Mullen goes for proven goalkeeper
Express & Star
Walsall boss Jimmy Mullen will turn to his most proven goalkeeper as Walsall prepare for Saturday’s Banks’s Stadium clash with in-form Millwall.
Experienced No 1 Clayton Ince has completed his recovery from injury and will get the nod, despite Rene Gilmartin’s impressive contribution as stand-in.
That is tough luck for Gilmartin, but, with the Saddlers season balanced at tipping point, Mullen once his most senior keeper on hand for the challenge.
Mid-table Saddlers are eight points away from the play-offs and the same distance from the relegation zone.
The Walsall manager is determined to keep the focus on looking above and not what is behind them. Ince has missed four games with a torn groin muscle.
Mullen said: “He is recovered and available again and it’s a very difficult decision. Rene has done well in his absence but when he is fit, Clayton is my number one keeper and will return.
“I have been pleased with our form levels over the last three games, although the results have been unkind to us.
“But we want to keep on the coat tails of the teams above us because we still believe we can make a challenge further up the table.”
Mullen will have to reshuffle his team anyway, as the club waits to discover the extent of the knee injury suffered by central defender Stephen Roberts.
