Walsall 0 Crewe 0 - Report

The Saddlers pressed for most of the game, Tom Knowles and Isaac Hutchinson again at the centre of most things but a combination of solid goalkeeping from James Beadle and the fact the shooting was sometimes too routine to deal with meant the majority of the 5,071 crowd went home frustrated again.

What is more worrying – apart from the fact Walsall desperately need wins – is the fact they have now only scored two goals in six league games

Michael Flynn brought Robbie Willmott back into the team, along with Taylor Allen, Liam Gordon and Joe Low dropping to the bench.

Crewe were looking partly to Dan Agyei to score the goals which might lift them up the table. The 25-year-old scored a penalty to start the rescue mission at Harrogate on Saturday when Crewe were two down with ten minutes left, the game ending in a 2-2 draw.

And Agyei was a familiar face to the Saddlers fans, having scored four goals in 18 games when on loan at the Bescot Stadium from August 2017 until January 2018. He was fairly quiet in the first half and although Crewe showed some good build up play and neat touches early on, they seemed to lack the killer instinct so sought by Walsall, who quickly settled down and started to take the game to the visitors.

On eight minutes, Donervon Daniels put a low ball through to Isaac Hutchinson who went one-on-one with the Crewe goalkeeper James Beadle though he had been forced wide by a defender – his eventual shot was blocked.

Hutchinson then flashed a shot just wide on 18 minutes and it was again he and Tom Knowles who seemed determined to carve out chances for the Saddlers and themselves by taking on the visiting defence.

Again Hutchinson put a shot wide on 25 minutes and four minutes later Willmott put in a clever cross from the right and Jamille Matt got in a flicked shot which Beadle was equal to.

Knowles was getting some attention and he was fouled on 33 minutes on the edge of the area. Willmott took the kick and the ball eventually came out to Taylor Allen who shot from 25 yards but it went well over the bar.

Willmott was being very creative and a corner from him on 39 minutes saw Matt’s header hit the ground and it was gathered by Beadle. Crewe did have the ball in the net just before the break through Agyei from close range but the linesman’s flag was up.

A half time substitution for Walsall saw Andy Williams come on in place of Matt but it was Willmott at the centre of things again on 48 minutes when he put a free kick from the edge of the area just wide of the far post.

Walsall were dictating the play again with Knowles running across the box then shooting wide and Hutchinson seeing a low shot brilliantly save by Beadle at his near post.

The on-loan shot-stopper was certainly justifying the decision to give him his first start for the club.

Still the onslaught continued, Matty Stevens going down in the box as he tried to turn and Hutchinson going on another free flowing run after being fed by Allen but his shot was straight at Beadle.

As the last ten minutes approached the worry was that Walsall’s inability to score could lead to a breakaway for the visitors, who continued to look confident in possession of the ball.

A fifth successive draw was of little use to Walsall though who were using one of their games in hand and they became increasingly desperate in the last ten minutes but seemed to run out of ideas, the visitors looking like they would willingly accept another point on the road to take back to South Cheshire

But in injury time, Manny Monthe had to make a great interception from a cross in the box which was heading for substitute Callum Ainley.

From the corner, Ainley got a boot on it and sent it looping toward goal, Evans having to make a great save at a difficult angle to parry it away and keep it at 0-0 though it wouldn’t have been a deserved win, with Walsall having 16 shots in the game, though only seven on target.