Dann in tribute to Saddlers support

Jun 27 2007 By Brian Halford, Birmingham Mail

SCOTT Dann today hailed Walsall's travelling fans as "superb" - and a big factor in helping the players lift the club to promotion last season.

And Dann stressed that those supporters will have another huge part to play as the Saddlers tackle the sterner challenges ahead in League One.

Next season's League One collection is a bit of a travelling nightmare.

From Carlisle and Hartlepool in the north to Bournemouth and Brighton in the south, from Swansea in the west and Gillingham in the east, there will be journeys galore to eat up the fans' time and cash.

But the impact those fans have on the team's fortunes cannot be underestimated, insists Dann.

And the travelling support must take its share of credit for the fact that the Saddlers lost only four of 23 league games away from Bescot last season.

"It's brilliant - you can hear them singing all through the game and it gives you a buzz," Dann said.

"At first I was surprised by how many fans we took away but then you would see them turn up all over the place and you got used to playing in front of a lot of away fans.

"It is a big commitment to travel up and down the country to watch your team but hopefully the fans will back us again next season.

"Last season they really helped us."