Following Tuesday night's shocking defeat to Lincoln City in the FA Cup First Round, columnist Rob Jones shares his Match Report;
Having been given a route into the third round that would see us avoid any league opposition, this was probably our best chance of making it through to the third round of the FA Cup in recent years. Walsall fans reading this are sure to feel all to familiar about what came next...
The first half set the tone for the whole game by being very scrappy, with both sides being very direct & struggling to keep possession. Through a combination of desperately shaky goalkeeping from Grof and the absence of anyone with that eye for a killer pass or a touch of class in the final third, we surrendered the upper hand to Lincoln, who grew in confidence as the half wore on.
We did create a couple of half decent chances through Paterson and Benning was again a useful outlet down our left side, but we posed no more of a threat than the visitors, who forced a number of corners and generally looked comfortable. Brandy looked sharp but with little end product, the centre of midfield looked cumbersome & Taundry once again looked like a fish out of water on the right side of midfield.
HT: Walsall 0 Lincoln City 0
The second half was more of the same as our play once again looked laboured. Whilst there was more than a hint of offside about it, their goal came as little surprise and gave them something to hold onto - as per the reverse fixture at Sincil Bank.
To be fair, we did play with more impetus having fallen behind, with Featherstone seeing more of the ball and keeping the ball moving across a Lincoln side that looked to settle for a 1-0. Williams' introduction gave us a stronger presence up front and we managed a spell of pressure that eventually saw us equalise - Taundry drilling a low shot into the corner after a cross was cleared.
Extra time was inevitable and despite our improved possession, Lincoln didn't look likely to surrender. A set piece was headed into the bottom corner of Grof's goal with barely a challenge to speak of. Lincoln defended resolutely and there was even time for a calamitous James Chambers header back to Grof that resulted in the Imps extended their lead. The last kick of the game saw a Paterson free kick just about turned in by Holden, but the effort was in vein as we crashed out of the FA cup to lower league opposition for the umpteenth time in recent years.
Tonight's result and our elimination from the cup hurt, but not as much as the pain of seeing Dean Smith's side not even attempt to play the passing style of football they set out to play from the start of the season. Grof's destroyed confidence led to a number of glaring mistakes and we never even looked to play the ball out from the back. With Smith having built a side to play a certain way, trying to revert to the route one football of pre-Xmas last year simply won't lift us from the rut we find ourselves in. We just don't have the personnel to do it.
Injuries have undoubtedly hampered us, but we can't go on playing the same players in the same team and expecting to get results. The likes of Taundry, Brandy and the Chambers brothers don't have the quality required to compete against teams in League One, whilst their team-mates don't have the benefit of experience to pull them out of a poor run of form.
Tonight ought to be the catalyst for at least a couple of new recruits and a change of approach from the manager. We certainly need some fresh impetus if we're to get our season back on any kind of level footing again. Losing at home to Scunthorpe United and Swindon Town was one thing, but being deservedly beaten by Lincoln on our own patch saw our season hit a new low.
Over to you, Dean.
FT AET: Walsall 2 (Taundry 81' Holden 120+1) Lincoln City 3 (Power 50' Oliver 102' & 118')
ATT: 1,726
REF: G, Scott
By: Rob Jones
Having been given a route into the third round that would see us avoid any league opposition, this was probably our best chance of making it through to the third round of the FA Cup in recent years. Walsall fans reading this are sure to feel all to familiar about what came next...
The first half set the tone for the whole game by being very scrappy, with both sides being very direct & struggling to keep possession. Through a combination of desperately shaky goalkeeping from Grof and the absence of anyone with that eye for a killer pass or a touch of class in the final third, we surrendered the upper hand to Lincoln, who grew in confidence as the half wore on.
We did create a couple of half decent chances through Paterson and Benning was again a useful outlet down our left side, but we posed no more of a threat than the visitors, who forced a number of corners and generally looked comfortable. Brandy looked sharp but with little end product, the centre of midfield looked cumbersome & Taundry once again looked like a fish out of water on the right side of midfield.
HT: Walsall 0 Lincoln City 0
The second half was more of the same as our play once again looked laboured. Whilst there was more than a hint of offside about it, their goal came as little surprise and gave them something to hold onto - as per the reverse fixture at Sincil Bank.
To be fair, we did play with more impetus having fallen behind, with Featherstone seeing more of the ball and keeping the ball moving across a Lincoln side that looked to settle for a 1-0. Williams' introduction gave us a stronger presence up front and we managed a spell of pressure that eventually saw us equalise - Taundry drilling a low shot into the corner after a cross was cleared.
Extra time was inevitable and despite our improved possession, Lincoln didn't look likely to surrender. A set piece was headed into the bottom corner of Grof's goal with barely a challenge to speak of. Lincoln defended resolutely and there was even time for a calamitous James Chambers header back to Grof that resulted in the Imps extended their lead. The last kick of the game saw a Paterson free kick just about turned in by Holden, but the effort was in vein as we crashed out of the FA cup to lower league opposition for the umpteenth time in recent years.
Tonight's result and our elimination from the cup hurt, but not as much as the pain of seeing Dean Smith's side not even attempt to play the passing style of football they set out to play from the start of the season. Grof's destroyed confidence led to a number of glaring mistakes and we never even looked to play the ball out from the back. With Smith having built a side to play a certain way, trying to revert to the route one football of pre-Xmas last year simply won't lift us from the rut we find ourselves in. We just don't have the personnel to do it.
Injuries have undoubtedly hampered us, but we can't go on playing the same players in the same team and expecting to get results. The likes of Taundry, Brandy and the Chambers brothers don't have the quality required to compete against teams in League One, whilst their team-mates don't have the benefit of experience to pull them out of a poor run of form.
Tonight ought to be the catalyst for at least a couple of new recruits and a change of approach from the manager. We certainly need some fresh impetus if we're to get our season back on any kind of level footing again. Losing at home to Scunthorpe United and Swindon Town was one thing, but being deservedly beaten by Lincoln on our own patch saw our season hit a new low.
Over to you, Dean.
FT AET: Walsall 2 (Taundry 81' Holden 120+1) Lincoln City 3 (Power 50' Oliver 102' & 118')
ATT: 1,726
REF: G, Scott
By: Rob Jones