Ultimately a moment of individual brilliance from Isaac Hutchinson in the 65th minute separated the two teams but for long periods of the game the U’s were never at the races.
The last 15 minutes saw a huge improvement but we were unable to transform chances and pressure into goals.
The day began warm and sunny and got warmer as the day developed. I had an uneventful journey down the M6 and covered the 180 miles to comfortably arrive at the ground for 1.30pm.
Car parking for Away supporters has now moved the vehicles to an elevated car park behind the Hotel and allows for a good number of cars and an easy departure taking the vehicles to the exit road but avoiding the queues. £7 is becoming par for the car parking course.
The programme (yes Walsall is one of the clubs still producing print media) and at £4 for 80 pages it offered great value for money and devoted 6 pages to the U’s.
Whilst on the positive news the referee I thought had a very good game. Lee Swabey refereed fairly and got to grips with Owen Evans (the pantomime villain) whose time wasting was legion.
Before the game I tried a cheeseburger which at £5.30 was poor. Over cooked and bizarrely cold, I will avoid such fare next season.
The pitch was in excellent condition (as you would imagine at the start of the season) and was well watered. The attendance was 5,058 with 258 of the faithful included in that figure.
Now everyone had travelled in great expectation, me included and having made an outrageous 4-1 prediction to the U’s I felt really confident.
BG had set up as follows:
Goodman
Greenidge Kelleher Hall
Fevrier Read Newby Egbo
Chilvers
Tovide Taylor
Subs
Smith Mitchell Thomas Bandeira Kazeem Jay Ihionvien
Now the transfer window had seen the U’s bring in several players and bid a fond farewell to Junior Tchamadeu who was sold to Stoke for an undisclosed sum, on a four-year contract.
However, of the new arrivals only three started on Saturday:
Owen Goodman
Joe Taylor
Mandela Egbo
And Zach Mitchell was warming the bench.
The following are long term injured:
Nico Lawrence
Ellis Iandolo
Owura Edwards is also injured and Jay Mingi is unfit having not played since December.
And Cameron McGeehan was only signed on Monday after the game.
John Akinde, Tom Hopper and Tom Dallison are also unfit.
For the Saddlers Danny Johnson was on the bench but never got onto the pitch. Just as well because he is no friend of the U's.
The U’s started sluggishly and although the Saddlers were allowed to make the running they didn’t seem particularly dangerous. The two exceptions were Isaac Hutchinson and left back Liam Gordon who both looked sharp and Hutchinson tried a shot on 20 minutes with pace and bend which was a portent of things to come.
Jamille Matt had a header which Goodman saved by diving to his right but it was a save you expected him to make.
Chilvers mustered a long range shot but the most disappointing part of the half was the lack of service to Tovide and Edwards.
BG realised that Alex Newby was having a mare but in truth apart from Fevrier, Read and Egbo they all were. Matt Jay was therefore brought on after 36 minutes for the errant midfielder.
Joe Edwards is an exciting and skilful forward and he thrives on service and balls that he can run onto but none of this was forthcoming.
Half time was reached with only one minute of added time.
No further changes were made but the service to the front two remained as sparse as in the first half. Joe Taylor (the fans favourite) was becoming increasingly frustrated. He slid in on Allen and earned a booking from the referee neat to the half way line on 54 minutes.
Within five minutes there was a coming together and Taylor was again involved. The Walsall crowd bayed for blood. Sensibly Mr Swabey chose to speak sternly to Taylor essentially giving him the gypsy’s warning.
BG took action and he was hauled off to be substituted on 60 minutes by Brad Ihionvien. His disappointment was evident.
Now I am not condoning Taylor’s action but this has now happened in successive games. BG must get this sorted out otherwise we are wasting the services of the best striker that we have had at Colchester since Jamie Cureton.
The solution is easy. Get the service to Tovide and Taylor rather than the endless passing at the back and in midfield. Both players thrive on possession football and getting passes that they can run onto. Get it sorted and quickly.
Sadly, for the U’s Isaac Hutchinson chose the 65th minute to unleash a vicious right footed shot which angled into the top corner of the net leaving Goodman stranded. It was a superb strike and one which Noah Chilvers is capable of making or Samson Tovide but neither is getting the ball to attempt such a shot.
Two more substitutions were made on 72 minutes. The ineffectual Greenidge was replaced by Bandeira (who should have started) and the lively Fevrier gave way for Kazeem.
On 76 minutes the referee rightly penalised Owen Evans in the Walsall goal for blatant timewasting and he then endure a torrid time from the faithful who questioned his parentage, his sexuality and gave him as much colourful language as befits an Education Secretary of State. Sadly, his gesture of placing his finger to his mouth at the end of the game suggested that he and his teammates had won the game albeit undeservedly.
This incident seemed to finally spark the U’s into life and we at last gained the lion’s share of possession and attacking intent. Ihionvien’s header went wide. Chilvers and the excellent Read both had dangerous freekicks that went narrowly wide and during the 5 minutes of added time Hall headed close. Ironically Evans made three outstanding saves to maintain the Saddlers narrow advantage.
Disappointed, you bet I was. Four defeats in five league games is reminiscent of previous seasons and confirms a poor start to this season.
Travelling back the journey was fine and I called in to Pizza Hut at Deepdale in Preston for an evening meal.
Is Tranmere a must win, sadly it probably is but BG has a few days to get his team sorted and to bring some of the new signings on board.
Up the U’s
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