Saddlers Memorable Matches

Lincoln 2 Walsall 2 19 August 2006

This is purely an opinion but this week I thought it would be worth looking back at the performance that in my view got us promotion.

This was only the fourth game of the season but up to this point we had won all three and Lincoln had also started well taking seven points from nine.

It was always going to be a difficult game but we made it even harder for ourselves as we went 2-0 down having played just 22 minutes. Scott Kerr and Lee Frecklington grabbing the goals for Lincoln.

Most Saddlers fans would have found it difficult to see any way back into the game having seen how badly we played in that first half.

But all credit to Dickie Dosh. At half time he made a substitution that changed the game and the season. Portuguese winger Carlos Fangueiro who had only signed a six month contract a day before the match came on for Mark Wright and we went for it.

Even with Fangueiro however we still couldn't break Lincoln down. That was until with 10 minutes to play Kris Taylor got up from the back to slam in to the bottom corner of the Lincoln net and give us hope.

Lincoln tried to slow the game down at every opportunity but with seconds remaining they buckled. A cross from Chris Westwood fell to Fangueiro whose shot hit the Lincoln keeper but still had enough on it to roll over the line and grab us a point we could easily not have had.

After this match we went on our amazing run losing only once in the league until December. How different could it have been without Fangueiro's last minute strike at Sincil Bank?

Remember this is only my opinion and if anyone wants to question it or put forward another match as being the crucial one let us know on our forum.

Click here to join in the debate on the club forum.