Tricky return for Walsall

Northampton Town 1 Walsall 1

A tricky December just got that bit harder for Richard Money's resurgent Walsall, writes Mark Douglas.

To a fiendish month that includes a potentially season-shaping double header against Forest and Leeds you can now add a draining FA Cup replay with Northampton a week on Tuesday.

And when you take into account trips to the rapidly improving Oldham and Crewe in the coming weeks, Money really could have done without another bruising clash with Northampton being thrown into the mix for his rapidly improving side.

It all goes to heap yet more spice on a gruelling month that would have struck fear into the hearts of Saddlers fans a few short weeks ago – but doesn't any more.

Anyone looking for reasons for the sudden burst of optimism shouldn't look much further than Sixfields on Saturday, where Walsall chose to flaunt their newly-developed streak of steel on their second visit to Northampton in seven days.

Because even though they were far from their best against Stuart Gray's defiantly direct team, the way they hung in against the Cobblers' aerial bombardment should fill them with confidence for the month ahead.

The first of many reasons for optimism? The emergence of a settled back four that is proving the match of any other in League One. In Anthony Gerrard and Scott Dann they have a partnership growing together in confidence and understanding – and they needed it against a Cobblers side that took the Route One approach to unlocking their defence.

Time and time again Northampton swung high balls into the area, but if it wasn't the excellent Gerrard mopping up the danger then Dann was there in the nick of time.

And to the left of them Daniel Fox weighed in with some timely interceptions to frustrate the Northampton forwards.

Among the other clutch of reasons to be pleased with notching a hard-earned draw on their travels was the fact that Walsall won't have to visit the soulless Sixfields again this season.

Northampton's functional stadium has been around for more than a decade, but as a venue for an FA Cup tie it is hardly the kind of place that gets the adrenaline flowing.

Indeed it was left to Walsall's excellent travelling support to inject any sort of atmosphere into a game that ebbed and flowed but thanks to Northampton's functional approach never really settled into any kind of rhythm.

Now they know that the distinctly winnable prospect of Millwall at home await the winners of next week's clash, the replay could be even more keenly fought.

During the opening exchanges, it looked like Walsall wouldn't even need the extra game to prove their mettle.

Picking up where they left off last week, the Saddlers tore into Northampton with a rare gusto straight from kick off – and got their rewards within minutes. A well-worked move saw Mark Bradley thread a beautifully weighted pass into Tommy Mooney's path on the edge of the box, with the veteran striker mustering all his years of experience to execute a fizzing low drive past home keeper Mark Bunn.

That, unfortunately, was to prove the best passage of attacking play in the entire 90 minutes.

Money had warned before a ball was kicked that a wounded Northampton would race of the traps desperate for revenge, but in truth it was Mooney's well-taken sixth goal of the season that really stung the Cobblers into action.

They responded almost immediately by peppering the Saddlers' box with long balls, and Money's worst fears must were realised when the home side drew level within three minutes.

The awkward Peter Hubertz – a thorn in Walsall's side all afternoon – connected with a high, raking pass from midfield and flicked on to an unmarked Andy Kirk, who fired past a stationary Clayton Ince.

It was to be the only time the peerless Walsall back four were caught out – and they had plenty of practice as Northampton exerted themselves on the contest with a series of effective direct balls.

Dominating for long periods they went close through Kirk and Bradley Johnson, but they couldn't get past the ring of steel Walsall had erected round Ince's goal.

Money injected pace and verve into his flagging side in the last quarter with the introduction of Paul Hall and young Alex Nicholls – and the latter pressed his claims for a more significant role against Forest with an eye-catching cameo. As soon as the teenager entered the fray the game changed decisively, with Walsall suddenly recapturing the attacking initiative when he embarked on a searing solo run that nearly fashioned a winner for Michael Ricketts.

There was even time for Walsall to illustrate their togetherness when Northampton's Wolves loan man Daniel Jones sparked some ugly scenes with an unnecessary reaction to Rhys Weston's clumsy challenge.

It all created the impression that this is a team becoming more and more confident in their own skins – and on their own patch they have to be favourites to shade the replay.

Money's words after the game illustrated the confidence coursing through the Walsall camp after going 12 games with just one defeat.

"I was happy to be in the third round draw. I don't think we could have asked for anything more from the players – the No 1 priority was getting our name in the third round draw," he said afterwards.

"Northampton did what we expected – they stopped us flowing as we have been in recent weeks but we've got a durability about us at the moment and in games like that it stands us in very good stead."

It all starts again in less than 48 hours when Walsall face the entirely different prospect of containing a Nottingham Forest side finally threatening to play their way out of League One.

But that is the nature of the challenge facing Richard Money and his fast improving side in the final month of a memorable year for the Saddlers.