by Paul Williams

Maybe a change of manager will bring about a change or fortune – or maybe it won’t.

Opinions are divided about whether Paul Dickov was given enough time this season to gel his new-look squad but performances certainly haven’t got any better since last season and, if possible, the goals have dried up even more. Most would agree that the current squad should really be doing better so now it’s up the Corporal, for the time being, to galvanise his troops and start moving the club in the right direction again.

Walsall have obvious Rovers connections in defender Jimmy O’Connor and assistant manager Richard O’Kelly and were going great guns prior to last Saturday’s home defeat by Bury, their first of the campaign. No doubt that was the curse of the Manager Of The Month award for Dean Smith but he can welcome back a couple of players from international duty against Rovers, who have included Richie Wellens in the matchday squad. Paul Keegan could make his first league start of the season and Danny N’Guessan is also likely to feature.

We’ve had mixed results at the Banks’s Stadium in recent years but a point would probably be a decent return this time considering all that has gone off in the last seven days.