Analysis: Late drama but not a lot else for Walsall to get excited about

Hutchinson capitalised on Sutton goalkeeper Jack Rose’s fumble from a Tom Knowles free-kick to react first and score to snatch a point in what was a desperately poor game overall.

Both teams were below par, with Walsall manager Michael Flynn admitting after the game his players were in a ‘tough moment’ and would need to snap out of it soon.

The second half was dire, with Sutton seemingly happy to sit on the lead given them in the first period by Alistair Smith, who bundled the ball in at the far post when he received it from a corner.

That was poor defending by Walsall – the third successive goal they have conceded from a corner – and their back line looked nervous at times as Sutton grew in confidence after the opener.

Too many Walsall passes went astray, sometimes because they were happy to clear their lines rather than play it out from the back or find a team-mate with a long ball.

Sutton were no better and in the second half created zero chances, only for Walsall to let them in after they had equalised and almost gift them a winner.

That really would have been unacceptable for the relatively small crowd of 4,801, who turned out for what was never going to be an attractive proposition between two teams not known for their goal scoring prowess. Sutton were also renowned for their direct style of play and they used it to good effect.

They started the day only six points off the play-offs but were on a worrying run of no wins and no goals in their last three games, though two of those had been drawn.

After a scrappy opening 15 minutes, the first chance came when Sutton’s David Ajiboye went past two Walsall players into the area but saw his shot saved by Owen Evans’ legs.

A minute later, the Welsh shot-stopper had to be alert to punch out an in-swinging corner as Sutton tried to take control of the game.

But Walsall did eventually came into it and on 19 minutes, good work by Knowles in the left-hand corner saw him pass the ball to Conor Wilkinson, whose shot was blocked by the legs of former Saddler Rose.

Donervon Daniels also saw a shot blocked as he went forward into the area before the action returned to the other end, Evans again required to make a good save from Sutton captain Craig Eastmond.

Joe Low saw a towering header saved by Rose as the attacks ebbed and flowed but it was another set-play that proved the undoing of Walsall, on 31 minutes, when Will Randall sent the long corner through the Walsall defence and Smith turned it in.

Instead of re-grouping and having the belief in themselves to get back at Sutton, Saddlers panicked and it could have been two on 37 minutes, another Randall corner coming out to Eastmond, whose shot cannoned off the Walsall defence.

After the break, Flynn brought Liam Gordon and Jamille Matt into the fray but it made little difference in the early part of the half, both sides cancelling each other out and Sutton happy to use a certain amount of gamesmanship to try to see out time.

Walsall had more chances in this half, including Joss Labadie seeing a low shot go just wide of the post.

Hutchinson also had a shot when he received the ball from Knowles throw-in on 63 minutes but saw it saved by Rose.

Six minutes from time, two of the Walsall substitutes combined when Andy Williams passed to Joss Labadie, whose shot just went wide of the post.

Matt also went close and worked hard on his return from his shoulder injury.

With a little more luck his effort would have gone in but it seemed like it was going to one of those days for Walsall, which worryingly seem to be becoming more regular.

Hutchinson’s last-gasp effort came in the 95th minute when Knowles’ free-kick was not held by an otherwise faultless Rose and Hutchinson reacted first to put the ball in the net.

Although there was relief around the Bescot Stadium, it was mixed in with quite a large dollop of frustration at another stop-start performance which, not through lack of effort but rather that of quality, failed to ignite the home fans.

Sutton had seen three precious points slip from their grasp but the quality of both sides was so low that it probably would have been unfair for one of them to win the game.

With just three more home games to come and season tickets still to sell, the quicker the Saddlers can find the magic formula of excitement, goals and a winning performance the better.