Latest news with #NathanLowe
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Walsall are moving forward despite defeat
Walsall boss Mat Sadler believes his side "moved forwards" this season despite missing out on promotion having previously held a 12-point lead at the top of League Two. The Saddlers were top of the table at the start of the year with an impressive margin on their promotion rivals, but a poor run saw them tumble to end the regular campaign in fourth. Sadler's side went on to beat Chesterfield over two legs to reach Monday's League Two play-off final but they were defeated 1-0 by AFC Wimbledon in a cagey affair at Wembley to miss out on promotion as a difficult 2025 continued. "Clearly we had a good lead this season and we lost some really good players, that happens," Sadler told BBC Sport. "The only thing for me is can we recruit a bit better. "We certainly have moved the football club forward and I won't be swayed at all with that." AFC Wimbledon promoted with victory over Walsall The Saddlers were impacted by the loss of teenager Nathan Lowe, who was recalled by his parent club Stoke City in January. Lowe scored 18 times across his 30 appearances while on loan with the club and remained the club's top goal scorer despite only playing for half the season. While Sadler felt the loss of playmakers in his squad post-January, however, he is adamant not to focus on the negatives. "We are not victims, we are fighters so there will be no feeling sorry for myself or the group won't feel sorry for themselves," Sadler added. "We've had loads of adversity and loads of hits and knocks and we've kept going forward. "People didn't expect us to get to the final and we did that. Unfortunately, we didn't quite get over the line." Walsall led the league and recorded a club record nine-successive wins after beating MK Dons on January 18, which took them 15 points clear of fourth place. Without their main source of firing power, Walsall only cobbled together four wins after Lowe's departure, compared to the 17 victories they registered with the 19-year-old in the squad. Lowe would go on to appear in just 10 matches for the Potters after returning to the Championship club. "We took a lot of creativity out the squad at that point," Sadler added. "I think everyone knows we don't have the biggest budget so when you have hits like that, that's difficult to make sure you overcome." The Saddlers went on a 13-game winless streak before the final game of the season to put them just one point outside the top three. A victory against Crewe Alexandra ended their season on a high, breaking their poor run, but their celebrations were short-lived when they discovered rivals Bradford City scored in added time to seal third place and shove Walsall into the play-offs. Walsall then won both their legs against Chesterfield to take a 4-1 victory on aggregate into the final as, yet again, promotion seemed to be within their grasp. But Walsall offered little in response after Myles Hippolyte's strike for the Dons just before half-time in Monday's final, as a nightmare latter half of the season finally reached its conclusion. It would not be a stretch to say Walsall's season was firmly split in two; a storming start and fizzling finish. Sadler had extended his tenure with a new long-term contract on January 7th. Besides, Lowe was not the only star in the squad. Defender Taylor Allen scored the second most goals from distance across the top four tiers of English football across the 2024-25 season, while midfielder Ryan Stirk was joint-fourth for winning possession. But shortly after Lowe departed, Walsall's form dipped, leading to their unenviable winless run until their win on the final day, backed up by two strong performances against Chesterfield in the semi-finals. It looked like they were bouncing back for the play-offs, just in the nick of time, but then the final arrived. The first-half on the Wembley ground saw them stripped back to the type of football that lost them their healthy lead in the first place, offering no creative solutions in the final third. According to Opta, the Saddlers are the first team not to register a single shot in the opening half of an EFL play-off final since they began recording in 2012. They put in a better showing in the second-half, with Jamille Matt's effort needing to be cleared off the line, but they could not find an equaliser to keep themselves in with a chance.
