The 2011–12 season was the 124th season of competitive association football played by Walsall. It was the club's fifth consecutive season in League One since achieving promotion during the 2006–07 season. The club also competed in the FA Cup, League Cup and Football League Trophy.
| 2011–12 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Jeff Bonser | |||
| Manager | Dean Smith | |||
| Top goalscorer | League: Alex Nicholls (5) Jon Macken (5) All: Alex Nicholls (6) Jon Macken (6) | |||
| Highest home attendance | 8,603 vs. Sheffield Wednesday, 26 December 2012 | |||
| Lowest home attendance | 1,802 vs. Dagenham & Redbridge, 13 December 2011 | |||
| Average home league attendance | 4,303 | |||
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Yeovil Town | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 59 | 80 | −21 | 54 | |
| 18 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 10 | 22 | 14 | 55 | 59 | −4 | 52 | |
| 19 | Walsall | 46 | 10 | 20 | 16 | 51 | 57 | −6 | 50 | |
| 20 | Leyton Orient | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 48 | 75 | −27 | 50 | |
| 21 | Wycombe Wanderers (R) | 46 | 11 | 10 | 25 | 65 | 88 | −23 | 43 | Relegation to Football League Two |
Updated to match(es) played on 5 May 2012. Source: BBC Sport
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(R) Relegated
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(R) Relegated
Squad statistics
- Numbers in parentheses denote appearances as substitute.
- Players with squad numbers struck through and marked † left the club during the playing season.
- Players with names in italics and marked * were on loan from another club for the whole of their season with Walsall.
- Players listed with no appearances have been in the matchday squad but only as unused substitutes.
- Key to positions: GK – Goalkeeper; DF – Defender; MF – Midfielder; FW – Forward
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | FA Cup | League Cup | FL Trophy | Total | Discipline | ||||||||||
| 1 | GK |  ENG | Jimmy Walker | 24 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Darryl Westlake | 14 (3) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Mat Sadler | 46 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 52 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Andy Butler | 42 | 5 | 2 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 47 (1) | 5 | 8 | 2 |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Olly Lancashire | 17 (3) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 (3) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Manny Smith | 31 (2) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 36 (2) | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| 7 | MF | ENG | Adam Chambers | 26 (3) | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33 (3) | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 8 | FW | ENG | Ryan Jarvis | 9 (10) | 2 | 0 (3) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 (1) | 1 | 11 (14) | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | FW |  NIR | Will Grigg | 17 (12) | 4 | 2 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 (13) | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | FW |  IRL | Jon Macken | 33 (4) | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 (4) | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | ENG | Kevan Hurst | 30 (4) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 (1) | 1 | 32 (5) | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| 12 | DF |  WAL | Lee Beevers | 28 (7) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 32 (8) | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| 14 | DF | ENG | Richard Taundry | 31 (4) | 0 | 3 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 (1) | 1 | 36 (6) | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | ENG | Jamie Paterson | 24 (10) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 (10) | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | FW | ENG | Alex Nicholls | 32 (13) | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 (1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 (14) | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | ENG | George Bowerman | 3 (19) | 3 | 0 (3) | 1 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 (23) | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| MF |  FRA | Claude Gnakpa | 8 (12) | 1 | 1 (2) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 (14) | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| 19 | MF |  USA | Anton Peterlin | 20 (6) | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 22 (9) | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | ENG | Jake Jones | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | GK |  HUN | Dávid Gróf | 22 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MF | ENG | Dave Martin * | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| MF | ENG | Mark Wilson * | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 24 | DF | ENG | Mal Benning | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MF |  SCO | Andy Halliday * | 2 (5) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 (5) | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 25 | MF |  BEL | Florent Cuvelier * | 17 (1) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 (1) | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 27 | MF | ENG | Sam Mantom * | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | MF |  ARG | Emmanuel Ledesma | 9 (1) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 (1) | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 31 | GK | ENG | Liam Maher | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | FW | ENG | Joey Butlin |
| 23 | FW | ENG | Connor Deards |
| 26 | DF | ENG | Jamie Tank |
Results
Pre-season friendlies
| 13 July 2011 | Greenock Morton | 0–2 | Walsall | Cappielow Park |
| 19:30 | Chambers  Gnakpa |
| 15 July 2011 | Gretna 2008 | 0–0 | Walsall | Raydale Park |
| 19:30 |
| 19 July 2011 | Walsall | 2–3 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Bank's Stadium |
| 19:45 | Macken 20' Grigg 42' | Kightly 14' Griffiths 40' Berra 66' | Attendance: 5,065 |
| 21 July 2011 | Walsall | 1–3 | Aston Villa | Bank's Stadium |
| 19:45 | Bowerman 80' | Bent 8', 36' Heskey 39' | Attendance: 7,170 |
| 26 July 2011 | Cheltenham Town | 3–2 | Walsall | Abbey Business Stadium |
| 19:45 | Spencer 10' Mohamed 45+1' Low 69' | Nicholls 20' Paterson 87' | Attendance: 839 |
League One
| 6 August 2011 1 | Walsall | 1–0 | Leyton Orient | Banks's Stadium |
| 15:00 | Chambers 21' | Attendance: 4,753 |
| 13 August 2011 2 | Hartlepool United | 1–1 | Walsall | Victoria Park |
| 15:00 | Nish 5' | Macken 3' (pen.) | Attendance: 5,170 |
| 16 August 2011 3 | Sheffield United | 3–2 | Walsall | Bramall Lane |
| 19:45 | Lowton 59' Williamson 68' Cresswell 74' (pen.) | Hurst 46' Grigg 51' | Attendance: 16,443 |
| 20 August 2011 4 | Walsall | 1–1 | Yeovil Town | Banks's Stadium |
| 15:00 | Macken 19' | G. Williams 42' | Attendance: 4,247 |
| 27 August 2011 5 | Bournemouth | 0–2 | Walsall | Seward Stadium |
| 15:00 | Jarvis 15' (pen.), 55' | Attendance: 5,092 |
| 3 September 2011 6 | Walsall | 0–1 | Brentford | Banks's Stadium |
| 15:00 | Donaldson 27' | Attendance: 3,972 |
| 10 September 2011 7 | Notts County | 2–1 | Walsall | Meadow Lane |
| 15:00 | L. Hughes 38' Montano 65' | Butler 61' | Attendance: 6,218 |
| 13 September 2011 8 | Walsall | 0–1 | Oldham Athletic | Banks's Stadium |
| 19:45 | Taylor 29' | Attendance: 3,250 |
| 17 September 2011 9 | Walsall | 2–2 | Scunthorpe United | Banks's Stadium |
| 15:00 | Chambers 22' Grigg 83' | Thompson 78' Ryan 90+4' | Attendance: 3,619 |
| 24 September 2011 10 | Colchester United | 1–0 | Walsall | Colchester Community Stadium |
| 15:00 | Wordsworth 33' (pen.) | Attendance: 3,103 |
| 1 October 2011 11 | Walsall | 1–1 | Carlisle United | Banks's Stadium |
| 15:00 | Grigg 33' | Robson 50' | Attendance: 3,831 |
| 8 October 2011 12 | Wycombe Wanderers | 1–1 | Walsall | Adams Park |
| 15:00 | Strevens 49' | Nicholls 81' | Attendance: 7,097 |
| 15 October 2011 13 | Walsall | 1–0 | Preston North End | Banks's Stadium |
| 15:00 | Nicholls 10' | Attendance: 4,834 |
| 22 October 2011 14 | Tranmere Rovers | 2–1 | Walsall | Prenton Park |
