"Football works in mysterious ways" Milan Lalkovic hopes Walsall can bury the ghost of 2016
Will history repeat itself on Saturday or can Walsall finally bury the ghost of 2016?
Nine years ago, Walsall suffered final day heartbreak. Burton Albion had pipped them to promotion in League One with a goalless draw against Doncaster despite the Saddlers inflicting a 5-0 crushing on local rivals Port Vale.
Fast forward to 2025, Mat Sadler has the task of reversing a wretched 13-game winless run to get Walsall over the line at Crewe Alexandra.
"I hope that the football gods have punished Walsall enough for whatever they did before," former Saddlers winger Milan Lalkovic quips only half jokingly.
"Football can work in mysterious ways but hopefully things will be different for Walsall this year."
Lalkovic has had his own difficult battle with the footballing gods and the Saddlers' current predicament evokes bittersweet memories of his final season at Bescot.
Fans will undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on events between Bradford and Fleetwood at Valley Parade this afternoon, but how did the players deal with the pressure under Jon Whitney?
