| 2017–18 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Jeff Bonser | |||
| Manager | Jon Whitney (Until 12 March 2018) Ian Sharps Caretaker (from 12 March 2018 till 16 March 2018) Dean Keates (from 16 March 2018) | |||
| Stadium | Bescot Stadium | |||
| League One | 19th | |||
| FA Cup | First round | |||
| EFL Cup | First round | |||
| EFL Trophy | Second round | |||
| Top goalscorer | League: Erhun Oztumer (15) All: Erhun Oztumer (17) | |||
The 2017–18 season was Walsall's 130th season in their existence and their eleventh consecutive season in League One. [1] Along with competing in League One, the club participated in the FA Cup, League Cup and EFL Trophy.
The season covers the period from 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018.
| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 July 2017 | Kidderminster Harriers XI | H | W | 2–0 | Peters, Bakayoko | 0 | [2] |
| 15 July 2017 | Solihull Moors | A | L | 2–3 | Kouhyar, Edwards | 647 | [3] |
| 18 July 2017 | Aston Villa | H | D | 0–0 | 7,022 | [4] | |
| 19 July 2017 | Stafford Rangers | A | L | 2–3 | Candlin (2) | 323 | [5] |
| 22 July 2017 | Chester | A | W | 2–1 | Leahy, Candlin | 888 | [6] |
| 26 July 2017 | West Bromwich Albion | H | L | 1–2 | Bakayoko | [7] | |
| 27 July 2017 | Chasetown | A | W | 5–1 | Hayles-Docherty, Fisher, Candlin (3) | [8] | |
| 29 July 2017 | Lincoln City | A | L | 1–2 | Jackson | 2,376 | [9] |
| 1 August 2017 | Rushall Olympic | A | D | 2–2 | Sangha, Peters | [10] |
| Date | League position | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 August 2017 | 21st | Bury | A | L | 0–1 | 4,240 | [11] | |
| 12 August 2017 | 12th | Oldham Athletic | H | W | 2–1 | Edwards, Oztumer | 4,419 | [12] |
| 19 August 2017 | 12th | Portsmouth | A | D | 1–1 | Leahy | 17,198 | [13] |
| 26 August 2017 | 13th | Bradford City | H | D | 3–3 | Leahy, T. Roberts, Bakayoko | 4,817 | [14] |
| 2 September 2017 | 10th | Plymouth Argyle | H | W | 2–1 | Agyei, Oztumer | 5,495 | [15] |
| 9 September 2017 | 13th | Bristol Rovers | A | L | 1–2 | Wilson | 8,544 | [16] |
| 12 September 2017 | 14th | Rotherham United | A | L | 1–5 | Bakayoko | 7,330 | [17] |
| 16 September 2017 | 14th | Peterborough United | H | D | 1–1 | Oztumer | 4,453 | [18] |
| 23 September 2017 | 13th | Oxford United | A | W | 2–1 | Edwards, T. Roberts | 6,895 | [19] |
| 26 September 2017 | 13th | Charlton Athletic | H | D | 2–2 | T. Roberts, Agyei | 3,712 | [20] |
| 30 September 2017 | 16th | Wigan Athletic | A | L | 0–2 | 8,107 | [21] | |
| 7 October 2017 | 16th | Shrewsbury Town | H | D | 1–1 | Agyei | 5,971 | [22] |
| 14 October 2017 | 16th | Blackpool | H | D | 1–1 | Oztumer | 4,503 | [23] |
| 17 October 2017 | 16th | Milton Keynes Dons | A | D | 1–1 | T. Roberts (pen) | 7,258 | [24] |
| 21 October 2017 | 14th | Doncaster Rovers | A | W | 3–0 | Oztumer (2), Morris | 7,391 | [25] |
| 28 October 2017 | 15th | Southend United | H | L | 0–1 | 4,145 | [26] | |
| 18 November 2017 | 18th | Gillingham | H | L | 0–1 | 4,917 | [27] | |
| 21 November 2017 | 15th | Fleetwood Town | H | W | 4–2 | Oztumer, Ismail, T. Roberts, Agyei | 3,225 | [28] |
| 25 November 2017 | 13th | AFC Wimbledon | A | W | 2–1 | Oztumer, Bakayoko | 4,130 | [29] |
| 9 December 2017 | 11th | Scunthorpe United | H | W | 1–0 | Morris | 3,865 | [30] |
| 16 December 2017 | 11th | Northampton Town | A | L | 1–2 | Oztumer | 5,055 | [31] |
| 23 December 2017 | 11th | Rochdale | A | D | 1–1 | Kouhyar | 2,702 | [32] |
| 26 December 2017 | 12th | Bristol Rovers | H | D | 0–0 | 5,759 | [33] | |
| 30 December 2017 | 14th | Rotherham United | H | L | 1–2 | Edwards | 4,685 | [34] |
| 1 January 2018 | 18th | Plymouth Argyle | A | L | 0–1 | 10,432 | [35] | |
| 13 January 2018 | 15th | Oxford United | H | W | 2–1 | Oztumer, Bakayoko | 4,569 | [36] |
| 20 January 2018 | 16th | Charlton Athletic | A | L | 1–3 | Oztumer | 10,140 | [37] |
| 30 January 2018 | 18th | Blackburn Rovers | A | L | 1–3 | Edwards | 11,241 | [38] |
| 3 February 2018 | 16th | Milton Keynes Dons | H | W | 1–0 | Ngoy | 4,009 | [39] |
| 10 February 2018 | 16th | Blackpool | A | D | 2–2 | Edwards, Guthrie | 3,404 | [40] |
| 13 February 2018 | 15th | Doncaster Rovers | H | W | 4–2 | Edwards (2), Morris, Bakayoko | 3,514 | [41] |
| 17 February 2018 | 16th | Gillingham | A | D | 0–0 | 4,682 | [42] | |
| 24 February 2018 | 17th | Blackburn Rovers | H | L | 1–2 | Fitzwater | 6,893 | [43] |
| 27 February 2018 | 17th | Peterborough United | A | L | 1–2 | Ngoy | 2,531 | [44] |
| 3 March 2018 | 13th | Southend United | A | W | 3–0 | Oztumer (3) | 6,413 | [45] |
| 6 March 2018 | 13th | Rochdale | H | L | 0–3 | 3,505 | [46] | |
| 10 March 2018 | 14th | Shrewsbury Town | A | L | 0–2 | 7,633 | [47] | |
