Walsall earn draw in pre-season clash with Burton - with PICTURES
Josh Gordon was on target as Walsall drew 1-1 with Burton on their Banks’s Stadium return.
The striker fired home in the 10th minute following a well-worked free-kick routine to put the Saddlers ahead in their penultimate pre-season friendly.
But John Brayford quickly equalised for the visitors, in what was the first match played at the Banks’s since March.
Elijah Adebayo went close to winning it for the hosts when he headed wide late on.
After a bright opening, Walsall took the lead thanks to a training ground free-kick routine after Cameron Norman was brought down on the right wing. Alfie Bates pulled his delivery back to Gordon on the edge of the box and though the forward was unable to hit the shot first time, the touch gave him space to then fire an effort past Ben Garratt, via a nick off a defender.
The lead was shortlived. Walsall were unable to clear Joe Powell’s corner and Brayford was quickest to react, stabbing the ball home from close range.
After that, the Saddlers had chances to restore their advantage, the best falling to Holden who could only fire over after sliding to meet Lavery’s cross six yards out.
Gordon also drilled off target, while Lavery scooped over after Holden, not for the first time in the half, found space to run in the Burton half.
The hosts almost conceded in calamitous circumstances early in the second half when Dan Scarr misjudged an attempted chest back to Liam Roberts and the keeper was forced to push the ball wide of the post.
Both teams made a series of second half substitutions which broke up the flow and only in the final 10 minutes did chances begin to flow again.
Ben Fox shot straight at Roberts from the edge of the box, before Saddlers substitute Adebayo headed wide of the post from Jack Nolan’s cross.
The Saddlers round off their pre-season schedule when they visit Blues on Tuesday.
Teams
Walsall (4-2-3-1): Roberts, Norman, Clarke (Sadler 61), Scarr (Jules 74), Cockerill-Mollett (Leak 74), Kinsella (Perry 61), Bates (Trialist A), Gordon (Trialist B), Holden (Nolan 61), McDonald (Campbell 74), Lavery (Adebayo) Subs not used: Willis, Foulkes, Jackson (gk).
Burton: Garratt, Brayford, Daniel, Quinn, Powell, Lawless, Fox, Varney (Hewlett 35), Vernam (Anderson 61), O’Toole, Gilligan Subs not used: Hawkins, Eardley, Anderson, Hart, Armitage, Gallacher, Dawkins.
