Walsall 1 Peterborough 1 - Report and pictures

Having demanded a reaction from his players following their 5-1 loss at Rotherham, Jon Whitney saw a his Saddlers side impress as they returned to action on home turf.

Erhun Oztumer came back to haunt his former side with a stunning strike that saw Walsall take a first-half lead.

And they remained in control until Gwion Edwards pulled the visitors level in the 70th minute.

Both teams then went in search of a winner in the closing stages with a draw, overall, a fair result.

Analysis

In naming his starting line-up, boss Whitney made one change from the team that was convincingly beaten at Rotherham.

Tweaking his system slightly to line up in a 3-5-1-1 formation, midfielder Florent Cuvelier came in for only his second start of the season as the expense of Amadou Bakyoko.

It meant Tyler Roberts started up front as a lone front man with former Posh favourite Oztumer given licence to roam just behind.

Peterborough lined up in a 3-4-1-2 system that saw Marcus Maddison in the number role 10 and Jack Marriott joined by Ricky Miller up top.

The game had an end to end feel right from kick-off with both teams pressing forward in a bid to grab an early advantage.

Marriott twice burst into the box only to see Luke Leahy block his first low strike before Mark Gillespie parried away his second.

It was the Saddlers though who came closest to breaking the deadlock with Oztumer doing brilliantly to trick his way past his man before smashing a fierce effort off the crossbar from 25-yards.

After the blistering start, the game became more cagey as the clocked ticked past the half-hour mark with the two sides largely cancelling each other out.

But that all changed in the 38th minute when Oztumer grabbed his fourth of the campaign.

After Posh could only half cleared a Saddlers corner, Leahy gathered the ball on the edge of the box before hitting a half-volley which was parried by Jonathan Bond.

And it was Oztumer who reacted quickest with the creative schemer collecting the ball on the angle before unleashing an unstoppable strike into the roof of the net.

McCann made a double change at the break with Chris Forrester and Liam Shepherd introduced for Leo Da Silva Lopes and Anthony Grant as the visitors switched to 4-4-2.

It was the Saddlers though who were just a fraction away from doubling their lead shortly after the interval.

Another dangerous delivery from an Edwards’ corner was met by Shaun Donnellan.

The defender’s glancing header then clipped the inside the post and somehow bounced to safety when it looked destined to nestle into the corner.

Undeterred, Walsall continued to press with Cuvelier hitting the byline and sending in a ball which rolled across the six-yard box but had just too much for a lunging Oztumer to prod home.

With 20 minutes still to go, Whitney’s men were looking relatively comfortable with Posh lacking fluidity and a cutting edge.

But they hauled themselves level when substitute Chris Forrester sent in a cross from the right.

The delivery was met by Gwion Edwards who fired into the ground. But his effort bounced up and over Gillespie before clipping the underside of the bar and going in.

Peterborough thought they had gone ahead with a little under 10 minutes to play when Maddison’s cross was put into the net by Junior Morais.

But while the away fans and Peterborough’s players were celebrating, referee Sebastian Stockbridge had a long conversation with his linesman before disallowing the goal for offside.

Both teams went in search of a winner in the closing stages.

And it was Walsall who almost got it when a swift counter saw sub Zeli Ismail run the length of the pitch before tricking his way past and defender and into the box.

The forward then tried to place the ball into the bottom right corner but Bond got down well to stop.

Key moments

5 Jack Marriott jinks his way into the box before seeing a low strike well blocked by Luke Leahy.

6 From the following corner, Walsall break two on one with Florent Cuvelier finding Tyler Roberts only for the move to break down.

8 Marriott's low strike from a tight angle is parried by Mark Gillespie.

10 Crossbar! Erhun Oztumer tricks his way past his man before thundering a strike against the bar from 25-yards.

12 Andrew Hughes rises highest but heads over from a Peterborough corner.

22 Joe Edwards glances a header well wide from Leahy's left-wing cross.

24 Steven Taylor heads a Marcus Maddison corner over the bar.

27 Michael Doughty slices a left-footed effort wide from the edge of the box.

36 Tyler Roberts drives at goal before seeing a strike deflect behind for a corner.

37 GOAL WALSALL! Leahy's left-footed volley is parried by Jonathan Bond. But Oztumer reacts quickest to rifle the ball into the roof of the net.

54 Shaun Donnellan's glancing near-post header from Edwards' corner hits the inside of the post and somehow bounces to safety.

58 Taylor’s heads towards goal from a corner but the ball hits Edwards and Walsall clear.

59 Cuvelier’s half-volley from the edge of the box is claimed by Bond.

60 Marriott darts into the box before hitting a fierce strike across the face of goal.

63 James Wilson finds Cuvelier on the overlap. He puts a low ball across the face of goal but a sliding Oztumer can't connect.

72 Chris Forrester's right-wing cross finds Edwards, who fires into the ground, with the ball looping up and going in off the bar.

74 Leahy picks out Oztumer with a low cross but his close-range shot is blocked.

77 Edwards' low cross-shot is held by Gillespie.

79 Maddison's cross is converted by Junior Morais at the far post - but after a long conversation between the referee and linesman, the goal is disallowed for offside.

82 Hughes' venomous long-range strike is blocked by the chest of Gillespie.

84 Leahy gets a vital touch to divert Hughes' dangerous cross away from Morais.

92 Ismail produces a stunning run to take the ball from one end of the pitch to the other before hitting a low strike which is saved by Bond.

Teams

Walsall: Gillespie, Wilson, Donnellan, Guthrie, Devlin, Leahy, Edwards, Cuvelier (Morris 75), Chambers, Oztumer (Ismail 82), T.Roberts (Bakayoko 69).

Subs not used: L.Roberts, K.Roberts, Jackson, Agyei.

Peterborough: Bond, Hughes, Tafazolli, Edwards, Miller (Morais 66), Maddison, Marriott, Da Silva Lopes (Shephard 46), Doughty, Taylor, Grant (Forrester 46).

Subs not used: O'Malley, Baldwin, Lloyd, Kanu, Anderson.

Position

League One: 14th