| 21 March 2018 | 17th | Wigan Athletic | H | L | 0–3 | 4,477 | [48] | |
| 31 March 2018 | 18th | Portsmouth | H | L | 0–1 | 5,159 | [49] | |
| 7 April 2018 | 18th | Bury | H | W | 1–0 | Thompson (og) | 3,807 | [50] |
| 11 April 2018 | 18th | Oldham Athletic | A | D | 1–1 | Fitzwater | 3,424 | [51] |
| 14 April 2018 | 19th | AFC Wimbledon | H | L | 2–3 | Fitzwater, Ngoy | 4,663 | [52] |
| 21 April 2018 | 19th | Scunthorpe United | A | L | 0–1 | 4,083 | [53] | |
| 28 April 2018 | 18th | Northampton Town | H | W | 1–0 | Dobson | 8,919 | [54] |
| 1 May 2018 | 18th | Bradford City | A | D | 1–1 | Oztumer | 18,976 | [55] |
| 5 May 2018 | 19th | Fleetwood Town | A | L | 0–2 | 3,644 | [56] |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Gillingham | 46 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 50 | 55 | −5 | 56 | |
| 18 | AFC Wimbledon | 46 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 47 | 58 | −11 | 53 | |
| 19 | Walsall | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 53 | 66 | −13 | 52 | |
| 20 | Rochdale | 46 | 11 | 18 | 17 | 49 | 57 | −8 | 51 | |
| 21 | Oldham Athletic (R) | 46 | 11 | 17 | 18 | 58 | 75 | −17 | 50 | Relegation to EFL League Two |
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | 4 November 2017 | Newport County | A | L | 1–2 | Bakayoko | 2,701 | [57] |
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | 9 August 2017 | Sheffield United | A | L | 2–3 | Bakayoko, Oztumer (pen) | 5,210 | [58] |
| Pos | Lge | Team | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L1 | Walsall (Q) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 7 | Round 2 |
| 2 | L1 | Shrewsbury Town (Q) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 | |
| 3 | L2 | Coventry City (E) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 5 | |
| 4 | ACA | West Bromwich Albion U21 (E) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 0 |
| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Scorers | Attendance | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Group E | 19 September 2017 | West Bromwich Albion U21s | H | W | 3–1 | Flanagan, Ismail, Leahy | 1,055 | [59] |
| Northern Group E | 3 October 2017 | Coventry City | H | D | 2–2 [A] | Ismail, Agyei | 1,517 | [60] |
| Northern Group E | 7 November 2017 | Shrewsbury Town | A | W | 1–0 | Bakayoko | 1,701 | [61] |
| Second round | 2 December 2017 | Bury | H | L | 1–2 | Oztumer | 1,065 | [62] |
| Date | Name | From | Fee | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2017 | Nicky Devlin | Ayr United | Free | [63] |
| 1 July 2017 | Mark Gillespie | Carlisle United | Free | [64] |
| 1 July 2017 | Jon Guthrie | Crewe Alexandra | Free | [65] |
| 1 July 2017 | Luke Leahy | Falkirk | Free (released) | [66] |
| 3 January 2018 | George Dobson | Sparta Rotterdam | Undisclosed | [67] |
| Date | Name | To | Fee | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 June 2017 | Andreas Makris | APOEL Nicosia | Undisclosed | [68] |
| 30 June 2017 | Bradley Caswell | Stafford Rangers | Released | [69] |
| 30 June 2017 | Lezion Cela | Smethwick | Released | [69] |
| 30 June 2017 | Craig MacGillivray | Shrewsbury Town | Released | [69] [70] |
| 30 June 2017 | Ashley Maddocks | Unattached | Released | [69] |
| 30 June 2017 | Franck Moussa | Gillingham | Released | [69] [71] |
| 30 June 2017 | Isaiah Osbourne | Forest Green Rovers | Released | [69] [72] |
| 30 June 2017 | Theo Vassell | Gateshead | Released | [69] [73] |
| 30 June 2017 | Neil Etheridge | Cardiff City | Rejected new contract | [74] |
| 30 June 2017 | Matt Preston | Swindon Town | Rejected new contract | [69] [75] [76] |
| 31 August 2017 | James O'Connor | Kidderminster Harriers | Contract terminated by mutual consent | [77] [78] |
| 29 December 2017 | Rory Oliver | Unattached | Released | [69] [79] |
| 29 December 2017 | Sam Tonks | Unattached | Released | [69] [79] |
| Date | Name | From | End date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 July 2017 | James Wilson | Sheffield United | 11 January 2018 | [80] |
| 11 August 2017 | Shaun Donnellan | West Bromwich Albion | 1 January 2018 | [81] |
| 25 August 2017 | Tyler Roberts | West Bromwich Albion | 26 January 2018 | [82] |
| 31 August 2017 | Dan Agyei | Burnley | 4 January 2018 | [83] |
| 31 August 2017 | Zeli Ismail | Bury | 4 January 2018 | [83] |
| 29 January 2018 | Justin Shaibu | Brentford | 6 May 2018 | [84] |
| 31 January 2018 | Krystian Bielik | Arsenal | 6 May 2018 | [85] |
| 31 January 2018 | Jack Fitzwater | West Bromwich Albion | 6 May 2018 | [85] |
| 31 January 2018 | Julien Ngoy | Stoke City | 6 May 2018 | [85] |
| Date | Name | To | End date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 August 2017 | Milan Butterfield | Leamington | 5 September 2017 | [86] |
