After missing a golden opportunity to claim a point at Oldham, today's game was a must-win. Hurst & Grigg replaced Beevers & Jarvis from the start as Dean Smith looked to mix things up in an attempt to stop the rot.
In all honesty, the first half had League Two written all over it. Wycombe couldn't string any passes together and we were only marginally better, with just a couple of long range efforts from the ever enthusiastic Jamie Paterson to show for our cumbersome efforts in the final third.
Whilst the back four were rarely tested and the midfield looked generally solid, the front two gave us no target, no presence and no hope of really putting our relegation rivals to the sword. Even when a missed clearance saw Alex Nicholls in the clear on the edge of the box, he woefully fluffed a golden opportunity to give us the lead.
As the second half began, the scrap largely continued until Florent Cuvelier picked up the ball on the halfway line and drove through the Wycombe midfield and into the penalty area, where he was tripped just as he looked to get his shot away. The ref pointed at the spot and the fans cheered - until Alex Nicholls placed the ball on the spot, having missed three of his last four penalties. He placed his effort a foot to the 'keeper's right and it was saved with ease, with not a single Walsall fan surprised.
It wasn't long before the dismally poor Alex Nicholls was replaced by George Bowerman as Smith looked to give us some attacking threat. As always seems to happen following the introduction of Bowerman, we improved immediately. Intelligent runs from him & Cuvelier opened up a huge space for Hurst , who smashed a swerving drive into the back of the net from 25 yards.
Confidence grew and grew from this point on and within a couple of minutes, Paterson's inswinging cross from the left was met by Bowerman's glancing header and well saved by the onrushing Wycombe goalie.
If there was one concern at this point, it was the fear that our missed chances might prove costly. Cuvelier and Paterson both dragged shots wide from the edge of the box and Bowerman fired over after a determined run.
Macken replaced Grigg to bring some experience to our front line for the remaining twenty minutes or so and was quick to slip a clever ball in to Bowerman who confidently dispatched the ball into the bottom corner from 8 yards out. The game seemed won, but at this point, the visitors had added some pace to their attack and did threaten once as a low shot skimmed the outside of the post with Grof's squirming dive beaten.
We weren't troubled for the remainder of the game and maintained our clean sheet and two goal lead to the final whistle.
RESULT: Walsall 2 (Hurst 62', Bowerman 85' ) Wycombe Wanderers 0
So, three well deserved points were added to our tally, but we still seemed to make hard work of it - particularly in the first half. If that second half performance doesn't make Smith realise Bowerman has to play from the start, nothing will. Every player around him seemed to play with more confidence after he entered the game and his link-up with Macken for the second goal was exactly the recipe for a successful front two. Notable mentions too for Chambers, Cuvelier & Paterson, who all impressed across the middle of the park. The key now is for Dean Smith to go to Scunthorpe and make sure his team picks up where the left off today to claim another vital three points.
By: Rob Jones