Walsall 1 Chesterfield 2
Tuesday 31st August 2010, 10:00PM BST.
Walsall crashed out of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy to lower league opposition for the third season running after going down to Chesterfield.
First-half goals from Jordan Bowery and Dean Morgan cancelled out Reuben Reid’s 19th minute equaliser in the first round at the Banks’s Stadium.
Morgan’s astonishing second-half miss from point blank range should have settled the game and Matt Richards almost dragged the Saddlers level but saw his late effort hit the post.
The hosts started brightly but fell behind after 13 minutes.
Drew Talbot sent over a looping centre which Bowery met and guided his header into the far corner, despite Manny Smith’s presence on the line.
Reid levelled six minutes later when Paul Marshall and Richard Taundry mis-kicked and the Albion loan star rifled the loose ball into the top corner.
But the Saddlers were behind again on 33 minutes when Morgan skipped past Darryl Westlake and Taundry to bury a fierce drive inside goalkeeper Jonny Brain’s near post.
The game degenerated into a scrappy affair in the second half and, with 22 minutes left, Craig Davies’ long range effort dipped over Brain’s bar.
Morgan should have clinched the game on 76 minutes, but somehow missed from just two yards.
Brain saved Derek Niven’s 25-yard drive and Morgan arrived on scene to tap in, but what should have been a formality turned into an embarrassment as he blazed over.
Walsall almost hit back when Richards’ 20-yard effort bounced off the post on 81 minutes and Marshall drove wide at the death as the Saddlers bowed out.
UK Sport
Latest Blog — A week is a long time in football
This time last week we were staring down the barrel, third from bottom with a worse record than at the same stage last year, writes Saddlers blogger Mark Jones.
Saddlers Blog
Business Awards
Book a Business Awards table
Join our celebrations of the region's best in business on Thursday March 22 - book your table now
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Express & Star and Shropshire Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases
OUR NEW APP
Get the new E&S app
Download the Express & Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
expressandstar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
Begs belief some of the tactical decisions of our manager it really does. I like the team at the moment, apart from another midfielder with creative flair with the right manager I think it could do well.
But to lose in such a game, and make the subs that Chris made?! The subs bench was so young, and experimental, but how experimental is it when the majority sit there and are spectators.
UTS…
Report abuse
Disgracefull, cant get past the first hurdle 3 seasons in a row, this is a competition the club should be looking to win to give the fans a day out at Wembley but then again when have the fans ever mattered not in the last 20 years anyway have they jeff
Report abuse
say what you want about merson but he got us closer to winning this than anyone – one of the reasons i dont go anymore is the lack of interest in this – should be a day out for walsall fans
Report abuse
There is no excuse for Walsall to keep losing to lower league opposition in home cup-ties. It’s starting to be a very bad habit. Surely Chris Hutchings can pick a team and tactics to beat sides like Chesterfield at home. It’s only early September and we are already out of 2 cup competitions with only mid-table mediocrity to aspire to…..oh, and a first-round FA cup exit if we draw anyone above the Bloxwich Parks League. We need an experienced central mid-fielder who can boss the game and provide cover for our leaky defence. We seem to routinely concede 2 goals per game and we are not going to win many games doing that on a regular basis…especially as we cannot seem to score more than 2 goals ourselves. I have been a supporter of the club and Chris Hutchings this season when others have criticised them but even I’m losing patience now with the lack of ambition. Walsall’s midfield is too weak and we lack quality and creativity: sort it out now Hutchings or get on yer bike! These home defeats are embarrassing and not enticing supporters back to the Banks’s.
Report abuse
The lowest gate since the place opened 20 years ago.
Never has the phrase ‘you reap what you sow’ been more appropriate Jeff.
Report abuse
RUBBISH… BYE BYE HUTCHINGS..
Report abuse
Shockin display what we are lacking is a decent centre midfielder who can get amongst it and pass the ball time after time last night they came thru us like we wasnt there hutchings and o connor must be blind to see that we need someone in the middle.
Report abuse