Chesterfield have key play-off advantage over Walsall - How it came to this | OneFootball

Walsall's collapse saw them fall to fourth place, setting up a tense play-off showdown with in-form Chesterfield, who now hold the momentum.

Walsall were mere moments away from securing a League One return on Saturday afternoon after beating Crewe Alexandra at Gresty Road. However, the Saddlers were pipped by Bradford City in dramatic style as the Bantams secured a 1-0 victory against Fleetwood Town at Valley Parade courtesy of Antoni Sarcevic.

With Walsall condemned to the play-offs, they will face Chesterfield over two legs after the Spireites crashed into the top seven on the final day following a 1-0 win against Accrington Stanley.

Chesterfield have an advantage after Walsall collapse

Welcoming Walsall for the first of two legs on Sunday, it is hard to argue that it is 'advantage Chesterfield' heading into an all-crucial tie.

Losing just three times on home soil this campaign, confidence will be high within the hosts' camp, particularly given the fact that Paul Cook's side held the Saddlers to a 2-2 draw in October as Walsall went on their remarkable run to the top of the League Two standings.

Alongside an unbeaten run in their last six, Chesterfield have lost just five League Two matches since the turn of the year.

Walsall's remarkable collapse in the second half of the campaign, alongside Chesterfield's late run into form at the business end of the season, will see the Spireites sniffing for blood.

Walsall's remarkable collapse

Walsall's implosion has been simply incredible given the circumstances that they found themselves in heading into the back-end of 2024.

Sitting 13 points clear of the promotion line at the top of League Two at the turn of the year, it seemed an absolute certainty that the Saddlers would regain League One status after three years in the fourth tier.

Entering 2025, Doncaster Rovers head coach Grant McCann made a bold statement: "You might think I’m mad, but I am still chasing down Walsall." What has come since has been nothing short of remarkable.

A run of five wins in 23 matches would see Walsall miss out on automatic promotion in heartbreaking fashion on the final day, thanks to a 96th-minute winner for Bradford in their match against Fleetwood that saw the Bantams promoted in place of the Saddlers. And of course, alongside this, Doncaster did indeed catch Walsall and finish the League Two campaign as champions.

Speaking to Express and Star's George Bennett at the club's recent end-of-season awards night, Mat Saddler is confident that his side will be able to recover from their final day blow, the head coach said: "Right now, we've just got to get home, reflect and be with our families for a couple of days, then we get back together, we'll find the right words to then go and attack the next game."

As Taylor Allen was crowned player of the season for the Saddlers on the night, supporters were dealt a kick to the stomach as Nathan Lowe received his top scorer award after his 18 goals hammered Walsall to the top of the league before he was recalled by Stoke City in January.

Despite not playing for the club since the beginning of the year, the young forward still ending the campaign as top scorer has been hugely indicative of just how poor Walsall's form has been since the turn of the year, with the Saddlers winless in 13 before their final day victory against Crewe that was unfortunately not enough to prod them over the promotion line.

Walsall now shift their focus to the play-offs, hoping to recover from the crushing disappointment of missing out on automatic promotion.

However, their path won't be easy, as they face a Chesterfield outfit currently peaking at just the right moment. Paul Cook has assembled a squad brimming with seasoned professionals and assets that could give them a decisive edge in the crucial two legs ahead.

And overall, the simple factor that cannot be ignored is that Chesterfield carry all the momentum, compared to the Saddlers, who could possibly be dead and buried after their final-day bruising.