BESCOT BEAT: Saddlers on the way down?

Who would have thought that the Saddlers were struggling for commercial success, especially as the club depends on it. Thank heavens for the football!

Having said that, that isn't doing much good for us either! The stats read that the attendances are taking their toll, without really hitting the bank balance too much but it is noticable. A mere £300,000 down on previous years - it does not make very good reading!

Overall, the income has dropped by £800,000, which is worrying to a certian extent. Amazingly, a cut in wages occurred, slashing £89,000 off last year's budget. Is it any wonder we lack quality in some areas.

All in all, gaps are starting to appear pn the footballing side of the equation, especially with the gates falling and falling. It is only a matter of time before the lack of income takes its toll on the club.

Anyway, I would like to praise the Saddlers for the 1-0 cup success over local rivals Stourbridge, which proved to show we are not afraid of playing the smaller teams and coping with the pressure to beat them. Let's hope the same will happen in the next round where we will face either Brentford or Gateshead.

Lastly, a word on the split between popstar Jamelia and the Saddler's own Darren Byfield. The whole affair led to Darren voicing his discontent on social-networking site Twitter, which says a lot about the relationship in the first place. Let's hope it will not deter anything away from his solid performances with Troy Deeney up-top. Having said that, Sammy Parkin is waiting in the wings!

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