Phil Yelland takes a look at how Walsall have got on during previous visits to Barrow ahead of Saturday's League Two encounter at The Dunes Hotel Stadium.
Saturday sees the visit of Walsall to The Dunes Hotel Stadium, and we will be looking for our first home win over The Saddlers since April 1936. The only goal on that occasion was scored by defender Albert Hunter, who had played for Walsall earlier in his career. It was his only goal for The Bluebirds in his only season at the Club, having arrived from Accrington Stanley; he went on to play for Frickley Colliery and Goole Town.
Last season saw our first meeting here for just over 50 years when Walsall visited for the seventh game of our first League Two campaign since 1972. We led twice through goals from Dior Angus (penalty) and Luke James, but Caolan Lavery (now at Bradford City) scored twice for the visitors to earn them a point and leave us still looking for our first win of the season.
Prior to that, their last visit here was on 23rd February 1970 and was our fourth home game in a row since the re-appointment of Don McEvoy as we battled relegation from what was then Division Three. We had defeated Luton Town and Bury and drawn with Brighton & Hove Albion, but The Saddlers were to head home victorious after winning by the only goal of the game in front of 4,164 fans.
The two previous seasons had seen the teams draw 1-1 here – on both occasions our goal came from Roy McCarthy.
Our best ever win here against The Saddlers came in Division Three North in January 1932 when we triumphed 7-1 with a hat-trick from Joe Wilson who had joined the Club in the summer from Southport. There were two goals from Ernie Suggett (our top scorer that season), with Billy Millar and an own goal from Henry making up the tally.
Walsall spent some time moving between the North and South Divisions, but they were opponents as well in our very first Football League season. We defeated them 3-0 here in February 1922, with goals from top scorer Bernard Sharkey, Bill Eaves and Arthur Rowson.
Since Division Four started in 1958, The Saddlers have visited us six times and have drawn four times and won twice, so it’s time for us to record a win.
Our full record against them here is seven wins, six draws and four defeats in 17 games. Hopefully Saturday will see win number eight.