BBC News
26-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Walsall are moving forward despite defeat
Walsall boss Mat Sadler believes his side "moved forwards" this season despite missing out on promotion having previously held a 12-point lead at the top of League Saddlers were top of the table at the start of the year with an impressive margin on their promotion rivals, but a poor run saw them tumble to end the regular campaign in side went on to beat Chesterfield over two legs to reach Monday's League Two play-off final but they were defeated 1-0 by AFC Wimbledon in a cagey affair at Wembley to miss out on promotion as a difficult 2025 continued."Clearly we had a good lead this season and we lost some really good players, that happens," Sadler told BBC Sport."The only thing for me is can we recruit a bit better."We certainly have moved the football club forward and I won't be swayed at all with that." The Saddlers were impacted by the loss of teenager Nathan Lowe, who was recalled by his parent club Stoke City in scored 18 times across his 30 appearances while on loan with the club and remained the club's top goal scorer despite only playing for half the Sadler felt the loss of playmakers in his squad post-January, however, he is adamant not to focus on the negatives."We are not victims, we are fighters so there will be no feeling sorry for myself or the group won't feel sorry for themselves," Sadler added."We've had loads of adversity and loads of hits and knocks and we've kept going forward."People didn't expect us to get to the final and we did that. Unfortunately, we didn't quite get over the line." What changed for Walsall? Walsall led the league and recorded a club record nine-successive wins after beating MK Dons on January 18, which took them 15 points clear of fourth their main source of firing power, Walsall only cobbled together four wins after Lowe's departure, compared to the 17 victories they registered with the 19-year-old in the would go on to appear in just 10 matches for the Potters after returning to the Championship club."We took a lot of creativity out the squad at that point," Sadler added."I think everyone knows we don't have the biggest budget so when you have hits like that, that's difficult to make sure you overcome."The Saddlers went on a 13-game winless streak before the final game of the season to put them just one point outside the top three.A victory against Crewe Alexandra ended their season on a high, breaking their poor run, but their celebrations were short-lived when they discovered rivals Bradford City scored in added time to seal third place and shove Walsall into the then won both their legs against Chesterfield to take a 4-1 victory on aggregate into the final as, yet again, promotion seemed to be within their Walsall offered little in response after Myles Hippolyte's strike for the Dons just before half-time in Monday's final, as a nightmare latter half of the season finally reached its conclusion. A tale of two halves It would not be a stretch to say Walsall's season was firmly split in two; a storming start and fizzling had extended his tenure with a new long-term contract on January Lowe was not the only star in the Taylor Allen scored the second most goals from distance across the top four tiers of English football across the 2024-25 season, while midfielder Ryan Stirk was joint-fourth for winning shortly after Lowe departed, Walsall's form dipped, leading to their unenviable winless run until their win on the final day, backed up by two strong performances against Chesterfield in the looked like they were bouncing back for the play-offs, just in the nick of time, but then the final first-half on the Wembley ground saw them stripped back to the type of football that lost them their healthy lead in the first place, offering no creative solutions in the final to Opta, the Saddlers are the first team not to register a single shot in the opening half of an EFL play-off final since they began recording in put in a better showing in the second-half, with Jamille Matt's effort needing to be cleared off the line, but they could not find an equaliser to keep themselves in with a chance.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
119 days on top, a 13-game winless run … next stop Wembley on Walsall's rollercoaster
The team that has gatecrashed their way up into the playoffs so often has the momentum in seeking the final promotion place. Walsall are hoping this year it is the team that has crashed down into them that prevails when they take on AFC Wimbledon in Monday's League Two final. Mat Sadler's team were 12 points clear in January. They had won nine successive league games for the first time in their history. Their 6ft 4in teenage goal sensation, who ended up as the League Two young player of the year, was finishing off much of the high pressing and long balls of a well-drilled, young side. Advertisement Then Stoke recalled Nathan Lowe from his loan spell. Walsall's results nosedived and on the final day of the season, and despite winning for the first time in 14 games at Crewe, they slipped out of the third