Bonanza at Bescot

By: Andrew Doherty
Date: 08/03/2025

WALSALL isn't Cheltenham. There are no yuppie bars around here. Instead, Bescot stadium is surrounded by the concrete of the M6 motorway and a large railway freight depot. The home side's shirts are emblazoned with that of their sponsor, Poundland. The team itself, as we have seen, has skill, structure and organisation.

Today was always going to be a test. Walsall are at the top of the table, but a ray of hope lies in the fact that where it looked like they might run away with it, they have had a slip or two in recent weeks. We did manage a draw here in the corresponding fixture last season but the two subsequent home games were disasters. It had been a similar story with Doncaster but such has been our improvement that we managed to overcome them recently, so with the same mindset and good recent form, Town had a good chance of coming away with something today. The proviso is that we needed to perform better than we did on Tuesday against Tranmere.

Town's starting line-up on this sunny day was: Wright - Rodgers, Cass, McJannet - Svanthorsson, McEachren, Green, Khouri, Hume - Rose, Luker. Blue was the colour this afternoon, with Walsall in their customary red kit. Town won a corner after two minutes following a good cross field run by Svanthorsson and a deflected shot by Hume. On 5 minutes Khouri was too slow and was dispossessed by Stirk. Walsall burst forward. Adomah slipped his pass to Harrison who fired his shot low past Wright. Walsall 1, Town 0.

Green and Rose combined but there was no-one to meet Rose's cross. Svanthorsson and Luker then pressed to put Town in a good position. Barrett played the ball out for a Town corner but McEachren's cross was comfortably taken by Simkin. Walsall then won a corner after playing ball around and a shot by Allen. Cass was then forced to concede a corner after a dangerous cross from Harrison. A nice turn by McEachren led to a cross and half clearance by Okagbue, and enabled a shot by Svanthorsson but the effort was weak. A good ball from Hume presented Luker with an opportunity but Luker couldn't get in position and the opportunity was lost. Both sides were committing to going forward. Town won a free kick on the right on 20 minutes. As it looked like Hume was going to cross, Svanthorsson played a short pass to the unmarked Luker who from the edge of the box controlled the ball and slammed a low shot into the bottom left corner. Walsall 1, Town 1. Another free kick to Town was headed down from Hume's cross but agonisingly Green couldn't get on the end of it. Town now had a good spell, passing the ball around well. Luker threatened to break through but was pulled back by Stirk who received a yellow card. Walsall managed to clear Hume's deep cross. Town almost undid their good work when Rodgers and McEachren left the ball to each other, allowing Adomah to nip in and fortunately chip his shot past the post. A foul by Williams gave Town a free kick. The ball was cleared and lost before McEachren fouled Harrison 30 yards out. But the execution by Jellis was poor. The game stopped for attention to Cass who went down with a leg injury. With 39 minutes gone, Warrren came on to replace him. Good work by Svanthorsson moved Town upfield. Hume crossed back to Svanthorsson who passed to Luker in the box. The ball was slipped back to Warren who ran into the box, accelerated and was tripped by Allen - penalty to Town. Rose converted, slamming the ball into the roof of the net. Walsall 1, Town 2. As reeling Walsall looked to recover, Luker had a surging run. Green's attempted flick on from 6 yards flew into the crowd. He should have done better. As 4 minutes were added, Warren was in the action again, this time earning a yellow card for a crunching tackle on Lakin. Walsall won a corner. Allen's cross tested Wright but a foul was made on Town's keeper and the half ran out. Walsall 1, Town 2. Both sides looked to go forward and play wasn't error free but Town grew stronger as the half went on and deserved to be in the lead. 6 shots and 10 interceptions was testimony to our endeavour and intensity.

With 39 seconds of the second half gone, Green fouled Harrison, prompting a Walsall attack. Wright saved Stirk's shot but the threat ended as the referee awarded Town a free kick for a foul. McEntee whacked Hume in the face but no foul was given. As both sides battles for supremacy, Harrison was robbed and Town moved forward. Luker played a perfect pass to McEachen who tried to place his shot with his left foot with all the goal to aim at but made a complete mess of it. Walsall then applied pressure but in spite of wriggling free, Jellis sent his shot well wide. Town won a free kick on the right. After an intricate build up, McEachren's delivery was poor. Walsall broke. Former Mariner Matt was beaten to the ball. Town broke, and Green was unlucky when dispossessing Allen as the ball ran away. The hour mark passed. As Walsall threatened to break through, the referee stopped the game for an injury to Rodgers who appeared to be pushed aside by Matt. Tempers flared in the home crowd and team who weren't convinced the game needed to stop. Walsall attacked. Harrison sent in a dangerous cross. Wright did well to get to the ball ahead of Matt with Rodgers finishing at the bottom of the pile. With Rodgers receiving attention off the pitch, McEntee forced a good low save from Wright. 65 minutes had gone. With Walsall dominating at this stage, Town cleared from defence. Good work saw possession kept. Green spotted the advancing Luker and played the perfect pass. Luker ran on to the ball and coolly slotted the ball past Simkin. Walsall 1, Town 3. Luker was booked for his celebration. Walsall brought in more substitutes in their bid to salvage the game. Thompson replaced McEachren on 70 minutes. Walsall struggled desperately to break through Town's defence. Town had a short spell in attack. Rose was fouled on 73 minutes, but Walsall broke. Svanthorsson grappled with Gordon and was booked. Walsall won two corners but posed no threat. Town still tried to move the ball forward to avert pressure. Hume proved that his right foot isn't his forte with a misdirected shot. Town's midfield continued to prove their worth by winning balls and battling. On 81 minutes Green was fouled. Another Walsall attack was prevented. Barrington, Ainley and Burns came on for Luker, Green and Svanthorsson. Town were breathing the life out of Walsall with their scurrying and harassing. Barrett received a yellow card on 84 minutes for a reckless challenge on Khouri. Walsall won a corner in 86 minutes. Wright took charge of the curling cross. Warren and Barrington combined to keep the ball moving forward. Rose was penalised for fouling the defender in Walsall's box. Six minutes were added. Town continued to foil and smother Walsall's despairing attempts, putting together a lovely move themselves with two minutes remaining. Walsall won a free kick on the left with 95 minutes gone. Weir's cross was picked up by Hume who ran forward. Barrington was running on. Hume's pass to Barrington was perfect. Barrington rounded the keeper but the angle was tight and he lost control, so the ball went out for a goal kick. The final whistle blew immediately. Walsall 1, Grimsby Town 3.

Walsall pose no threat once Town took the lead. Town didn't let them. This was a well-managed performance on and off the pitch. So we're back on course. We're in the play-off position for now, and just two points behind the team we play on Tuesday. After an early shock was overcome, we can celebrate the quality of our play and resilience. We're still in a situation where we may conceivably have more to celebrate. And who'd have thought that at the start of the season?

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