# 1996–97 Walsall F.C. season

During the 1996–97 English football season, Walsall F.C. competed in the Football League Second Division.

## Season summary

In the 1996–97 season, Walsall had another satisfying mid-table finish under Nicholl, ending the season in 12th place. At the end of the season, Nicholl resigned because of family reasons.

## Final league table

| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 10 | Chesterfield | 46 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 42 | 39 | +3 | 68 |
| 11 | Gillingham | 46 | 19 | 10 | 17 | 60 | 59 | +1 | 67 |
| 12 | Walsall | 46 | 19 | 10 | 17 | 54 | 53 | +1 | 67 |
| 13 | Watford | 46 | 16 | 19 | 11 | 45 | 38 | +7 | 67 |
| 14 | Millwall | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 50 | 55 | −5 | 61 |

## Results

Walsall's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League Second Division

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 17 August 1996 | Rotherham United | H | 1–1 | 4,040 | Butler |
| 24 August 1996 | Burnley | A | 1–2 | 10,322 | Wilson |
| 27 August 1996 | Chesterfield | A | 0–1 | 3,561 | |
| 7 September 1996 | Blackpool | A | 1–2 | 5,176 | Blake |
| 10 September 1996 | Wycombe Wanderers | H | 2–2 | 2,659 | Wilson, Watson |
| 14 September 1996 | Gillingham | H | 1–0 | 3,419 | Viveash |
| 21 September 1996 | Bristol City | A | 1–4 | 7,412 | Lightbourne |
| 24 September 1996 | Wrexham | H | 0–1 | 2,832 | |
| 28 September 1996 | Bury | H | 3–1 | 3,254 | Viveash, Lightbourne, Blake |
| 1 October 1996 | Bournemouth | A | 1–0 | 2,747 | Hodge |
| 5 October 1996 | Luton Town | A | 1–3 | 5,002 | Lightbourne |
| 12 October 1996 | Plymouth Argyle | H | 0–1 | 3,720 | |
| 15 October 1996 | Preston North End | H | 1–0 | 3,224 | Wilson |
| 19 October 1996 | Brentford | A | 1–1 | 5,419 | Lightbourne |
| 26 October 1996 | Stockport County | H | 1–1 | 3,767 | Wilson (pen) |
| 29 October 1996 | Notts County | A | 0–2 | 3,127 | |
| 2 November 1996 | Millwall | A | 0–1 | 9,176 | |
| 9 November 1996 | Peterborough United | H | 4–0 | 3,921 | Lightbourne (2), Wilson (pen), Donowa |
| 23 November 1996 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 1–0 | 3,653 | Wilson |
| 30 November 1996 | Stockport County | A | 0–2 | 5,333 | |
| 3 December 1996 | Bristol Rovers | H | 1–0 | 4,084 | Viveash |
| 14 December 1996 | Watford | H | 1–1 | 3,674 | Keister |
| 20 December 1996 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 2–2 | 3,007 | Viveash, Wilson |
| 26 December 1996 | Wycombe Wanderers | A | 2–0 | 5,073 | Blake, Lightbourne |
| 18 January 1997 | Bournemouth | H | 2–1 | 3,037 | Viveash, Lightbourne |
| 25 January 1997 | Notts County | H | 3–1 | 3,261 | Viveash, Ntamark, Hodge |
| 1 February 1997 | Peterborough United | A | 1–0 | 4,940 | Watson |
| 8 February 1997 | Millwall | H | 2–1 | 3,833 | Watson, Viveash |
| 11 February 1997 | York City | A | 2–0 | 2,136 | Lightbourne, Viveash |
| 15 February 1997 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 0–1 | 4,648 | |
| 22 February 1997 | York City | H | 1–1 | 3,664 | Lightbourne |
| 1 March 1997 | Bristol Rovers | A | 1–0 | 5,891 | Watson |
| 4 March 1997 | Bristol City | H | 2–0 | 4,322 | Lightbourne (2) |
| 8 March 1997 | Shrewsbury Town | H | 2–2 | 4,819 | Lightbourne, Ricketts |
| 15 March 1997 | Watford | A | 0–1 | 7,818 | |
| 18 March 1997 | Blackpool | H | 1–1 | 3,459 | Hodge |
| 22 March 1997 | Burnley | H | 1–3 | 6,306 | Lightbourne |
| 29 March 1997 | Rotherham United | A | 2–1 | 2,428 | Lightbourne, Viveash |
| 1 April 1997 | Chesterfield | H | 1–1 | 3,784 | Blake |
| 5 April 1997 | Wrexham | A | 2–1 | 3,266 | Lightbourne, Watson |
| 8 April 1997 | Bury | A | 1–2 | 4,082 | Lightbourne |
| 12 April 1997 | Luton Town | H | 3–2 | 5,415 | Lightbourne (2), Hodge |
| 19 April 1997 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 0–2 | 5,535 | |
| 26 April 1997 | Brentford | H | 1–0 | 5,359 | Lightbourne |
| 29 April 1997 | Gillingham | A | 0–2 | 4,095 | |
| 3 May 1997 | Preston North End | A | 0–2 | 10,800 | |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 16 November 1996 | Northwich Victoria | A | 2–2 | 3,142 | Wilson, Lightbourne |
| R1R | 26 November 1996 | Northwich Victoria | H | 3–1 | 3,491 | Lightbourne (2), Wilson (pen) |
| R2 | 7 December 1996 | Burnley | H | 1–1 | 5,031 | Lightbourne |
| R2R | 23 December 1996 | Burnley | A | 1–1 (lost 2–4 on pens) | 5,799 | Viveash |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 1st Leg | 20 August 1996 | Watford | H | 1–0 | 2,659 | Lightbourne |
| R1 2nd Leg | 3 September 1996 | Watford | A | 0–2 (lost 1–2 on agg) | 5,325 | |

### Football League Trophy

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| SR2 | 21 January 1997 | Peterborough United | A | 0–2 | 2,274 | |

## Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | GK | ENG | Jimmy Walker |
| — | GK | NIR | Trevor Wood |
| — | DF | ENG | Ray Daniel |
| — | DF | WAL | Wayne Evans |
| — | DF | ENG | Chris Marsh |
| — | DF | ENG | Derek Mountfield |
| — | DF | ENG | Darren Rogers |
| — | DF | ENG | Ian Roper |
| — | DF | ENG | Stuart Ryder |
| — | DF | ENG | Adi Viveash |
| — | MF | ENG | Mark Blake |
| — | MF | ENG | Darren Bradley |
| — | MF | ENG | Louie Donowa |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | ENG | Dean Keates |
| — | MF | SLE | John Keister |
| — | MF | CMR | Charlie Ntamark |
| — | MF | ENG | Wayne Thomas |
| — | FW | ENG | Darren Beckford |
| — | FW | ENG | Martin Butler |
| — | FW | ENG | John Hodge |
| — | FW | BER | Kyle Lightbourne |
| — | FW | ENG | Clive Platt |
| — | FW | ENG | Michael Ricketts |
| — | FW | ENG | Andy Watson |
| — | FW | ENG | Kevin Wilson |