| 15:00 | Weir 59' Tiryaki 80' | Butler 73' | Attendance: 4,469 |
| 25 October 2011 15 | Walsall | 1–2 | Exeter City | Banks's Stadium |
| 19:45 | Nicholls 12' | Nardiello 8', 78' | Attendance: 4,003 |
| 29 October 2011 16 | Walsall | 0–2 | MK Dons | Banks's Stadium |
| 15:00 | Lewington 35' Ibehre 45' | Attendance: 3,712 |
| 5 November 2011 17 | Huddersfield Town | 1–1 | Walsall | Galpharm Stadium |
| 15:00 | Novak 67' | Paterson 78' | Attendance: 13,005 |
| 19 November 2011 18 | Walsall | 2–4 | Bury | Banks's Stadium |
| 15:00 | Macken 28' (pen.) Bowerman 90+3' | Sweeney 6' Jones 46' Schumacher 63' John-Lewis 87' | Attendance: 4,785 |
| 26 November 2011 19 | Stevenage | 0–0 | Walsall | Broadhall Way |
| 15:00 | Attendance: 3,140 |
| 10 December 2011 20 | Walsall | 1–1 | Charlton Athletic | Banks's Stadium |
| 15:00 | Macken 36' | Kermorgant 45' | Attendance: 4,537 |
| 17 December 2011 21 | Chesterfield | 1–1 | Walsall | B2net Stadium |
| 15:00 | Lester 90' | Nicholls 29' | Attendance: 6,236 |
| 26 December 2011 22 | Walsall | 2–1 | Sheffield Wednesday | Banks's Stadium |
| 15:00 | Gnakpa 90+1' Smith 90+4' | Lowe 60' | Attendance: 8,603 |
| 31 December 2011 23 | Walsall | 0–0 | Rochdale | Banks's Stadium |
| 13:00 | Attendance: 3,907 |
| 2 January 2012 24 | Bury | 2–1 | Walsall | Gigg Lane |
| 15:00 | Sadler o.g 20' Sweeney 40' | Paterson 39' | Attendance: 3,095 |
| 7 January 2012 25 | Walsall | 2–2 | Bournemouth | Banks's Stadium |
| 15:00 | Macken 15' Butler 44' | Symes pen 62' Fletcher 90+3' | Attendance: 3,658 |
| 14 January 2012 26 | Brentford | 0–0 | Walsall | Griffin Park |
| 15:00 | Attendance: 4,867 |
| 21 January 2012 27 | Carlisle United | 1–1 | Walsall | Brunton Park |
| 15:00 | Miller 7' | Nicholls 82' pen | Attendance: 5,051 |
| 31 January 2012 28 | Walsall | 0–1 | Notts County | Banks's Stadium |
| 19:45 | Hughes 3' | Attendance: 3,647 |
| 14 February 2012 29 | Oldham Athletic | 1–2 | Walsall | Boundary Park |
| 19:45 | Morais 2' Simpson 31' | Cuvelier 74' | Attendance: 2,583 |
| 18 February 2012 30 | Walsall | 2–0 | Wycombe Wanderers | Banks's Stadium |
| 15:00 | Hurst 62' Bowerman 85' | Attendance: 3,491 |
| 21 February 2012 31 | Scunthorpe United | 0–1 | Walsall | Glanford Park |
| 19:45 | Cuvelier 34' | Attendance: 3,455 |
| 25 February 2012 32 | Preston North End | 0–0 | Walsall | Deepdale |
| 15:00 | Attendance: 11,091 |
| 3 March 2012 33 | Leyton Orient | 1–1 | Walsall | Matchroom Stadium |
| 15:00 | Cox 34' | Lancashire 90+4' | Attendance: 4,183 |
| 6 March 2012 34 | Walsall | 3–2 | Sheffield United | Banks's Stadium |
| 19:45 | Mantom 55' Macken 73' Nicholls 81' | Williamson 65' Evans 76' | Attendance: 5,003 |
| 10 March 2012 35 | Walsall | 0–0 | Hartlepool United | Banks's Stadium |
| 15:00 | Attendance: 3,751 |
| 17 March 2012 36 | Yeovil Town | 2–1 | Walsall | Huish Park |
| 15:00 | Williams 63' (84) | Mantom 44' | Attendance: 3,705 |
| 20 March 2012 37 | Sheffield Wednesday | 2–2 | Walsall | Hillsborough |
| 19:45 | Lowe 60' Madine 90+5' | Macken 58' Paterson 73' | Attendance: 18,869 |
| 24 March 2012 38 | Walsall | 1–1 | Stevenage | Banks's Stadium |
| 15:00 | Butler 3' | Bostwick 60' | Attendance: 4,786 |
| 27 March 2012 39 | Walsall | 3–1 | Colchester United | Banks's Stadium |
| 19:45 | Ledesma 38' Sadler 44' Bowerman 73' | Wordsworth 11' | Attendance: 3,331 |
| 31 March 2012 40 | Rochdale | 3–3 | Walsall | Spotland Stadium |
| 15:00 | Kennedy 66' Symes 82' (pen.)Akpa Akpro 90+3' | Ledesma 25' Widdowson 38' (o.g.)Butler 90+4' | Attendance: 2,516 |
| 7 April 2012 41 | Walsall | 3–2 | Chesterfield | Banks's Stadium |
| 15:00 | Ledesma 27' (33) Mantom 58' | Moussa 20' Randall 54'Juan  87'Ridehalgh 90+2' | Attendance: 4,051 |
| 9 April 2012 42 | Charlton Athletic | 1–0 | Walsall | The Valley (London) |
| 15:00 | Pritchard 17' N'Guessan 35'Solly 59' | Ledesma 66' | Attendance: 15,253 |
| 14 April 2012 43 | Walsall | 0–1 | Tranmere Rovers | Banks's Stadium |
| 15:00 | Beevers 30'  90+4'Butler 61' | Welsh 48' Robinson 62'Buchanan 69'McGurk 90+3' | Attendance: 3,895 |
