Analysis: Winless run continues on for the hapless Walsall
Walsall slumped to their third away defeat in a row after a deserved loss at Crewe and have now won only one game in 19.
And the Saddlers again ended up with only 10 men on the pitch for the second week in a row after substitute Joss Labadie was sent off for two yellow cards.
Labadie had taken the captain’s armband when he came on as substitute for Liam Kinsella on 27 minutes, but lasted only until the 61st when he was sent off for a second yellow card after a challenge just in front of the Walsall dugout.
It followed a straight red for captain Hayden White in the draw with Carlisle and it was a talking point among the fans after the game as much as Walsall’s poor performance
The sending off made an already hard task seemingly impossible at 2-0 and the whole afternoon saw a desperately poor return from the team for the efforts, time and money of the the 1,010 fans who were backing them.
Boss Michael Flynn admitted after the match that things needed to improve and again publicly criticised his players for their defending in conceding the two goals.
He also made a point of taking an angry Joe Low off after the second. The on-loan defender failed to stop Rod McDonald for the first goal and was slow to pick up Chris Long for the second, although it was a good finish from the Crewe player.
But the early substitutions which saw Labadie and Joe Riley come on and a change to a more attacking formation seemed to make little difference – it is not the first time in recent weeks Flynn has changed things around early in a desperate attempt to find a winning formula, but unfortunately to no avail.
At Rochdale, the officials were in the limelight but you couldn’t blame them at Crewe, though there was anger at the Labadie sending off, with assistant Wayne Hatswell sent to the stands for sarcastically applauding the referee.
But with Walsall having nothing to play for but pride, too many players seemed to have this in mind, with just four games left now until the end of the season.
Flynn will have no sympathy with that and has warned plenty of times they are ‘playing for their futures’.
It seemed at times on Saturday that message hadn’t sunk in to certain players and if this continues, it could be the management who are fighting for theirs.
If there was one positive from the game it was Tom Knowles who was far and away Walsall’s best player and had two good chances – the second of which he fashioned completely himself and he admitted he should have finished, but at least the creativity was there from him
Crewe had been sent reeling by a 4-0 defeat at Colchester, captain Luke Offord calling it ‘embarrassing’, and manager Lee Bell made six changes for this game with a backlash predicted.
It came on just three minutes when they took the lead, but it could and should have been prevented
A free-kick from Callum Ainley saw McDonald get to the ball before Low and direct his header into the net
It seemed to galvanise Walsall into action and Conor Wilkinson flicked Isaac Hutchinson’s cross wide of the target just a few minutes later, with the Saddlers briefly threatening.
Low got on the end of one of Knowles’ crosses on 19 minutes, but his header went over.
Despite the bright spell, Walsall conceded again on 25 minutes when Long received the ball from a throw-in, worked a path through the Walsall defence in the box and slipped the ball home.
Almost immediately there was a double substitution from Walsall ,but it failed to make much difference as Crewe took control and looked for a third.
Former Saddlers loanee Dan Agyei flashed a long shot just wide of the post and Charlie Finney saw a half-volley go wide off a defender as they finished the half strongly.
Knowles was again the dangerman when Walsall did attack, turning a Conor Wilkninson cross just wide of a post. They showed some fight from the start of the second half, but little seemed to be going their way and Labadie was sent off on 61 minutes after a challenge on Tariq Uwakwe
Crewe looked to press home the advantage and almost made it three on 67 minutes when Agyei skipped past Oisin McEntee in the area and laid the ball off for Joel Tabiner who side footed it over.
After this they were content to knock the ball around in the sunshine and settle for a two-goal win. For Walsall, Knowles went past the Crewe defence on 82 minutes and should have done better than put the ball poorly wide of the post.
Owen Evans was called into action three minutes from time to keep Brook’s shot out as a containment effort from Walsall prevented the result from being worse.
