Walsall 1 Scunthorpe 1 - Report

It so nearly received it here. Just seconds of the 90 minutes remained when Alfie Beestin pounced on a mistake by substitute Zak Mills and fired home a leveller which robbed the Saddlers of their first win of the season and the first of Matt Taylor’s managerial career.

Less than a fortnight into his maiden campaign and Taylor is already experiencing the frustrations of being in the top job: Two good performances against Tranmere and Doncaster unrewarded, a relative no-show in defeat to Forest Green and then this opportunity to lift the mood missed.

Kieran Phillips maiden goal for the club, two minutes into the second half, for a long time looked to be enough to see Taylor’s men past a Scunthorpe team who started without a recognised striker and are expected to be among the League Two stragglers this term.

But Mills, just on as a substitute, was unable to deal with Tom Pugh’s cross and Beestin stabbed home.

Pugh had earlier hit the bar for the visitors during a 25 minutes period when the game was goal-less and they held the upper hand.

Otherwise, it was the Saddlers on top, if not quite in control. Unsurprisingly for a team facing so many new faces, they have the look of a work in progress and it is still far too soon to make any major judgements. Simply, this was a big chance to get up and running squandered.

At least the point was enough to move them off the bottom of the table, above Oldham in the early season standings.

Taylor’s dissatisfaction with Saturday’s performance was made even clearer by the five changes to the Saddlers starting XI, though one of those, Joss Labadie, was missing due to injury.

The most significant changes were in defence and midfield. Manny Monthe, Emmanuel Osadebe and Zak Mills all dropped to the bench, while Tyrese Shade missed out altogether.

Liam Kinsella, Hayden White, Jack Earing, Sam Perry and Rollin Menayese were all introduced to the starting XI.

It was Walsall who made the brighter start and Phillips perhaps should have done better than send a header looping wide of the post from Brendan Kiernan’s teasing cross.

Phillips then saw a shot blocked at close range having twisted and turned for what felt like an age in the box before pulling the trigger. Taylor could be seen urging his team to stay patient. At that point, the Saddlers were well on top.

And yet Scunthorpe were able to wrestle some control and by the half-hour mark they probably should have led.

Jai Lowe sent a header wide after arriving unmarked to George Taft’s teasing cross, before Menayese stuck out a leg to deflect Harry Bunn’s goalbound shot over his own bar from inside the six yard box.

The Saddlers looked particularly ragged down their right side, with White booked for unceremoniously hauling back the lively Devarn Green.

It was from the same flank Scunthorpe then fashioned the best chance of the half. Bunn cut inside and hit a shot which was blocked, the ball looping up toward goal. Tom Pugh always looked favourite to beat Walsall keeper Carl Rushworth to it but his header hit the bar and while lying on the ground, he was unable to force the rebound home before it was hacked away from Stephen Ward.

That seemed to spark the Saddlers and they finished the half strongly. Conor Wilkinson hammered a shot wide from distance after driving his initial free-kick into the wall, before Ward drove just over having arrived late to meet a Phillips cross.

In stoppage time, the hosts came the closest they had yet, Ash Taylor flicking Earing’s corner inches off target.

The break did not halt the Saddlers momentum and within two minutes of the restart they were ahead, albeit in slightly fortuitous fashion. When the ball dropped for Kiernan on the edge of the box, his shot was directed well wide of its intended target but straight into the path of an unmarked Phillips, who finished emphatically from eight yards out.

Walsall were generally on top after that without being in complete control. Scunthorpe, however, were struggling to fashion chances and when Bunn did find space to cross, Ash Taylor was there to head clear.

A poor clearance from Rushworth was cause for momentary alarm heading into the final 10 minutes but Beestin shot hurriedly off target from distance.

The Saddlers looked set to see it out with relative ease until, seconds before the game was about to enter stoppage time, their defences were breached. Pugh crossed from the right, Mills failed to clear and Beestin fired home from six yards out.

Teams

Saddlers (4-2-3-1): Rushworth, White (Mills 88), Taylor, Menayese, Ward (c), Kinsella, Perry, Phillips, Earing, Kiernan (Osadebe 81), Wilkinson Subs not used: Monthe, Bates, Willis, Leak, Rose (gk).

Scunthorpe (5-3-2): Watson, Rowe (Wilson 65), Taft (Thompson 76), Onariase, Davis ©, O’Malley (Jessop 76), Beestin, Pugh, Perry, Bunn, Green Subs not used: Jessop, Shrimpton, Gallimore, Balme (gk).