Northampton 1 Walsall 1 - Report

Having grabbed seven points from a possible 12 under the Welshman, they now sit 16th in the League Two table and with a decent cushion between themselves and the drop zone.

Walsall were well off the pace in the first period at Sixfields and handed the Cobblers an early lead.

Carl Rushworth's woeful kick went straight to Mitch Pinnock, who kept his nerve and punished the Saddlers' sloppiness.

But after the break, Flynn's charges were much improved.

Wilkinson expertly found the bottom corner for his second goal in as many games and in the end, they were good value for a point.

Walsall are still making daft errors and giving teams leg-ups, but they are certainly performing better under Flynn. They definitely have more character about them now.

Report

Flynn went with the same starting line-up from the enjoyable 3-1 home victory over Hartlepool United at the weekend.

The bench was also exactly the same, with Lee Tomlin hoping to make an impact as a substitute.

Tomlin had a spell training with Northampton before joining the Saddlers as a free agent last week.

The Cobblers, meanwhile, had former Walsall duo Liam Roberts and Jon Guthrie in their starting line-up.

The promotion-chasing hosts were desperate to respond after a poor loss to Rochdale, and Flynn's men gifted them an opener.

Only a few minutes had passed when Rushworth got an attempted clearance horribly wrong.

The keeper fired the ball straight to Pinnock and despite Jack Earing clearly pulling his shirt, the Northampton attacker kept his balance and came up with an emphatic left-footed finish.

Earing – had Pinnock gone down – might have seen red for denying a goalscoring opportunity, but he managed to escape without even a yellow card.

It was another silly error to add to Walsall's already-extensive list throughout this campaign.

A couple more needless mistakes then saw the Cobblers threaten to add to their lead.

Tyrese Shade – keeping the ball in play when he perhaps should have just got rid – gave the ball straight to winger Sam Hoskins, whose low cross was prodded narrowly wide by Louis Appere.

On the other flank, Hayden White tried to spin with the ball but lost it and allowed Hoskins to shoot, forcing Rushworth into a save.

The Saddlers, in fairness, did have a couple of decent efforts between those heart-in-mouth moments.

Wilkinson's stooping header sailed past the post while a corker from skipper Joss Labadie was sharply denied by Roberts.

The Cobblers, though, looked more dangerous in the final third.

Pinnock had a fine chance to grab a second. The lively Appere – who scored the winner at the Banks's Stadium last month – cut the ball back to the penalty spot, but Pinnock's tame effort rolled right into Rushworth's grateful arms.

Appere then broke free as Walsall switched off from a throw-in, with Donervon Daniels getting across at the last second.

Wilkinson had an ambitious shot from distance towards the end of the half, but the Saddlers deserved to be behind at the break.

They were too careless in possession and unable to build any momentum as a result.

Thankfully, they started the second period in much greater fashion. Their overall play looked a lot more convincing and by the 50th minute, they were level.

A patient, well-worked move saw Emmanuel Osadebe play a ball from the right flank inside to George Miller.

Walsall's top scorer then laid it off to strike partner Wilkinson, who finished superbly from the edge of the box.

He was given the time to pick his spot with his trusted left foot, leaving Roberts completely helpless as the sweet shot fizzed into the bottom corner.

The Saddlers had a real spring in their step from there, and they had two big opportunities to go ahead.

A low corner was met by Wilkinson, whose side-footed effort brushed the side netting on its way out for a goal kick.

Osadebe then swung in a peach of a free-kick that was met by Miller, but his glancing header also went agonisingly wide.

That proved to be Miller's last action as Flynn made his first switch, introducing Devante Rodney. Tomlin soon entered the fray, too, in place of Wilkinson.

Northampton could have won it – Hoskins' header smacking the post in added time.

But Walsall will feel given their second-half improvement, this was a fair result.

Next up is a long trip to third-bottom Barrow on Saturday.

Teams

Northampton (3-4-3): Roberts; Magloire, Horsfall, Guthrie; McGowan, McWilliams, Lewis (Eppiah, 80), Mills (c) (Koiki, 67); Hoskins, Appere (Rose, 90), Pinnock

Subs not used: Maxted (gk), Lubala, Ashley-Seal, Abimbola

Goal: Pinnock (4)

Walsall (3-5-2): Rushworth; White, Daniels, Monthe; Osadebe, Kinsella, Earing, Labadie (c), Shade; Miller (Rodney, 67), Wilkinson (Tomlin, 75)

Subs not used: Rose (gk), Menayese, Ward, Perry, Kiernan

Goal: Wilkinson (50)

Attendance: 4,861 (385 Walsall fans)

Referee: Paul Howard