Lee Grant hails Walsall’s best performance of season in draw at Swindon

Walsall boss Lee Grant says his team turned in their best performance of the season to rescue a point at Swindon.

Town were ahead in the first five minutes through Aaron Drinan’s tap-in but Tai Sodje’s second-half leveller kept up the Saddlers’ unbeaten run.

For the third game running Walsall came from behind to rescue a point with a 1-1 draw.

Manager Grant said: “This wasn’t one of those ‘let’s come back and fight to the death’ sort of performances, though. We just played really well.

“It’s a different feeling to Tranmere and Fleetwood, where we fight and give everything and scrap to get a point. This one, we’ve done more than enough for three points.”

Grant was critical of referee Alex Chilowicz for ruling out Sodje’s offside goal and for not sending off Connor Ripley for bringing down Sodje in the second half.

Grant said: “We were better and we’ve somehow not won. I don’t think it’s through a fault of our own, though.

“It’s our best performance. I’m going to watch it back. I’ll be surprised if I don’t feel like that, having watched it back on Sunday morning.

“We were outstanding, from minute one to minute 94, we were fantastic and dominated the game. We created so many opportunities.”

Town went ahead in the softest fashion after just five minutes from a long Mitch Clark throw which saw Stephan Negru hook the ball to Drinan to poke in from two yards out.

Joseph Hungbo then slipped in the unmarked Antwoine Hackford who launched well over before Mitch Clark ran 20 yards to pick up a loose ball and blast at the Saddlers keeper.

Sodje rampaged down the right and hit a vicious dipping shot but Ripley pulled off a stunning save to claw it away.

Walsall drew level in the 55th minute when Sodje nodded home a looping deflection at the back post after Ripley had done well to keep out a Mason Hancock piledriver with one hand.

And Ripley did well to repel a hard shot on the turn from Aaron Pressley.

Swindon are winless since early September but turned in a much-improved performance despite multiple injuries to key players.

Boss Ian Holloway said: “I thought their goal didn’t dent us as much as I thought it would, and I was delighted with the effort.

“And we could have broke away and scored. That’s better than we’ve been.

“So that’s what they’re hearing from me. Obviously I’ve seen teams play for me look much slicker and much smoother, but that’s not happening at the minute.

“What we gotta do is dig in, and I thought every single one of them boys fought like a dying tiger to stay alive, and that’s what we’ve got to do.”