Saddlers Memorable Matches

Sheff Utd 0 Walsall 1 13 April 2002

Having been relegated after just one season in the second tier of English football the first time, most people expected us to falter again at the second time of asking, but this result secured our place in Division 1 (as it was then!) for another year.

Going into the game it looked like we would need two wins from our final two games to be sure of survival but as it turned out this was enough.

As rivals Crewe and Barnsley both stumbled, we took full advantage with a gutsy win at Bramell Lane.

The game itself was certainly no classic but it was never likely to be. Chances were few and far between in the first half until a couple of minutes before the break a ball across the box by Zigor Aranalde missed his fellow Spaniard Pedro Matias but found the out-stretched leg of Jorge Leitao who managed to scramble the ball over the line.

The second half was almost all United. As the clock ticked on Laurent D'Jaffo hit both the bar and the post for the Blades. Having survived a nail-biting five minutes of injury time, the referee blew his whistle and the super Saddlers were safe and could look forward to another season in the second tier of English football.

This is the final Saddlers Memorable Matches. From next week, vital football will begin looking back at some true Saddlers legends. Who they were, what they did and where they are now.

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