Dean Keates: Point was minimum Walsall deserved
Dean Keates felt a point was the least his side deserved after Walsall put in another battle-hardened display to secure a 1-1 draw at Barnsley.
The Tykes, who are odds on with bookmakers to win promotion, struggled to break down a disciplined and organised Saddlers side who lined up in a new 4-1-4-1 formation.
But Daniel Stendel’s men grabbed a fortunate lead in the 55th minute when a corner bobbled around the box before going in off Jack Fitzwater for an own-goal.
The Saddlers took more risks after that point with Barnsley breaking a number of times without putting the game to bed.
And in the 90th minute Keates men got the goal their overall performance deserved when Andy Cook skipped past his marker before firing in.
The result means the Saddlers, who are fifth in table, remain unbeaten in League One this season.
“I think a point was the minimum we deserved,” Keates said.
“I think in the first 45 minutes we were organised, we played to our game plan, we counter-attacked at pace and we created opportunities.
“I think in the second-half we could have gone one up inside the first minute.
“And then we get caught. They get a scruffy set-piece, it ricochet's against three or four people before going in.
“After that they put us under a lot of pressure - we had to gamble and come out of shape.
“We had to push forward to get an equaliser. One or two times they broke in numbers and at pace, but their final ball wasn’t good enough - they didn’t kill us off.
“Our lads kept going and give them credit, the resilience they showed was outstanding.
“They gave absolutely everything.”
