Think multi-club ownership models in football and one example immediately springs to mind: Manchester City’s City Football Group has 13 clubs under its umbrella from all across the globe, with the reigning Premier League champions as its figurehead.
But around 70 places further down the English pyramid, a similar model is beginning to click: for its flagship club, at least. The Alabama-based Trivela Group was formed in 2021 by the American businessmen Ben Boycott and Kenneth Polk; a year later, in the summer of 2022, it acquired Walsall, with Boycott joining the Saddlers as co-chairman.
Wycombe missed the chance to go level on points with League One leaders Birmingham as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Northampton at Adams Park.
The Chairboys, playing their first home match since manager Matt Bloomfield's departure for Luton are two behind Birmingham having played two games more, after the table-toppers drew 1-1 with Wrexham on Thursday.
Fourth-placed Huddersfield lost 1-0 at home to Bolton, another side without a manager after Ian Evatt's departure earlier in the week. Aaron Collins got the only goal in the 55th minute of the contest at the John Smith's Stadium. Stockport are up to fifth after beating second-bottom Crawley 2-0 at home, thanks to goals from Will Collar and Macauley Southam-Hales.
The Hatters switched places with Barnsley, who dropped to sixth following a 1-0 home loss to Stevenage inflicted by Daniel Kemp's stoppage-time header. Leyton Orient leapfrogged Reading into seventh place by beating them 2-0 at Brisbane Road, Dilan Markanday and Charlie Kelman on target.
Cambridge moved off the foot of the table with their first win in eight league matches, defeating Mansfield 3-2 at home, while Jon Dadi Bodvarsson notched a double as fellow strugglers Burton triumphed 4-2 against Rotherham. Shrewsbury are the new basement boys after they were beaten 1-0 at Charlton courtesy of a last-gasp Thierry Small goal.
Elsewhere, Lincoln thrashed Peterborough 5-1 with five different players finding the net for the hosts. Blackpool were 3-1 winners at Exeter, and Wigan prevailed 2-0 at home against Bristol Rovers. PA Media
Since then, it has purchased Drogheda United in Ireland, Trivela FC in Togo and late last year, announced an agreement to buy a majority stake in Danish side Silkeborg. That proposed purchase was met with protests from Silkeborg supporters, objecting to becoming part of a multi-club ownership model. But in England, where the project began, things seem much more optimistic.
Trivela replaced Walsall’s former manager, Michael Flynn, with Mat Sadler midway through last season. He was given the job on a permanent basis in the summer and has promptly gone on to take the team to the verge of promotion before the January transfer window has even concluded. Going into the weekend’s fixtures, Walsall sat 12 points clear at the top of League Two and 15 points clear of the playoff places.
No side at this level in over 20 years has amassed more points after 26 games than the 58 Walsall have. Their 16-match unbeaten run ground to a halt against a Bradford team who are one of a handful bidding for what appears to be one of the two remaining automatic promotion spots alongside Walsall, but the reaction from their travelling support after the 3-0 defeat – Alex Pattison (with two) and Antoni Sarcevic the scorers – on Saturday spoke volumes.
Having finished no higher than 11th in the five seasons since they were relegated from League One, Sadler has united his players and the supporters in spectacular fashion. The 18 goals scored by Nathan Lowe before he was recalled by Stoke undoubtedly was the early-season key, though there is clearly enough talent in this group even without Lowe to get over the line.
This is a club now united on the pitch and off it: a far cry from the scenes in Denmark late last year when Silkeborg supporters made it abundantly clear how they felt about joining the Trivela portfolio. But Sadler has a strong bond with the club’s ownership here and the goal of the project is clear: for all clubs under the umbrella to work together, something Walsall are already taking advantage of.
Crewe and Port Vale failed to punish Walsall's 3-0 defeat at Bradford as the Saddlers stayed 12 points clear at the top. Lowly Accrington sprung a surprise by beating second-placed Crewe thanks to Shaun Whalley's goal.
Port Vale dropped to fourth after a 1-1 draw at Chesterfield, earned despite playing most of the second half with 10 men following Mitchell Clark's red card. Doncaster moved up to third after winning 1-0 at home against Harrogate thanks to Harry Clifton's late finish. Wimbledon, now fifth, drew 0-0 at MK Dons, and Notts County are sixth after being held 1-1 at home by Bromley.
Carlisle got off the bottom as they triumphed 2-1 at Fleetwood, Sam Lavelle scoring a late winner, with Morecambe sinking to last place having lost 1-0 at Colchester. Mandela Egbo struck in the second half for the hosts, after the Shrimps had striker Lee Angol sent off in first-half stoppage time.
Tranmere, five points above the drop zone, drew 1-1 at home with Gillingham, while there was also victories for Cheltenham, 2-1 at home against Salford, and Barrow, 3-0 over Grimsby in their first match under Andy Whing. PA Media
One of their substitutes against Bradford, the defender Evan Weir, was signed from Drogheda before being loaned back to the Irish club temporarily. They have just done the same with Elicha Ahui, who has gone back to Drogheda for the rest of this season. For Sadler, it is a unique model, and one he feels gives Walsall an edge.
“It was what it was when I took over, so I knew what I was walking into,” he said. “I think it’s very beneficial to have access to players from different clubs that other teams might not. The people that are running this model are fantastic people. We’re in constant communication, about stuff over in Drogheda and Silkeborg all the time.”
The plan is for Trivela to grow even further, with more potential acquisitions, meaning more player exchanges. Will it work worldwide? Time will tell. But this is Walsall’s sixth season in League Two: and it looks increasingly likely to be their last for the foreseeable future.
