Milton Keynes Dons 1 Walsall 1
Friday 25th March 2011, 10:00PM GMT.
Walsall held on for a crucial point at Milton Keynes Dons to keep their hopes of League One survival alive.
Matt Richards’ ninth goal of the season fired the Saddlers ahead but Peter Leven’s cheeky 51st minute penalty hauled the Dons level.
Goalkeeper Jimmy Walker saved well from Sam Baldock in the second-half, while Julian Gray’s rocket thumped the bar in a wonderful advert for League One.
Angelo Balanta should have won it for Dons with 14 minutes remaining but smacked the underside of the bar with the goal gaping.
The result keeps the Saddlers fourth bottom, level on points with Dagenham & Redbridge.
Emmanuel Ledesma and debutant Marc Laird replaced Jon Macken and Alex Nicholls and the Saddlers were under pressure from the start.
Walker twice saved from Baldock before the Saddlers fought back and Ledesma, Marc-Antoine Gbarssin and Gray all went close.
And, on 29 minutes, Walsall took the lead when goalkeeper David Martin parried Gray’s shot to Richards, whose controlled volley looped in from 12 yards.
It sparked a period of Saddlers pressure, but they were indebted to Andy Butler who threw himself at Stephen Gleeson’s drive.
Daniel Powell blasted over just before the break but the hosts levelled six minutes into the second-half, after a rush of blood by Manny Smith.
The defender dived in on Luke Chadwick to concede a penalty, which Leven converted with a delicate chip down the middle.
Immediately, the Saddlers rallied and Gray’s 25-yard rocket hit the bar, before Walker rescued his team-mates with a save from Baldock after the striker burst clean through.
The Saddlers’ goal had lived a charmed life and they should have fallen behind with 14 minutes remaining.
Baldock’s header was cleared off the line by Butler but only as far as Balanta, whose seven yard shot smacked the underside of the bar and bounced to safety.
Walker then saved Leven’s 90th minute free kick, as the Saddlers clung on for a point.
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Best Manager since Richard Money,players are playing for him & good signings.Get him on a 2/3year contract (As if, sorry getting carried away with ambition).Chuffed the true travelling WFC fans have something to cheer about.I watch from afar but it still hurts.
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Some of our football last night was superb. The way we retained possession, knocked the ball around and the chances we created were not what you’d expect of a team in 21st place with 7 games to go playing away at an in-form top 6 team.
Sure the Scabs had their moments, but you always have faith in Walker and Butler at the back. This team is unrecognisable from the one that started the season.
The Ginger Mourinho has done a phenomenal job.
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I totally agree, Dean Smith is like a gift from the Gods… He loves Walsall, he has an eagle eye in the transfer market, and whether we stay up or go down, he has proved his ability to manage Walsall… We should get him to sign a 2 year contract ASAP!!!
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IF ONLY the board had acted when ALL fans wanted them to, we might be challenging for the play offs instead of looking forward to a trip to shrewsbury!
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