| 21 April 2012 44 | Exeter City | 4–2 | Walsall | St James Park, Exeter |
| 15:00 | Nardiello 50' Gow 69' (77)Sercombe 88' | Smith 12' 66' Nicholls 30'Cuvelier 55' 71'Ledesma 90+6' | Attendance: 4,307 |
| 28 April 2012 45 | Walsall | 1–1 | Huddersfield Town | Banks's Stadium |
| 15:00 | Cuvelier 49' | Novak 2' | Attendance: 4,646 |
| 5 May 2012 46 | Milton Keynes Dons | 0–1 | Walsall | Stadium mk |
| 15:00 | Gleeson 80' | Grigg 18' | Attendance: 10,607 |
FA Cup
| 12 November 2011 Round 1 | Exeter City | 1–1 | Walsall | Exeter |
| 15:00 | Noble 90+4' | Summary | Wilson 21' Butler 27'Beevers 29' | Stadium: St James Park, Exeter Attendance: 3,026 Referee: James Linington |
| 23 November 2011 Round 1 Replay | Walsall | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | Exeter City | Walsall |
| 19:45 | Macken 64' Nicholls 69'Bowerman 98' | Summary | Logan 41' Frear 77'Nichols 108' | Stadium: Banks's Stadium Attendance: 2,089 Referee: Dean Mohareb |
| 3 December 2011 Round 2 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 1–1 | Walsall | Dagenham |
| 15:00 | Nurse 81' | Summary | Gnakpa 76' Jarvis  90+4' | Stadium: Victoria Road (Dagenham) Attendance: 1,237 Referee: Darren Deadman |
| 13 December 2011 Round 2 Replay | Walsall | 0–0 (2–3 p) | Dagenham & Redbridge | Walsall |
| 19:45 | Summary | Ogogo 55' Woodall 112' | Stadium: Banks's Stadium Attendance: 1,802 Referee: Eddie Llderton |
League Cup
| 9 August 2011 1 | Walsall | 0–3 | Middlesbrough | Bank's Stadium |
| 19:45 | Emnes 17', 37', 52' (pen.) | Attendance: 3,564 |
Football League Trophy
| 30 August 2011 Round 1 | Walsall | 2–1 | Shrewsbury Town | Bank's Stadium |
| 19:45 | Jarvis 17' Taundry 35' | Butler 48' (o.g.) | Attendance: 2,605 |
Transfers
| Players transferred in | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Pos. | Name | From | Fee | Ref. |
| 27 June 2011 | DF | Mat Sadler | Watford | Free Transfer | [3] |
| 28 June 2011 | MF | Kevan Hurst | Carlisle United | Free Transfer | [4] |
| 30 June 2011 | FW | Ryan Jarvis | Leyton Orient | Free Transfer | [5] |
| 1 July 2011 | MF | Claude Gnakpa | Luton Town | Free Transfer | [6] |
| 8 July 2011 | MF | Adam Chambers | Leyton Orient | Free Transfer | [7] |
| 14 July 2011 | DF | Lee Beevers | Colchester United | Free Transfer | [8] |
| 19 July 2011 | GK | David Grof | Notts County | Free Transfer | [9] |
| 27 July 2011 | MF | Anton Peterlin | Plymouth Argyle | Free Transfer | [10] |
| Players transferred out | |||||
| Date | Pos. | Name | To | Fee | Ref. |
| 29 May 2011 | DF |  Tom Williams | Kettering Town | Free Transfer | |
| 29 May 2011 | MF | Julian Gray | Nea Salamis Famagusta | Free Transfer | |
| 29 May 2011 | GK | Tim Cooney | Free Agent | Free Fransfer | |
| 29 May 2011 | DF | Sean Geddes | Stourbridge | Free Transfer | |
| 29 May 2011 | FW |  Darren Byfield | Free Agent | Free Transfer | |
| 29 May 2011 | MF | Emmanuel Ledesma | Defensa y Justicia | Free Transfer | |
| 29 June 2011 | GK | Jonny Brain | Nantwich Town | Free Transfer | |
| 29 June 2011 | GK | David Bevan | Daventry Town | Free Transfer | |
| 29 June 2011 | DF | Aaron Lescott | Halesowen Town | Free Transfer | |
| 29 June 2011 | DF | Alex Hickman | Free Agent | Free Transfer | |
| 29 June 2011 | FW | Steve Jones | AFC Telford | Free Transfer | |
| 1 July 2011 | DF | Clayton McDonald | Port Vale | Free Transfer | [11] |
| 28 July 2011 | MF | Matt Richards | Shrewsbury Town | Free Transfer | |
| 3 August 2011 | MF | Paul Marshall | Rochdale | Free Transfer | |
| 27 January 2012 | MF | Claude Gnakpa | Inverness | Free Transfer | |
| Players loaned in | |||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | From | Date to | Ref. |
| 27 January 2012 | MF | Florent Cuvelier | Stoke City | End Of Season | |
| 13 September 2011 | MF | Dave Martin | Derby County | 20 October 2011[12] | [13] |
| 28 October 2011 | MF | Mark Wilson | Doncaster Rovers | 29 November 2011 | |
| 25 November 2011 | MF | Andy Halliday | Middlesbrough | 9 January 2012 | |
| Players loaned out | |||||
| Date from | Pos. | Name | To | Date to | Ref. |
References
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