Walsall 0 Bristol Rovers 0 - Report and pictures

In front of 5,759 fans at the Banks’s Stadium, the two teams played out an uneventful first half in which clear-cut chances were at a premium.

But after the interval Jon Whitney’s side upped the tempo and created a number of good opportunities with Zeli Ismail, Joe Edwards, Kieron Morris and Simeon Jackson all going close.

In the end though they had to settle for a single point – with the result the first time Rovers have drawn a game this season.

In naming his starting line-up, boss Whitney opted to keep faith with the team that secured a 1-1 draw at Rochdale on Saturday.

Sticking with a 4-2-3-1 formation, Daniel Agyei continued as the lone front man with Erhun Oztumer in the number 10 role and Kieron Morris and Zeli Ismail on the wings.

Bristol Rovers, under the guidance of manager Darrell Clarke, lined up in a traditional 4-4-2 system with Ellis Harrison and Tom Nicholls up front and danger man Billy Bodin on the right-wing.

In what was an uneventful opening 20 minutes, Walsall enjoyed the lion’s share of possession but struggled to create clear goal scoring opportunities against a Rovers side looking short of confidence.

But that all changed when Mark Gillespie’s long clearance was brilliantly brought down by Agyei who then bullied his way past two defenders and into the box.

On the angle, the Burnley loanee then looked to fire the ball past Adam Smith in the visitor’s goal. But the keeper produced a spectacular one-handed save to push the ball away.

Rovers’ response was instant with Bodin darting off the right wing before driving at goal and seeing a low effort well stopped by Gillespie.

Yet as the clock ticked past the half-hour mark, clear-cut chances remained a premium with the Banks’s crowd becoming restless with a clash that was proving anything but a festive cracker.

And incredibly that lack of goal-mouth action continued to half-time with Rovers guilty of miss-placing passes whenever in possession and Walsall lacking the quality to capitalise.

It was Clarke’s men who created the first chance following the re-start with Liam Sercombe putting Nichols in-behind the Saddlers defence with a wonderful lofted pass.

The striker then looked to lift the ball over Gillespie but the keeper did well to race off his line and smoother the ball at the forward’s feet.

Within a minute Rovers were on the attack again and they came a whisker away from taking the lead when Kory Roberts almost sliced Chris Lines cross into his own net

Walsall though hit-back and should have opened the scoring shortly before the hour mark.

After Ismail had tricked his way to the byline, the winger cut the ball back to Joe Edwards who was unmarked just 12-yards from goal.

Yet with the entire goal to aim at, the midfielder opted against hitting the ball first time and instead took touch with a Rovers’ defender then able to get back and block his effort.

Suddenly the game had become end to end with Adam Chambers hitting a rasping 25-yard drive that was well claimed by Smith.

Substitute Jackson, who had replaced Agyei, then robbed Tom Lockyer of possession before darting towards goal and firing across goal and wide.

Whitney’s men were now rampant and they threatened once again when Jackson headed inches over following a fine Luke Leahy cross.

Now full of belief, Walsall continued to push forward with Ismail flashing two strikes across goal before Edwards hit a rasping drive from 20-yards that was well beaten away by Smith.

And with Oztumer becoming more and more influential, the Saddlers continued to pepper the visitor’s goal.

But they had a scare in the 83rd minute when Roberts sliced a clearance allowing Sercombe to race through on goal.

The midfielder dashed into the box and set himself to fire past Gillespie but Jon Guthrie slid in with a brilliant sliding tackle to block his effort.

Lifted by the chance, substitute RoryGaffney then looked to catch Gillespie off his line with a wonderful strike from 30-yards that sailed just wide.

It was the Saddlers though who pressed for a winner in four minutes of stoppage time but they were unable to break through a Rovers defence happy to hold on for a point.

Teams

Walsall: Gillespie, Devlin, Roberts, Guthrie, Leahy, Chambers, Edwards, Ismail, Oztumer, Morris, Agyei (Jackson 63).

Subs not use: Ganley, Kinsella, Flanagan, Kouhyar, Donnellan, Candlin.

Bristol Rovers: Smith, Leadbitter (Bola 37), Brown, Lockyer, Sercombe, Clarke, Harrison, Bodin (Gaffney 62), Nichols (Sinclair 73), Lines, Broadbent.

Subs not used: Slocombe, Sweeney, Telford, Partington.