The summer of 2013 saw the Saddlers lose the attacking trio of
Will Grigg,
Febian Brandy and
Jamie Paterson, who had been responsible for close to two-thirds of the club’s goals in the previous campaign. Their replacements included
Chelsea loanee
Milan Lalkovic, playmaker
Romaine Sawyers and striker
Troy Hewitt. After a mixed start, September saw Walsall take on Wolves twice in the space of two weeks. A short trip to Molineux in the
Football League Trophy saw Wolves emerge victorious on penalties following a 2–2 draw. However, the Saddlers had the better of the corresponding league fixture, winning 1–0 thanks to a goal from captain
Andy Butler. Minor controversy followed the fixture with derogatory comments towards Wolves posted on Walsall’s official Twitter account. The club apologised for the "frankly disgusting" Tweet, which it said was the work of a hacker. Walsall spent much of the first half of the season in and around the playoff spots, with a 5–1 away victory at
Notts County lifting the club into sixth in late January. Despite seemingly being well-placed for a playoff challenge, the Saddlers went on to win just twice in the final 18 games of the season. This included a 3–0 home loss to Wolves, who would finish the season as champions. This disastrous run saw the Saddlers end the campaign in 13th, 16 points adrift of a playoff place. ==Competitions==