If you can’t win in style then at least get the win. I’ve no idea if someone has ever actually said those exact words but you get the drift, writes Walsall blogger Mark Jones.
Walsall under Richard Money have rediscovered the knack of being able to win without playing particularly well and very useful it is too.
The win at Luton gave us three points just the same as the win at Swindon seven days earlier and it helped to create a neat five point gap between ourselves and seventh place.
Come the end of the season, if we’ve still got that kind of gap who’s going to bother about the odd ‘gritty’ performance?
In truth, Luton got amongst us more than the Robins did without really creating a chance for Clayton to worry about.
And by then we’d already got off to our customary flying start.
The rest was pretty much the identi-kit away performance, you know the routine …home team has lots of possession without ever threatening our well-drilled defence, plenty of long balls found Roper’s head (teams have been doing that for a decade now, you’d think they’d learn), we always carried a threat on the break and the travelling Saddlers gave the team plenty of vocal encouragement.
Oh yes and there was Dancing Kev annoying the stewards and perplexing the opposition fans with his unique artistic combination of freestyle interpretations of movement and loads of swearing.
What’s been impressive in these last few games is how everyone has pulled together after the setbacks of around a month ago.
Make no mistake losing Fox and Dann was a big blow but Dicky is proving what a top boss he is and the resilience of this squad is just fantastic.
To see how far we’ve come it’s worth taking a look at Luton, one of the pre-season favourites, who now seem set on a course for the opposite direction.
However a glance at their squad list reveals names like Peschisolido, and then it becomes a little bit harder to feel sorry for them.
One thing that has bound the two clubs together this season though has been our shared loss of that true legend David Preece.
David was easily one of the most gifted players I ever saw in a Walsall shirt and he was a fine servant to the Hatters when they were a more than useful top flight team.
Fair play to the guys with the flag dedicated to Mini, a fantastic gesture. Rest in Peace David.
Finally I must pay tribute to Teddy Sheringham who’s just announced his retirement at the end of the season.
A talented and intelligent player who was one of England’s unsung heroes at Euro 96, just think of that disguised pass for Shearer’s second goal in that demolition of the Dutch.
Personally Teddy’s retirement means there will be no players left in League football actually older than me!
Also, on a rather sadder note, I think Teddy is the last player still involved in the game who actually played (and scored) at Fellows Park. A sobering thought indeed.
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