Analysis: Walsall conjure up strong response to settle for a point at Fleetwood

That was very much the sentiment shared by Mat Sadler afterwards too. After all, Fleetwood had been the inflictors of one, or possibly even two, of the most painful defeats of his reign so far. 

The less said about the 6-2 drubbing from October 1, 2024, the better, but the 2-0 defeat at Highbury in February, and particularly the performance that night was, you could argue, equally as bleak. 

Fleetwood were always going to pose a different challenge to the previous three games, which saw the Saddlers reel off a succession of 1-0 wins. 

The hosts set their stool early on. Walsall started on the front foot and Pete Wild clearly set-up to pick them off on the counter-attack. 

After Evan Weir curled a free-kick from 30 yards just over the crossbar, Fleetwood very nearly did catch Walsall cold. 

Flint to the rescue

Harrison Burke was pickpocketed midway inside the Fleetwood half and the pacy Ryan Graydon was on the prowl to latch on to the subsequent ball in behind. 

Graydon glided away from Aden Flint, skipped past a hesitant Myles Roberts and looked destined to roll the ball into an empty net. 

But Flint, as has so often been the case, was one step ahead. His recovery was remarkable and his last-ditch challenge rescued his side from falling behind (momentarily at least!). 

It was the perfect example of the first 10 yards being in his head. He lost the footrace, but tapped into his vast footballing brain, to anticipate the danger.

The numbers once again told the story of another excellent Flint display. 12 defensive contributions, 10 clearances, five headed clearances only further underlined his dominance. 

Falling behind

Yet even Flint could not stop Graydon from opening the scoring 180 seconds later and it was a poor goal to concede from a Walsall perspective. 

Fleetwood recycled a corner, which Walsall failed to clear convincingly, and Weir was caught ball watching when Jordan Davies picked up the second ball on the right. 

His cross was pinpoint and Graydon ghosted into the empty space to steer an unerring header beyond the despairing dive of Roberts. 

It was the first goal the Saddlers had conceded in 307 minutes of league football, but as was not the case on their last visit seven months ago, they responded well to falling behind. 

Strong response

Fresh from scoring his first goal for the club in the 1-0 win over Chesterfield on the previous weekend, Daniel Kanu was eager to add to his tally in Walsall colours. 

He particularly enjoyed the "mind like a goldfish" analogy, which Mo Faal once used in terms of his ability to brush off missed chances, and Kanu duly did the same at Fleetwood. 

Perhaps the Charlton Athletic loanee thought he was offside, but he snatched at a great opening when Aaron Pressley knocked the ball into his path immediately after Fleetwood's opener. 

But as Kanu said last week, another chance will always come, and the 20-year-old was first to pounce inside the six-yard box when it did. 

Lewis Warrington, another player who is growing in confidence and stature, floated an inviting cross into the penalty area. Flint towered above his marker to knock the ball down and Pressley smartly shielded the ball from his marker, allowing Ryan Finnigan to apply the slightest of touches to help it on to Kanu. 

From there, the Sierra Leone striker finished emphatically to double his tally for the campaign, with his second goal in as many games. 

The second half was very open and the game was finely poised throughout, but the better chances were created by Walsall. 

Walsall finished with an xG of 1.25 in contrast to Fleetwood's lowly 0.57, and the only frustration from the point is that they didn't perhaps emerge with all three. 

Sadler diplomatically described the draw as fair, but former Fleetwood loanee Warrington very nearly propelled his name into the headlines when his rocket from distance cannoned off the crossbar.

Midfield depth

Courtney Clarke, who was making his first league start, glided into space and dragged another shot wide from the edge of the box. 

The athleticism from midfield was a pleasing aspect, and Warrington and Finnigan's race had clearly been ran by the time they were replaced midway into the second period. 

Rico Richards came on for his debut and showed his quality in glimpses. He tricked his way into a dangerous position but his eventual effort was comfortably gathered by Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch. 

Sadler appears to have discovered a wealth of depth in midfield and the 'starters and finishers' approach, which he often alludes to, will be important in so many games. 

Jamie Jellis was once again absent with a groin injury and Charlie Lakin watched from the stands following his red card against Chesterfield. 

That gave others the opportunity to make a mark and they seized their chance. Although a winner never arrived, Walsall showed different sides to them in order to pick up a point.  

Lakin will be available again for the visit of Tranmere Rovers on Saturday, and Jellis is expected to return to the fold too, but the competition for places in midfield is really strong.