Walsall show guts in thriller

There must be something in the water at England’s football grounds this week, writes Steve Madeley.

And whatever magic potion flowed at Fratton Park on Saturday and infected the pipes at White Hart Lane on Monday clearly seeped into the supply at the Keepmoat Stadium last night.

After a weekend of Premier League classics, Doncaster and Walsall proved last night that League One is capable of dishing up a corker too.

And what’s more, there was an incredibly happy ending for the Saddlers.

Let’s get one thing straight - Richard Money’s side fully deserved to leave Yorkshire with maximum points, even if they were aided by one or two favours en route to a third successive away victory.

They had Rovers keeper Neil Sullivan, a comical referee - of whom more later - and misfiring forward James Coppinger all to thank in some part for their third victory in four outings.

But this was no fortunate, backs-to-the-wall, smash-and-grab success.

It was a triumph hard-earned and brimmed full of zest, energy and spirit.

Emotional manager Richard Money spoke afterwards of his pride in the men who lifted Walsall further away from the foot of the League One table.

And no member of the noisy bunch of travelling fans at Doncaster’s impressive new home would have needed to look to hard to see the reasons for the boss’s satisfaction.

The second half showing against a talented Rovers side was arguably Walsall’s finest display since Money took charge 16 months ago.

And if that claim is open to some debate, there can be little doubt that this was the best Saddlers match of his tenure.

The first half was a fascinating, engaging battle of wits and tactics between two sides commited to entertain.

The second 45 minutes was a breathless, thrill-a-minute epic during which the Saddlers had the hosts pinned on the ropes for long spells and refused to stop pounding.

There were five goals, many more near-misses and almost non-stop action, not to mention a missed penalty and a red card.

It was a joy to watch and is a delight to describe. And for Walsall it was a terrfic show of spirit that was timed to perfection.

The club will not have liked several of the headlines that have dominated the last 10 days with departures and dissention heavily to the fore.

Last night, however, was all about redressing the balance and it was mission accomplished.

The careless defending that handed Rovers a 2-1 half-time lead and the hamstring injury that will ruie out Darren Wrack for several weeks were the only blots on the landscape for Money and new right-hand man Jimmy Mullen.

But it was not a night for lingering on the negatives; more an occasion for savouring a performance which offered the strongest hint yet that things are looking up.

The impromtu full-time huddle that Money instigated with his players was a sure sign the manager believes his charges have set a new standard.

They turned in a first-half performance full of neat passing and movement, only to undermine it with some shoddy defending that handed the home side the lead twice.

It was a straightforward corner for the first goal as Clayton Ince stayed rooted, defenders stood still and an unmarked Matthew Mills headed home.

And it was a simple high ball for the second as Anthony Gerrard and Darren Wrack misjudged it and Lewis Guy creapt behind them to bundle home off the woodwork.

Between times, however, the Saddlers drew level through leading scorer Daniel Fox, who did not let his return to left back stem the flow of goals.

Tommy Mooney won a free-kick 20-plus yards out and Fox powered it home with the aid of a big deflection.

After the setback of Doncaster’s second goal on 42 minutes, the Saddlers began the second half like a train as waves of pressure consumed Neil Sullivan’s goal.

A string of corners flew in, Tommy Mooney rattled the bar with a shot, Ishmel Demontagnac headed narrowly wide and Mark Bradley had a stinging drive tipped over by Sullivan, who then made another smart save to keep out Gerrard’s header.

So it was just a matter of time before the weight of pressure paid off, and sure enough Fox’s free-kick was turned home for a first senior goal by an ecstatic Mark Bradley.

Then came the height of the drama Demontagnac chased a lost cause into the area and the referee spotted an inexplicable push on the teenager by Sullivan, who had the ball safely in his hands.

It was the most bizarre of penalties, which Mooney dispatched into the top corner with little fuss.

Celebrations had begun among the travelling fans when it all threatened to go wrong in the final minute as Saddlers substitute Rhys Weston bundled down marauding centre-back Adam Lockwood and there was another penalty.

It was no surprise, though, that this most unpredicatable of matches had a final twist as James Coppinger rolled the spot-kick tamely wide to get the party swinging at the opposite end.

There was still time for more incident as Guy was given his marching orders in stoppage time, yards from the ball or an opponent.

Foul and abusive language was the most popular guess as to the reason for the red card, but by that stage no-one was entirely sure of anything regarding the referee.

Which brings us neatly to a few words on the unsung star of the night. Many a great drama has been enhanced by a comedic cameo.

Shakespeare created the gravedigger for some light relief in Hamlet, and last night the Football League added Mr Michael Jones of Cheshire to this thriller.

He set the tone early on with two or three needless bookings and continued to baffle throughout.

Even the decisions he got right were delivered with the comic timing of John Cleese.

And his exit was wonderfully undignified as he was manhandled and almost carried down the tunnel within seconds of the final whistle by two stewards like a drunk being ejected from a nightclub.

At least it left the stage free for the real entertainers to take their final bow as Walsall saluted their supporters, who responded in kind.

It was a fitting end to an evening that was brilliantly entertaining and thoroughly satisfying.