael Flynn has helped propel Cheltenham to within six points of the play-off spots after a difficult start to the campaign. 

Cheltenham collected just three wins from their opening 11 games in League Two but have since lost just twice in their last 13 league games (winning five, drawing six). 

Jack Earing remains a strong doubt for the trip to South Gloucestershire after suffering an ankle injury in the final game of 2024. The midfielder was forced off in the dying stages in the 2-0 win over Newport County at Bescot after an impactful cameo from the bench. 

Brandon Comley returned to the squad on New Year's Day after spending the past month out of action with a fractured cheekbone. Meanwhile, Josh Gordon has returned to first team training but is not expected to be available for another fortnight. 

George Hall (hamstring) and Priestley Farquharson (thigh) both remain long-term absentees.