Walsall 1 Crawley 1 - Report
Walsall were denied victory in cruel fashion after Danilo Orsi's 94th minute equaliser rescued a 1-1 draw for Crawley Town at Bescot.
The Saddlers had a catalogue of chances during the second half, and eventually found the breakthrough when substitute Danny Johnson opened the scoring on 88 minutes.
Orsi evaded the Walsall defence in the latter stages and lifted a smart finish over Owen Evans to cause late heartbreak.
Mat Sadler's men have registered back-to-back draws in League Two, and missed the chance to climb into the top half.
Oisin McEntee missed his first match of the season after sustaining a groin injury in the first half at Newport, which meant a maiden league start of the campaign for Brandon Comley.
Liam Gordon was also restored to the starting line-up at the expense of Taylor Allen, although the first period was much less eventful than the action at Rodney Parade on Friday night.
Walsall-born Crawley boss Scott Lindsey accused his players of being "too nice" in Saturday's 4-2 defeat against Crewe Alexandra.
However, it was the hosts that were perhaps a little too generous in the opening exchanges. Crawley dominated possession without creating anything meaningful, and Walsall were sloppy on a number of occasions.
As early as the sixth minute, Ross Tierney invited Kellan Gordon forward with a loose pass, before Donervon Daniels came to the rescue with a last ditch challenge.
Crawley boasted the early momentum but Walsall did largely maintain a solid defensive shape. The Red Devils broke down the left when Nick Tsaroulla found himself free to deliver a low ball to the edge of the box, which Orsi scuffed horribly wide of the target.
Walsall did have their moments but they were few and far between with Isaac Hutchinson's tame header was comfortably saved by Corey Addai from Ryan Stirk's corner.
Just past the half hour mark, Ronan Darcy sprinted past a series of challenges to surge inside from the left. He was unable to get past Harry Williams, who blocked his effort behind with an outstretched leg.
Gordon exploded into life to create a rare Walsall chance from nothing. The Guyana international showed great eagerness to intercept Travis Johnson's undercooked pass, but could only screw his low strike comfortably wide.
Evans was forced into action for the first time five minutes before the break. Crawley worked the ball down the right and a cut back for Lolos saw the Greek forward's low effort thwarted by the outstretched leg of the Welsh goalkeeper.
Walsall underwent a resurgence at the start of the second half. Comley dragged a low volley wide of the target within 60 seconds of the restart, and Gordon really started to grow into the game with a superb second half display.
Gordon combined effectively with Hutchinson to break into the box and drew a low save from Addai at his near post.
The Saddlers continued to increase the pressure. Hutchinson headed straight at Addai from Joe Riley's brilliant delivery, and Knowles forced the Crawley goalkeeper into action again after a promising attack.
The hosts had two chances in quick succession when Daniels stung the palms of Addai with a thunderous effort, and Hutchinson kept the attack alive to send a powerful effort rising over the bar.
Freddie Draper limped off with 25 minutes left on the clock, although Danny Johnson's introduction was met with a raucous roar from the crowd.
And it took Danny Johnson just two minutes to make an impact. Daniels drilled a low ball out to Tierney on the left, and the Irishman played a first time pass into the path of Johnson, who was denied one-on-one by Addai in expert fashion.
Gordon went on another breath-taking run to break into the box and saw his effort thwarted by a last ditch block.
The goal finally came in the 88th minute with Danny Johnson marking his appearance from the bench with the late opener.
Crawley failed to deal with Tierney's corner delivery and the ball fell at the feet of Comley, who crashed a low effort against the post.
Danny Johnson showcased his predatory instincts inside the box to convert the rebound from close range.
However, Crawley delivered a late blow for Walsall when Orsi scored his fifth goal of the season in the 94th minute to rescue a point for the visitors.
Evans had kept out Travis Johnson's header with an impressive save at his near post, but he was left with little chance when Orsi snuck behind the Walsall defence to poke his finish into the far bottom corner.
Teams
Walsall (4-2-3-1): Evans; Riley, Williams (Allen 46), Daniels, Gordon; Comley, Stirk; Knowles, Tierney, Hutchinson; Draper (Johnson 65).
Subs not used: Smith, Foulkes, Griffiths, James-Taylor, Matt.
Crawley (3-5-2): Addai; Wright, Gordon, Maguire; Dracy, T Johnson, Kelly, Williams, Tsaroulla; Lolos (Roles 87), Orsi.
Subs: Ashby-Hammond, Roles, Henry, Forster, Omore, Swyer.
Referee: Will Finnie
Attendance: 4,108
