The 2012-13 campaign delivered a season of exciting ambition and breakout individual brilliance for Walsall as The Saddlers secured a respectable 9th-place finish in League One under manager Dean Smith. Leading the charge was the emerging star striker Will Grigg, whose 19 league goals, a tally that included a memorable hat-trick against Carlisle United, proved decisive in a late, spirited, though ultimately unsuccessful, challenge for the play-off spots. This standout season, which saw Grigg claim both the club's Player of the Season and Players' Player of the Season awards, remains a defining chapter celebrated by the faithful at Bescot Stadium.