Walsall Saddlers Surprise Young Community Mascot



Bearded Midfielder Sinclair and Skipper Clarke Pose with a delighted Leo 
Tim Thursfield (Express & Star) 
Two Walsall FC players surprised schoolboy Leo Garratt, 9, in a school assembly last Thursday ahead of his debut mascot appearance at Bescot Stadium.
Skipper James Clarke and star man Stuart Sinclair made a guest appearance at Whetstone Field Primary School in Walsall on Thursday afternoon after Leo was given mascot for Saturday’s game against Salford City.

Sinclair and Clarke took time out of a busy week of training following an important four game winning streak across all competitions. Following a devastating relegation last season to league two, new boss Darrell Clarke has regenerated the Saddlers’ side with a fifteen-player turnover, recruiting both Clarke and Sinclair.

Currently sitting at fourteenth in the league table, Walsall have had a bumpy start to the season. Now almost a quarter of the way through their fixtures, the team are hoping that the fresh squad are beginning to gel.

“It’s a good period. We have played well, but you don’t forget about the period we had before where we didn’t win.” Sinclair said.

“We won’t get ahead of ourselves.” Clarke added, adopting a sense of realism following a turbulent few months at the club.
With a recent relegation still fresh in their minds, captain Clarke believes it is not just his responsibility to lead the Saddlers back to league one, but a group effort both on and off the pitch. 

“I believe in leading by example - on the pitch by scoring, defending well, winning games.”

“But I think it comes down to off the pitch as well, living my life properly, eating the right foods, doing everything right in training.” 

The game on Saturday against Salford City could secure Walsall a run of five wins in a row, pushing them up to a comfortable spot mid-table.

The Saddlers have a fundamental connection to their fanbase. Sinclair is proud to be a Walsall FC player, commenting on how the club has an “incredibly long history.”

Leo is overwhelmed by the appearance of his favourite player -Tim Thursfield (Express & Star) 
It is the dedication of local fans that keeps the morale high. Sinclair believes that maintaining the community feel around the club is “hugely important”.

Behind the scenes, Walsall work hard to incorporate the community in to the club. The community team at Walsall are working with the Free Kicks Foundation, a Peterborough based charity, to select mascots at every Walsall FC home league game this season.

This means that around twenty young Saddlers will get the chance of walking out with their favourite players. The aim is to incorporate the local community and fans as much as possible.

Sinclair and Clarke both agreed that working within the community is, “not just a positive for the community, but a positive for us as well”


“We get to scratch their back and they get to scratch our backs.”



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