Walsall 1 Carlisle 0 - Report
Nightmare though this season has often felt for Walsall, at least disaster has been definitively averted.
Yesterday’s 1-0 win over Carlisle means the Saddlers are now mathematically safe from relegation, two games earlier than they managed a year ago.
That, of course, was not the extent of the ambitions when Jamie Fullarton and Matt Taylor carried out a large scale overhaul of the playing squad last summer.
But when the latter was dismissed as head coach in February with the club hovering above the League Two relegation zone, supporters would gladly have taken this outcome, regardless of the general sense of frustration at yet another lost campaign.
This win at least restored some cheer after a dire three-match losing streak had tested the patience of Taylor’s successor Michael Flynn almost to breaking point.
By and large the boss got the improved effort he demanded, even if Jack Earing’s winner, netted deep in first half stoppage time via the aid of a deflection, summed up the scrappy nature of the game.
Most encouraging was the Saddlers improved performance in defence, aided by the return to fitness of Donervon Daniels. This was their first clean sheet in six matches.
The victory, meanwhile, was their first on a Good Friday since the turn of the century, ending a run of six straight draws. It was Carlisle’s first Good Friday defeat since 1980.
Flynn, who questioned his team’s commitment after last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Rochdale, made four changes to his starting XI, though two were enforced with both Conor Wilkinson and Liam Kinsella missing through injury.
Jack Rose and Stephen Ward, meanwhile, dropped to the bench with the Saddlers welcoming back Carl Rushworth in goal and the fit-again Daniels to the heart of defence. There were also recalls for Tyrese Shade and George Miller.
Rushworth was called into action early during a lively start to the match, saving low down to his right after Kristian Dennis had chopped inside Daniels and fired at goal.
By then the visitors were perhaps fortunate to have a full complement of players on the pitch. Barely 60 seconds had elapsed when Brendan Kiernan, through on goal, was tugged back by a pull of the shirt from Dynel Simeu so blatant it was inexplicable how the officials could have missed it. The only conclusion was paid the price for being honest and remaining on his feet.
Simeu would enter the referee’s notebook soon after for bringing down Shade, with Walsall’s Hayden White experiencing the same fate when he brought down a flying Tyrese Omotoye.
There was plenty of endeavour from both teams but little in the way of quality. When White did send a dangerous delivery into the visiting box, Rod McDonald got enough on the ball to deflect Kiernan’s header behind. Kelvin Mellor shot over for Carlisle, Joss Labadie did the same for the hosts after goalkeeper Mark Howard’s punch only went as far as the edge of the box.
The best chance of the half prior to Earing’s opener would fall to Shade. It came at the end of Walsall’s best move, Kiernan springing Emmanuel Osadebe away on the counter with the midfielder picking out Shade unmarked in the box. But the first-time shot was aimed straight at Howard.
Ultimately the hosts got their rewards for finishing the half with a flourish. Osadebe got to the byline and pulled back a cross which Simeu would have put through his own net but for a sharp Howard save. Carlisle couldn’t clear and when the ball fell to Earing on the edge of the box he drove a finish into the bottom corner via a slight deflection.
It was the 23-year-old's fourth goal of the season and his first December but the main focus of the celebration fell on Shade, who ran to the bench and held up the shirt of Wilkinson, the latter having suffered a knee injury at Rochdale the previous week.
Walsall started the second half brightly too, Kiernan firing just wide of the post as the home side searched for a second. They might have found one before the hour mark with a more decisive Miller but twice the striker hesitated when well placed, the second occasion after Reece Devine had shown quick feet to beat two defenders.
Carlisle showed a bit more life when Patrick pulled a shot wide but it was only in the final 15 minutes the visitors began to deliver some sustained pressure. Joss Labadie and Manny Monthe combined to block from Patrick at close range after the striker had latched on to Gibson’s clever pass.
But an equaliser never really looked likely, Simeu missing the best chance deep into six minutes added time when he headed wide from a corner.
Teams
Walsall (3-5-2): Rushworth, White (Leak 84), Monthe, Daniels, Shade, Earing, Labadie, Osadebe, Devine (Ward 88), Osadebe, Kiernan (Rodney 72) Subs not used: Perry, Mills, Menayese, Rose (gk).
Carlisle (3-4-1-2): Howard, Simeu, Feeney (Riley 55), McDonald, Mellor, Gibson, Dickenson, Mellish, Dennis (Sho-Silva 68), Patrick, Omotoye (Armer 68) Subs not used: Devine, Alessandra, Roberts, Breeze (gk).
