On Sunday evening Walsall Football Club played host to Gillingham in the latest Sky Bet League 1 fixture of the season. Bescot Banter columnist Scott Brotherton was in attendance, and shares his match report below.
Walsall started on the front foot as Anthony Forde squared to Romaine Sawyers in the area but his effort had the sting taken out if it and was easy for Stuart Nelson in goal.
The fans then urged Andy Taylor to shoot from 25 yards and the left-back obliged, his powerful drive dipping just over.
After another attack the ball came out to the edge of the box and Michael Cain's snapshot half-volley was well off target, as Walsall had some decent chances early on.
Bradshaw also had a good sight of goal but scuffed terribly into the goalkeeper's arms.
Following a corner Paul Downing's smash flew wide and from another flag-kick Bradshaw had two great opportunities.
The top-scorer first had one cleared off the line by the Gills and then Nelson scrambled to clutch onto the striker's weak headed effort.
All a toothless Gillingham could offer in the first 20 minutes was Cody McDonald's header which dropped comfortably wide.
Meanwhile, the Saddlers continued to add to their attempts on target - Cain nodded a looping shot but it was a simple catch for the keeper.
Then Forde's cross deflected and found it's way through to his fellow winger Jordan Cook, but Nelson was alert and got down well to beat away the shot.
Forde himself sent a free kick over, while John Marquis slashed one into the stands for Gillingham.
Andy Hessenthaler's side did eventually get a shot on target and it turned out to be a great chance as well.
It was an in-swinging free kick right into the danger zone and Marquis should have done better than just glancing his header straight at Richard O'Donnell from six yards.
Bradshaw's shot was stopped by Nelson at point-blank range and Sawyers laid one into Cook's path who forced another smart stop from the visitors' keeper at his near post.
However, despite their dominance Dean Smith's men couldn't make a breakthrough in the first half.
H/T WALSALL 0 GILLINGHAM 0
And their woes were compounded when James Chambers didn't return for the second period - it looked like a reoccurrence of a knock he received in Tuesday's JPT second leg and James O'Connor replaced him.
Bradshaw dragged a shot wide with the first real chance of the half for either side, but there was another injury as the striker tweaked his troublesome hamstring in the process.
It was a sight no Walsall fan wanted to see with Wembley looming, as the stricken Bradshaw departed to be replaced by goal-shy Ashley Grimes.
Sawyers charged towards the byline and passed inside to Grimes, who took a touch before seeing his effort ricochet over the bar after an excellent block by defender John Egan.
Walsall then paid the price for wasting their chances as Gillingham grabbed the lead on 69 minutes.
The Saddlers defence were all screaming for offside as the ball was played through but the flag stayed down and Bradley Dack remained composed to slot into the far corner.
With Bradshaw gone and the Gills in the lead it looked as though the game was slipping away but it took just five minutes for the Reds to find an equaliser through an most unlikely source.
Yes it seemed as though Grimes couldn't buy a goal but he was handed his first in nearly two years on a plate.
Sawyers was denied at close range by the brilliant Nelson, and Grimes was on hand to fire home the rebound.
Walsall tails were up now and after some sustained pressure Sawyers wasted a great chance to end his mini goal drought as well.
The ball was worked out to him in acres of space on the left side of the area but Sawyers rushed the shot and ballooned it over.
Cook squared for Grimes as they searched for a winner, but a defender just beat the sub to it and cleared for a corner.
Gillingham changed mentality and decided to protect their point, and despite a late rally from the hosts they were able to hold on.
The fans then urged Andy Taylor to shoot from 25 yards and the left-back obliged, his powerful drive dipping just over.
After another attack the ball came out to the edge of the box and Michael Cain's snapshot half-volley was well off target, as Walsall had some decent chances early on.
Bradshaw also had a good sight of goal but scuffed terribly into the goalkeeper's arms.
Following a corner Paul Downing's smash flew wide and from another flag-kick Bradshaw had two great opportunities.
The top-scorer first had one cleared off the line by the Gills and then Nelson scrambled to clutch onto the striker's weak headed effort.
All a toothless Gillingham could offer in the first 20 minutes was Cody McDonald's header which dropped comfortably wide.
Meanwhile, the Saddlers continued to add to their attempts on target - Cain nodded a looping shot but it was a simple catch for the keeper.
Then Forde's cross deflected and found it's way through to his fellow winger Jordan Cook, but Nelson was alert and got down well to beat away the shot.
Forde himself sent a free kick over, while John Marquis slashed one into the stands for Gillingham.
Andy Hessenthaler's side did eventually get a shot on target and it turned out to be a great chance as well.
It was an in-swinging free kick right into the danger zone and Marquis should have done better than just glancing his header straight at Richard O'Donnell from six yards.
Bradshaw's shot was stopped by Nelson at point-blank range and Sawyers laid one into Cook's path who forced another smart stop from the visitors' keeper at his near post.
However, despite their dominance Dean Smith's men couldn't make a breakthrough in the first half.
H/T WALSALL 0 GILLINGHAM 0
And their woes were compounded when James Chambers didn't return for the second period - it looked like a reoccurrence of a knock he received in Tuesday's JPT second leg and James O'Connor replaced him.
Bradshaw dragged a shot wide with the first real chance of the half for either side, but there was another injury as the striker tweaked his troublesome hamstring in the process.
It was a sight no Walsall fan wanted to see with Wembley looming, as the stricken Bradshaw departed to be replaced by goal-shy Ashley Grimes.
Sawyers charged towards the byline and passed inside to Grimes, who took a touch before seeing his effort ricochet over the bar after an excellent block by defender John Egan.
Walsall then paid the price for wasting their chances as Gillingham grabbed the lead on 69 minutes.
The Saddlers defence were all screaming for offside as the ball was played through but the flag stayed down and Bradley Dack remained composed to slot into the far corner.
With Bradshaw gone and the Gills in the lead it looked as though the game was slipping away but it took just five minutes for the Reds to find an equaliser through an most unlikely source.
Yes it seemed as though Grimes couldn't buy a goal but he was handed his first in nearly two years on a plate.
Sawyers was denied at close range by the brilliant Nelson, and Grimes was on hand to fire home the rebound.
Walsall tails were up now and after some sustained pressure Sawyers wasted a great chance to end his mini goal drought as well.
The ball was worked out to him in acres of space on the left side of the area but Sawyers rushed the shot and ballooned it over.
Cook squared for Grimes as they searched for a winner, but a defender just beat the sub to it and cleared for a corner.
Gillingham changed mentality and decided to protect their point, and despite a late rally from the hosts they were able to hold on.
By: Scott Brotherton.
RESULT WALSALL 1 GILLINGHAM 1
GOALS Grimes 74' -- Dack 69'
AT Banks's Stadium (Walsall)
ATTENDANCE 3,951 (178 Gillingham)
REFEREE Mr. Carl Berry (Surrey)
WALSALL O'Donnell; Purkiss, Downing, J.Chambers (O'Connor 46'), Taylor; A.Chambers, Cain; Cook, Sawyers, Forde; Bradshaw (Grimes 60')
SUBS NOT USED MacGillivray; Henry; Baxendale, Flanagan; Murphy
SUBS NOT USED G.Morris, McKain, Legge, Dickenson
GILLINGHAM Nelson; Hoyte , Egan, Ehmer , Hessenthaler (Galbraith 88'), Loft , Pritchard (Garmston 81'), Dack, McGlashan, McDonald (Norris 89'), Marquis