automatic promotion place as Bradford scored a 96th-minute winner against Fleetwood. Clubs with more fragile constitutions might have crumbled. Instead, Walsall overcame Chesterfield, the team who did surge late into the playoffs, in the semi-final, winning 4-1 on aggregate. At Walsall's homespun training ground last week, optimism entwined neatly with quiet diligence as the squad prepared for the club's second visit to Wembley in their 137-year history, 10 years after a Johnstone's Paint Trophy loss to Bristol City. Perspective is everything and Walsall staff and players can see cause for celebration in what is an outstanding season after averaging 15th place since relegation in 2019. Advertisement 'Before the season, no one expected us to be in the position we are now or were in January,' says Liam Gordon, Walsall's talented left wing-back. 'For us as players, we understand how disappointing it is that we let that lead slip, but everyone wrote us off anyway, so it's a massive achievement to reach the final. 'We were disappointed in losing Lowey but he's a great player. We knew he wasn't going to come back to us, so we had to take that out of our minds. 'It's a lot of adversity that we have had to [process]. At times, fear did come into play, naturally when the gap started closing. But we've been able to bounce back and show our mental resilience.' Walsall had been playing to Lowe's strengths and the youngest team in the division looked like they would storm to their first promotion in 18 years. But they still finished as League Two's top scorers, even with the third-lowest possession. Advertisement Sadler, who had two spells at Walsall as a player, says 'it was late doors' when Lowe was recalled. 'How many did Nathan score in the league – 15? So there are another 60 goals scored from other players that were very effective for us as well,' he says. 'The main thing for me is remaining consistent.' Lowe's departure coincided with injuries to key creative players, including George Hall, one of two talented loanees from Birmingham, now fit again, and Jack Earing, who is likely to be back in the squad for Wembley. 'For sure, that maybe affected confidence but there was a real element of fortune that went the wrong way as well,' Sadler adds. Averaging 2.3 points a game while spending 119 days at the top of the table was never sustainable for Walsall. Yet if the season had played out in expected goals, for and against, Walsall would have edged Doncaster for the title. Their XG against was 43; they conceded 54 goals. They also possess one of the best records for goals scored in the last 15 minutes. 'For the majority part of the season we've been direct, and we feel we can run over teams,' says Gordon, who spent two years in AFC Wimbledon's academy. 'This is the fittest group I've been a part of. We use that to our advantage and try to suffocate teams when we don't have the ball. Advertisement 'I'm not going to get too far ahead of myself as anything can change in football, but we feel back to what we do best. Those three wins [in a row] are only going to push us in the right direction towards the final goal, which is promotion.' Walsall travel to London on Sunday exactly three years since Gordon, out of contract this summer, signed. On his first day of training he collapsed after a standard 2.5km run. Blood flow problems in his leg led to infection and the 26-year-old had to have three surgeries in five days for acute compartment syndrome. 'The doctor said I may never get the feeling back and I may never be able to function as I had before, so I was thinking about football being done,' says Gordon, who has gone on to captain Guyana. 'But I had the resilience and faith to push through. Every day I have that perspective and understanding that it could've been a different scenario for me. It makes me appreciate life and football even more.'
The Guardian
25-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
119 days on top, a 13-game winless run … next stop Wembley on Walsall's rollercoaster
The team that has gatecrashed their way up into the playoffs so often has the momentum in seeking the final promotion place. Walsall are hoping this year it is the team that has crashed down into them that prevails when they take on AFC Wimbledon in Monday's League Two final. Mat Sadler's team were 12 points clear in January. They had won nine successive league games for the first time in their history. Their 6ft 4in teenage goal sensation, who ended up as the League Two young player of the year, was finishing off much of the high pressing and long balls of a well-drilled, young side. Then Stoke recalled Nathan Lowe from his loan spell. Walsall's results nosedived and on the final day of the season, and despite winning for the first time in 14 games at Crewe, they slipped out of the third automatic promotion place as Bradford scored a 96th-minute winner against Fleetwood. Clubs with more fragile constitutions might have crumbled. Instead, Walsall overcame Chesterfield, the team who did surge late into the playoffs, in the semi-final, winning 4-1 on aggregate. At Walsall's homespun training ground last week, optimism entwined neatly with quiet diligence as the squad prepared for the club's second visit to Wembley in their 137-year history, 10 years after a Johnstone's Paint Trophy loss to Bristol City. Perspective is everything and Walsall staff and players can see cause for celebration in what is an outstanding season after averaging 15th place since relegation in 2019. 