Walsall 'gutted' after positive performance says Isaac Hutchinson

Walsall took the lead through Freddie Draper in the first minute, before Hutchinson scored his first of the season with a stunning strike on the half-hour mark.

Elliott Nevitt halved the deficit on the hour, and Jack Powell equalised for the Railwaymen in stoppage time.

Hutchinson said: “We’re all gutted because we were on top for so long. We played really well for a large part of it, and with a couple of mistakes that cost us three points, we’re really disappointed.

“Other than the two goals it was a really positive performance. Just before the last goal, I was thinking, they’re not scoring here, because the shape was good, and we were all working hard.

“It comes down to a lapse of concentration from a throw and a mistake. It’s hard to look past that but there were loads of positives.”

Hutchinson linked well with Ryan Stirk and Ross Tierney in midfield, and is grateful for the faith Mat Sadler has shown in him.

“It took me until October last year to get my first goal so I am a couple of months early with that. So it’s nice to get off the mark,” he added.

“The gaffer has put a lot of trust in me even since the three games he took over last season. It’s given me a lot of confidence to play my game and that’ll only make me better.

“It felt nice to have that different role. It opens up new opportunities and worked quite well.”