Cypriot international Jason Demetriou returns to Walsall with Southend United
Picture: Creative Commons
By Joe Hewlett
Walsall will be looking to bounce back after a 4-0 drubbing to Rochdale in midweek as they host Southend United at The Bescott Stadium.
Jason Demetriou returns to his former stomping ground after failing to nail down a regular starting place in the first team.
Demetriou will be hoping for another delightful afternoon in the Midlands after an impressive record of 11 wins in his 21 appearances at The Bescott Stadium.
The Cypriot international has memories of his time at Walsall but knows coming away with three points is the priority for his side. He told Rochford today: “We’ve got to do our job, get the three points and continue our climb.”
Walsall will be looking to bounce back after a 4-0 drubbing to Rochdale in midweek as they host Southend United at The Bescott Stadium.
After narrowly missing out on promotion last year, Walsall have failed to replicate the same success this year with newly appointed manager Jon Whitney. They have endured a poor run of results with just one win in their last six games.
Whitney spoke to The Express and Star ahead of the match and has demanded an instant response from The Saddlers.
Southend are in form after a run of three games unbeaten which included a win against high-flyers Bradford City. However Phil Brown and his side have a poor record against Walsall in recent times, with their last victory coming in 2010.
If Southend want to end this dismal stat then they must do without defender Ben Coker, who is set for a lengthy spell on the side-lines after picking up an ankle injury.
Michael Timlin looks set to start at left-back having started the 1-1 draw with Swindon on Tuesday night and Striker Marc-Antoine Fortune is in contention to start.
Walsall are also set to make changes following their mid-week defeat and have been boosted by the return of some key first-team players. James O’Connor could make his first start in over a month after recovering from a groin injury.
Kieron Morris could be recalled into the starting team, being declared fit after overcoming an ankle injury. Their only player ruled out is Maz Kouhyar after recently having a knee operation.