| 20 October 2017 | Milan Butterfield | Rushall Olympic | 28 April 2018 | [87] [88] |
| 20 October 2017 | Jordan Sangha | Rushall Olympic | 22 March 2018 | [87] [88] [89] |
| 31 January 2018 | Simeon Jackson | Grimsby Town | 6 May 2018 | [90] |
| 22 March 2018 | Jordan Sangha | Leamington | 28 April 2018 | [89] |
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | EFL Trophy | Total | Discipline | ||||||||||
| 1 | GK | Mark Gillespie | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2 | MF | Joe Edwards | 29 (1) | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 32 (2) | 7 | 5 | 0 | |
| 3 | DF | Luke Leahy | 46 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 52 | 3 | 4 | 0 | |
| 4 | MF | George Dobson | 19 (2) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 (2) | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
| 5 | DF | Jon Guthrie | 46 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 52 | 1 | 4 | 0 | |
| 6 | DF | Nicky Devlin | 30 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 32 (4) | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 7 | MF | Adam Chambers | 43 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| 8 | MF | Florent Cuvelier | 10 (13) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 (13) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | FW | Simeon Jackson | 1 (7) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 1 (9) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 10 | MF | Erhun Oztumer | 41 (4) | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 (2) | 1 | 44 (6) | 17 | 3 | 0 | |
| 11 | MF | Kieron Morris | 35 (7) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 41 (7) | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
| 13 | GK | Liam Roberts | 23 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 27 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | James Wilson * | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 15 | MF | Liam Kinsella | 17 (2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 22 (2) | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 16 | FW | Justin Shaibu * | 3 (11) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 (11) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 17 | MF | Reece Flanagan | 3 (6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 (1) | 1 | 6 (7) | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| FW | Tyler Roberts * | 11 (6) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 (6) | 5 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 18 | FW | Julien Ngoy * | 9 (4) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 (4) | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
| MF | Zeli Ismail * | 12 (4) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 16 (4) | 3 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 20 | FW | Amadou Bakayoko | 33 (8) | 5 | 0 (1) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 (1) | 1 | 37 (10) | 8 | 8 | 1 | |
| 22 | MF | Jordan Sangha | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | Shaun Donnellan * | 7 (3) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 (3) | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 23 | DF | Jack Fitzwater * | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 0 | |
| 24 | DF | Kory Roberts | 17 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 21 (3) | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 25 | MF | Maziar Kouhyar | 5 (10) | 1 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 (12) | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | Rory Oliver | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 27 | MF | Daniel O'Sullivan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 28 | DF | Callum Cockerill-Mollett | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 29 | MF | Will Shorrock | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | Dan Agyei * | 7 (11) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1) | 1 | 9 (12) | 5 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 33 | MF | Stefan Mason | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 34 | DF | Dan Vann | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 35 | MF | Tobias Hayles-Docherty | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 36 | FW | Mitchel Candlin | 0 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 37 | GK | Brandon Ganley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 38 | FW | Joe Cairns | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| DF | James O'Connor | ||
| 14 | DF | Krystian Bielik * | |
| 21 | MF | Milan Butterfield | |
| 30 | FW | Cameron Peters | |
| DF | Sam Tonks |
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