Following Saturday evening's Black Country Derby between Walsall and visitors Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bescot Banter columnist Calum Williams shares his Match Report;
The first quarter of
an hour saw very little to shout about, although both sets of fans were
certainly in full voice! Both sides failed to show much composure on the ball,
playing sloppy passes and creating few chances. A Wolves free kick and a Milan
Lalkovic shot for the Saddlers were both sent into the stands early on.
However with just
under 20 minutes on the clock, the game did spark into life. A Febian Brandy
cross for Walsall was met with appeals for a handball by Wolves defender Batth,
but the referee deemed him to have chested the ball, and the attack came to
nothing. Wolves had more success with an attack just minutes later, a Bakary
Sako cross found Jacobs in the box, who forced an impressive reaction stop by
Saddlers keeper Richard O’Donnell.
The game, as many
would have predicted, became very physical, and at times the Saddlers were
caught being hesitant in possession, allowing Wolves chances on goal, albeit
weak efforts that wouldn’t cause O’Donnell any problems.
Wolves were tight at
the back, and whilst Saddlers attacks were quelled, their opposition were given
too much freedom on the ball, epitomised by their first goal close to the half
hour mark. A dinked ball by Jacobs found Henry in space on the right flank, and
his cross found Dicko in the box, who got in front of his man to poke the ball
into the bottom right hand corner.
GOAL Walsall 0 Wolves 1 (Dicko 31’)
The goal ignited
disorder amongst both sets of fans, with a flare entering the field of play,
halting proceedings as Walsall began to advance. The home side did increase the
pressure on Wolves following the goal, a Milan Lalkovic free kick had power but
not precision, going wide of Ikeme’s right hand post, whilst an optimistic
curling effort from Troy Hewitt went just wide with the keeper at full
stretch soon after.
Despite the fact
Walsall were beginning to prize open a sturdy Wolves defence, they had nothing
to show for their efforts, and often found themselves passing across the Wolves
18-yard area to little avail. An opportunity was created by Febian Brandy, the
Saddlers winger with a mazy run to get away from his marker, but with a tame
effort that Ikeme gathered easily. In all, a frustrating half for Saddlers
fans.
H/T: Walsall 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
The second half began
with an early attempt on goal by Walsall midfielder Nicky Featherstone, who had
decided against shooting on several occasions in the first half, his effort
fired straight at the keeper.
But Wolves wasted
little time in doubling their advantage, just over 2 minutes after the restart,
they had their second goal of the game. A cross from Henry on the left looped
over the head of Saddlers keeper O’Donnell, and hit the inside of the post
before being poked in by the same player that scored the first goal, Nouha
Dicko.
GOAL: Walsall 0 Wolves 2 (Dicko 48’)
Dicko’s brace gave
Walsall an uphill struggle from here on, against a side with a fantastic
defensive record this season. The visitors defence did indeed continue to hold
strong and put pressure on the Saddler’s strikers, preventing them from getting
a clear shot on goal.
However the home side
really should have pulled one back on the hour, a ball into the Wolves area
found Febian Brandy in space after the defender in front of him had failed to
make a connection, but his header was weak and straight at Ikeme. This would be
a chance that really should have gone in, and certainly one the wingman would
come to regret later on, as Wolves continued to pose a threat going forward.
Unsurprisingly
perhaps, the visitors made it game set and match 7 minutes later. A free kick
on the edge of the area was superbly taken by Bakary Sako, he made no mistake
in placing the ball into the back of the net, leaving his opposing goalkeeper
with no chance at all of keeping the effort out. That goal, marked the 60th
goal of the season for his side.
GOAL: Walsall 0 Wolves 3 (Sako 67’)
Following this goal,
the game turned into a rather bland spectacle, with Wolves sensibly adopting a
more defensive strategy to hold their 3 goal lead. An opening did fall for
Walsall substitute Michael Ngoo with around 5 minutes of normal time remaining,
and despite being closed down relatively well, his shot did test Ikeme in the
Wolves goal, but was held well by the Wolves keeper.
A string of Walsall
corners were defended straightforwardly by the visitors, and that would be all
the Saddlers could muster, much to the frustration of the home fans. The bumper
crowd understandably had high hopes for this fixture, but were outclassed by a
stubborn Wolves defence, and more creativity going forward from the away side.
Without wanting to
sound too pessimistic, Walsall’s play-off prospects do seem to be quickly
dwindling away. They now have 7 games without a win, and really did lack and
creativity or inspiration. A win on Tuesday night against Crewe Alexandra would
raise some morale, but the Saddlers have seemingly left themselves with a lot
to do from now to the end of the season.
As far as their
counterparts are concerned, Wolves’ promotion hopes are unmistakable, a
club-record-equalling 8 game winning streak stand them in very good stead for
an automatic promotion spot. They were the better side today, and Walsall need
to bounce back swiftly if they are to take all 3 points from that all important
home game against Crewe Alexandra on Tuesday.
F/T: Walsall 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3 (Dicko 31' & 48', Sako 67')
Man of the Match: Romaine Sawyers
Attendance: 10,139 (3,334 Wolves)
Referee: Paul Tierney, Lancashire.
By: Calum Williams.