Walsall shows fighting spirit at boxing club

And as they look to produce a knockout performance against the Hatters, the Saddlers have checked into Wolverhampton Boxing Club for a grueling session with head coach Richie Carter.

He was tasked with instilling a never say die attitude as Michael Flynn’s charges were put to the test at the Willenhall Road gymnasium.

“Walsall goalkeeping coach Dan Watson is a good friend of mine. He phoned me to say the gaffer, Mickey Flynn, had asked if the guys could do a one-off training session at the club,” Carter said.

“They came down and we worked them hard – gave them the mentality of a boxer. Boxing and football are the same, really, in that the will has to be stronger than the skill.

“In our game, we can’t just pass the ball and give up. We have to keep fighting these rounds. That’s the mentality I was trying to instill in them.

Carter hopes boxing training has done the trick for Walsall and that they return in the future after finding form in League Two.

He added: “They trained hard. It was a bit of a culture shock for them at first, but it stripped them down.

“We put them on the bags and they really wanted it in the end.

“They adapted well and there were some good fighters among them, to be honest with you.

“They did a good job and they are on the verge of wanting to come back.

“Fingers crossed the result comes its way on Saturday, and we can take some credit.”