'Before the season, no one expected us to be in the position we are now or were in January,' says Liam Gordon, Walsall's talented left wing-back. 'For us as players, we understand how disappointing it is that we let that lead slip, but everyone wrote us off anyway, so it's a massive achievement to reach the final. 'We were disappointed in losing Lowey but he's a great player. We knew he wasn't going to come back to us, so we had to take that out of our minds. 'It's a lot of adversity that we have had to [process]. At times, fear did come into play, naturally when the gap started closing. But we've been able to bounce back and show our mental resilience.' Walsall had been playing to Lowe's strengths and the youngest team in the division looked like they would storm to their first promotion in 18 years. But they still finished as League Two's top scorers, even with the third-lowest possession. Sadler, who had two spells at Walsall as a player, says 'it was late doors' when Lowe was recalled. 'How many did Nathan score in the league – 15? So there are another 60 goals scored from other players that were very effective for us as well,' he says. 'The main thing for me is remaining consistent.' Lowe's departure coincided with injuries to key creative players, including George Hall, one of two talented loanees from Birmingham, now fit again, and Jack Earing, who is likely to be back in the squad for Wembley. 'For sure, that maybe affected confidence but there was a real element of fortune that went the wrong way as well,' Sadler adds. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Averaging 2.3 points a game while spending 119 days at the top of the table was never sustainable for Walsall. Yet if the season had played out in expected goals, for and against, Walsall would have edged Doncaster for the title. Their XG against was 43; they conceded 54 goals. They also possess one of the best records for goals scored in the last 15 minutes. 'For the majority part of the season we've been direct, and we feel we can run over teams,' says Gordon, who spent two years in AFC Wimbledon's academy. 'This is the fittest group I've been a part of. We use that to our advantage and try to suffocate teams when we don't have the ball. 'I'm not going to get too far ahead of myself as anything can change in football, but we feel back to what we do best. Those three wins [in a row] are only going to push us in the right direction towards the final goal, which is promotion.' Walsall travel to London on Sunday exactly three years since Gordon, out of contract this summer, signed. On his first day of training he collapsed after a standard 2.5km run. Blood flow problems in his leg led to infection and the 26-year-old had to have three surgeries in five days for acute compartment syndrome. 'The doctor said I may never get the feeling back and I may never be able to function as I had before, so I was thinking about football being done,' says Gordon, who has gone on to captain Guyana. 'But I had the resilience and faith to push through. Every day I have that perspective and understanding that it could've been a different scenario for me. It makes me appreciate life and football even more.'
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Stoke's Lowe reveals help from sports pychologist
Stoke City forward Nathan Lowe says he puts his impressive first half of the season down to seeing a sports psychologist. Lowe scored 15 league goals on loan at Walsall before being recalled by his parent club in January, and scored in his first match back for the Potters in the 1-1 draw with West Brom. At the time of his recall, the 19-year-old was the English Football League's joint top scorer. "I think it's helped my communication with the other players," Lowe told BBC Radio Stoke. "Coming back to Stoke, I feel more part of the team. Intrinsically, I feel more able to speak up. I feel I am more able to speak up and speak my mind. "The biggest thing for me was working outside of the club and hiring a sports psychologist that has worked with Olympians. "It's such a massive part of the game now, the psychology element - it's half the battle. "I feel a more confident player, and I'm sure the Stoke fans have seen the difference from when I left to when I came back." Lowe has been working with David Galbraith, a psychologist who worked with the Japan rugby team ahead of the 2023 World Cup, as well as New Zealand's most successful Olympian of all time, Lisa Carrington - an eight-time gold-medal-winning canoeist. "He's worked with a bunch of Olympians and high-level athletes. It wasn't really specific to football," Lowe added. "I'm still doing sessions with him now monthly, and I'm catching up with him tomorrow. He's helped me massively."
