Scunthorpe 1-0 Walsall - Report

A catastrophic defeat looks likely to spell the end for head coach Taylor, with the Saddlers now just four points above the drop zone thanks to Oldham Athletic's win over Bristol Rovers.

Walsall started brightly at Glanford Park and had a few golden opportunities to score but, typically, wasted all of them.

The Iron then made their major chance count as Jai Rowe headed in against the run of play.

The Saddlers spent most of the second period a man up after Tom Pugh picked up a second yellow card and resulting red for the hosts.

But the visitors failed to carve out a clear-cut opportunity and, ultimately, got what they deserved once more.

Another performance which reflects the club's sorry state both and off the pitch.

At this rate, they are nosediving towards non-league. And for Taylor, it is difficult to see him staying beyond this.

It has been said before and is worth saying again – Walsall's issues are deep-rooted and go well beyond Taylor.

But, ultimately, he oversees the squad and they have been terrible for too long.

This was as good a chance as they could have asked for to stop the rot. However, they fell short as they have done so often.

Make no mistake about it, the Saddlers are in a relegation fight. You don't really fancy their chances either.

Report

Amid three Walsall changes, Manny Monthe made his long-awaited return to the backline after serving a seven-match ban.

Skipper Joss Labadie was also brought back in, while the Saddlers' most eye-catching change saw Tyrese Shade deployed as a striker.

Taylor had bemoaned the efforts of his centre forwards in last Saturday's loss to Northampton, and with marquee January signing Devante Rodney still carrying an injury from his time at Port Vale, winger-by-trade Shade got the nod.

Jack Earing – who took a nasty blow to the head against the Cobblers – dropped out, along with Tom Leak and Conor Wilkinson.

As the game got going, Scunthorpe looked crippled by fear.

They were misplacing passes and coming up with lots of heavy touches, bringing on some boos from the home crowd.

You sensed an early goal would knock the stuffing out of the Iron, and Walsall had both Labadie and Reece Devine test keeper Rory Watson.

With each minute that passed, it became more obvious as to why Scunthorpe have struggled so much. They were offering next to nothing.

Still, the Saddlers needed to find their shooting boots.

Shade wasted a glorious opportunity as he raced clear but was thwarted one-on-one by Watson. The tenacious Liam Kinsella then saw a teasing ball across the face goal just about gathered.

George Miller was the next to spurn a good opening, before an inswinging Emmanuel Osadebe corner agonisingly evaded all white shirts.

That painful lack of ruthlessness, of course, would come back to haunt Walsall before the break.

Ross Millen's free-kick cannoned off the post, and thanks to trademark statuesque Saddlers defending, Rowe was allowed to nod the ball into the empty net.

From there, in another showing of Walsall's sorry state, the Iron ended the half with their tails up and even threatened to add a second.

Taylor's lot had capitulated yet again and had 45 minutes to avoid a complete catastrophe.

The beginning of the second half was shrouded in controversy.

The Saddlers were clearly denied a goalscoring opportunity as Osadebe sent Miller clear with a well-weighted through-ball.

Miller was ridiculously stopped by the onrushing Watson, who handled the ball outside of the box but, somehow, got away with it.

Scunthorpe, however, would not prove to be so lucky just a couple of minutes later as full-back Pugh – also booked for a late challenge in the first half – picked up a second yellow card for going through Hayden White.

Grasping the urgency of the situation, Taylor quickly made a double change.

Both Wilkinson and Brendan Kiernan entered the fray, for Rollin Menayese and Osadebe, in a switch to an all-out-attack 4-2-4 formation on the hour mark.

Walsall's attempt to build momentum against the 10-man Iron, though, was being broken up by a infuriating knack of giving away silly fouls.

They were very much playing into the home side's hands and adding to their woes, Labadie picked up his 10th yellow of the season – resulting in a two-match ban.

And, really, they did not go all that close to finding a leveller.

For Scunthorpe, there are signs of life.

For the Saddlers and more specifically Taylor, it appears to be game over.

Teams

Scunthorpe (4-2-2-2): Watson; Millen, Onariase, Delaney, Pugh; Grant, Rowe; Feeney (c), Sinclair (Gallimore, 57); Pyke (Nuttall, 57); Burns (Taft, 78)

Subs not used: Collins (gk), Jessop, Lewis, Matheson

Goal: Rowe (34)

Red card: Pugh (53)

Walsall (3-5-2): Rushworth; Menayese (Kiernan, 60), Daniels, Monthe; White, Labadie (c), Kinsella, Osadebe (Wilkinson, 60), Devine; Shade, Miller.

Subs not used: Jackson (gk), Leak, Perry, Bates, Willock

Referee: Tom Nield