On Tuesday evening Walsall Football Club played host to Sheffield United in the latest Sky Bet League 1 fixture of the season. Gabriel Sutton of the Football Lab was in attendance, and shares his views below.
When watching Walsall’s 1-1 draw with Sheffield United, you would not have guessed the budgetary differences of the two clubs. One has an average gate of around 4,500, and is therefore forced to be shrewd, frugal and innovative in the transfer market to sustain themselves at League One level. The other is the biggest club in the division, and not 2 months ago, signed a full-back for £1.5 million. The off-field circumstances of these respective clubs could not be more different, and yet, on the field, it was underdogs Walsall who were the more impressive outfit.
An excellent 2nd half performance from the Saddlers saw them take a richly deserved point, while Sheffield United offered no creativity all evening. The Blades scored early on thanks to a good strike from Jose Baxter, who profited from both Sam Mantom’s error, and the referee’s willingness to play advantage after a Walsall foul.
However, this was to be as good as it got for the visitors. Their play throughout the rest of the match typically involved a pass to one of the full-backs, either Kieron Freeman or Bob Harris, who would then hit the ball forward aimlessly for one of their forward players to chase. After the first goal, Sheffield United did not have a convincing plan of action. All they did was drop deep, wait for Walsall to misplace a pass, and then hoof it forward. There was no sense of conviction or purpose in their play. At times they lost the ability to do even some of the most basic tasks, such as challenge for the ball, or keep hold of it. For a club of their size to be performing so poorly, serious questions must be asked of the management of the club - more of which anon.
In the opening 30 minutes, Walsall’s performance was relatively poor. After conceding an early goal, some of their players seemed to lose confidence, as they struggled to get a foothold in the game. And, when Dean Smith’s side had the ball, they looked reluctant to get shots away. Every time an attack reached somewhere near the penalty area, their players seemed to freeze and pass sideways, rather than dribble forward or shoot.
The closing stages of the first half offered signs of hope for Walsall, who managed to get a few more balls into the box. This period of the match for Walsall was overshadowed only by some controversial decisions from the officials. Saddlers fans were angered by the conduct of Louis Reed and Jason Holt who were, allegedly, feigning injury. After what had seemed like a total of around 6 minutes for those players to receive treatment, bizarrely, the fourth official only allowed 3 minutes of injury time at the end of the first half.
If Walsall had had some bad luck from the officials, they were certainly not feeling sorry for themselves. After half-time, the likes of Anthony Forde and Jordy Hiwula, who had shown flashes of quality in the first half but found themselves isolated, became much more involved. Sheffield United looked rattled, as Walsall swung in countless crosses from wide areas.
Natural width came from Forde on the right flank, and full-back Mal Benning on the left. Benning, whose future at the club was once in real doubt, looked a revitalized man after his 2 month loan spell at York City. The increase in tempo had a lot to do with the second half performance from Sam Mantom, who had recently returned from a long-term injury. Mantom injects a degree of positivity into the Walsall midfield, which is rarely seen in the more sturdy options of Michael Cain and Adam Chambers.
However, the key to Walsall’s revival was the introduction of Ashley Grimes. Replacing Jordan Cook, who looked overly cautious and tentative with his movement from the left, Grimes made an instant impact with his direct forward runs. Just moments after coming on, Grimes converted one of Ben Purkiss’s many crosses from the right hand side to put Walsall on level terms, which gave the crowd a lift. Shortly afterwards, Grimes could have even put the Saddlers in front, as his close range effort hit the post. With Tom Bradshaw potentially unavailable, the impact made by Grimes will give Dean Smith a selection dilemma, ahead of Sunday’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final clash with Bristol City at Wembley.
And, after a last minute strike from Sheffield United’s Ben Davies was saved expertly by Richard O’Donnell, that match was what the attentions of Walsall supporters turned to. The final whistle was greeted by the sound of Doris Day’s ‘Que Sera Sera’ being played, with supporters singing the lyrics ‘we’re going to Wembley’ at the relevant moment.
The feel-good factor at Walsall has become increasingly strong, as the club looks forward to a first ever trip to Wembley on Sunday.
By: Gabriel Sutton.