Saddlers are no Dragon slayers

In a ground much improved since our regular visits in the old Division three Walsall produced a performance of two halfs.

Despite a large police presence in the town as well as around the ground the trip to Wrexham was as unremarkable as was the football on show. The large visiting support making it sound more like a home game and the injury hit Saddlers looked comfortable in the first half. However the lack of midfielders took it's toil in the second half. Walsall were without the departed Kinsella whilst both Dobson and Keates failed to make it as well. This left Walsall with a central midfield of Pead and Fox, who many at the start of the season would have considered to be our full backs.
In truth it is here were we lost the plot n the second half as we lost the midfield battle and Wrexhams Darren Ferguson started to have more influence on the game.

Walsall really could have killed the game in the first half but all they had to show for the first half performance was a Hector Sam goal from a Walsall corner flicked on by the returning Anthony Gerrard (Dann dropping to the bench)The talk at half time was that they were there for the taking. But things could have been different if Llewellyn had blazed over from six yards as Chris Westwoods sliced clearence fell straight to him.

The second half we never really got going, despite the introduction of Bradley in midfield for Bedeau (Fox going wide) and the introduction of Tommy Wright for Hector Sam. Wrexham went more physical and closed us down quicker preventing us playing any footballl in the second half. We gave the ball away too easily and hit too many long hopeful balls, which never suits us. (Perhaps Par will make the difference) Wrexham hit the equaliser which they probably deserved when Llewellyn hit a 25 yard shot which flew into the top corner. Walsall paying the price of trying to close the game down without the midfield protection that a Dean Keates or Micheal Dobson or both would have offered.

Both sides had chances after the equaliser to claim all three points. Walsalls best chances fell to Tomy Wright who failed to get enough on a Daniel Fox cross, and made a mess of a free header at the far post.

In the end most Saddlers would have settled for a draw before the game considering Wrexham have beaten Swindon and Lincoln. But the events of the day mean Walsall felt all three could have been ours, but then again Wrexham might just think the same.

To make a bad day worse bookings for Roper and Butler means that they both have picked up five bookings and will miss the Boston game. Even the trip home was delayed just outside Wrexham with someone threatening to jump off the bridge....mind you if I had to watch the football Wrexham produced week in week out I would be tempted too.
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