The Blues: Chelsea at Home.

Thursday, 24th September, 2015

At home.

Saturday evening …

So I’ve watched Dr Who …

… still have some energy, can’t sleep, so I pull the guitar down and doodle about with some simple (believe me I can only pick them far more slowly and ham-fistedly than they deserve, but nobody’s listenin’ right?) and on TV in the background is Match of The Day, gurning away between talking heads, statistics presented in the latest – but still dull and boring – edge of technology fashion and “recorded highlights” and endless replays and positional/possessional analysis (drone, drone, blah-blah, repeat). Sorry BBC football is a beautiful game and, as such doesn’t need all this peripheral codswallopery. Watch it, enjoy it, talk about it down the pub or write a blog – but do not over-cook it eh?

But, though I know the result my eyes snap up to watch the Chelsea v Arsenal game. I watch the most blatant bit of cheating imaginable, committed by a highly skilled, undoubtedly highly trained thug. Diego Costa (Chelsea and Spain) is pushing, pulling, slapping and clawing at an Arsenal defender (who astonishingly retains his cool under the unredeemed pressure) and, rising bullishly from the ground after a fair challenge floors the guy aggressively. Somewhat foolishly a second Arsenal defender (Gilbert) comes over to join in: quite unnecessary and ends up getting booked. The scuffle continues, mere feet away from the referee who decides to ignore it – and goes on immediately afterwards with Costa goading the defender until said defender (Gabriel) foolishly kicks back at him … at which point Costa is all offended and hurt and moans to the referee. Referee tries to ignore this development but eventually succumbs and sends the Arsenal man off. Now none of this need have gone on had Costa not instigated the whole incident. Arsenal payers – and referee were sucked into it, conned and made to look foolish. Of course and absolutely correct to say there should have been no retaliation from Gabriel: the referee could have gone on to sort it out: something he had obviously failed to do at the beginning.

I cannot help but compare this refereeing with that at Peterborough on Saturday which had a young player sent off for flinging a water bottle off the field of play. Instant dismissal, no messing!

But we play Chelsea on Wednesday and a new almost-fear rises in my head. What if Chelsea – marvellously skilful but at times mean-spirited – set about the Walsall players in this villainous fashion. No worries for them: they have an enormous squad and strength in depth of highest quality. We on the other hand are performing well with a limited squad and just a couple of injuries (the goalkeeper? Tom Bradshaw?) will tip us off the perch and doom our wonderful start season. Strange how these spectres, planted by the media and my own fixation can expand – and become absolute reality … until the actual event.

in a responsible fashion the F.A. quickly impose a three match ban on Costa: thus damning the actions of the referee and setting a noble precedent.

By the time I ring my brother on Wednesday (having missed his text) he is somewhere on the way back from Manchester for the very game I am only looking forward to my Saddlers getting off the pitch in one piece so that we can put out a decent side to take on Crewe Alexandra (strange name when you think about it) on Saturday. It is, I tell myself unhealthy: a form of imposed intimidation. The name Achilles springs to mind from mythology. If his opponents were obsessed by the image of his prowess they were already half beaten before the scraps began.

Cheered up by my brother I feel a whole lot better. Think there’ll be a parking space and … wow, this actually works and, despite heavy traffic we weave into a near perfect spot: traditional (habitual)place and walk to the stadium. The TV vans are there, and the security fencing reduces the walking space (which needs, of course to be two way) to almost-enough-room makes life interesting.

And the fantasy-luxurious Chelsea team bus (air conditioning, heated seats, tinted windows, recliners, TV, Wi-Fi … and an enormous galley at the rear complete with chef (like the Balti pies from the shop aren’t classy enough eh?).

Through the turnstiles with time to spare – which at one point seemed unlikely – and we settle down. There are some familiar faces around but these seats have been taken by club, corporate and players families. Next to us sit the young Walsall players: boisterous (why not?) and snacking on an endless supply of Haribo sweets (healthy lads?).

Team news is good news/bad news in that our main-man striker (in my opinion our only striker!) Tom Bradshaw is not playing. Bad? Could have done with his eye for goal and restless energy to keep the Chelsea back line (he can be that good!) on their toes. Good? Well, the priority is the league and better that he is fit for Saturday’s game against Crewe: harsh and not the Roy-of-the-Rovers stuff but hard decisions need to be made and he did play half-crocked at Wembley – and the less said on that appalling game the better the beer my friend … and anyway this is football and Jordan Cook might just spring his own surprises as Super-Tom’s replacement.

My stupid-fears about Chelsea coming out as assassins or monsters are absolutely groundless; they put out a reasonable team (so many internationals to choose from of course) John Terry, Gary Cahill (still playing in a mask that looks to be made by the parent of a primary school child for a super-hero themed fund raising day, Falcao among the stars they can choose from. But they properly shake hands with the Walsall squad and the game begins. And what follows is an impressive display of football the way she should be played. Smooth, skilful and purposeful. They are swift, able to switch feet, dribble, accelerate away and see passes that just aren’t there … until they, magically are.

But, though we are pressed back immediately we are no slouches either. The Chelsea team reportedly costs in the region of £220 million pounds sterling; the Saddlers squad about fifty thousand smackers. There is a gulf but we refuse to be over awed: even if it takes some time to take it all in… and by then after a bit of a rushed pass from goalkeeper to Paul Downing we are one nil down. Fast off the mark to run down the ball, a long accurate hanging cross and the ball is in the net. As good a goal as I have seen scored against us this season.

We concede another, but Milan Lalkovic has tested the Chelsea defence, but shoots wide (we have a number of shots but most are not on target, so do not really test the keeper).

Just before half time we get a free kick. Lalkovic hammers the ball – on target this time, it is clawed away by keeper Begovic, but James O’Connor is there to stick it over the line. We. Scored. Against. Chelsea!

 

They have shots cleared off the line, go three one up and we think: hey, that’s no disgrace. Think again when we concede another just before full time, but by the time I’m on my second pint it all went swimmingly well … and Chelsea were as gracious in victory as we were in defeat. Cook, a little restrained to begin with was giving both Terry and Cahill a problem or two with his physical presence (though he’s half the size of either one of them – “not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog” as boxer Barry McGuigan once said)

… and Romaine Sawyers has had an outstanding game, winning post-match plaudits and deserving them.

Seagulls at the Banks’?

Crowds were gathered at Shoreham for the annual Shoreham Air Show last weekend. Something went wrong. Dreadfully wrong – and as is the norm now there were so many cameras on it to record the Hawker Hunter (one of my personal aviation icons) topping out of a loop in blazing sunshine and – somehow, time will perhaps reveal – bottoming out too low and crashing into the nearby A27. Fireball!

Latest death toll yesterday was eleven and set to rise. So sad. And I am a great fan of air shows (though on holiday in Bideford I missed the one at Cosford this year) but this is real tragedy. People and families affected.

Shoreham: close to Brighton. Brighton our visitors this evening in the Capital One Cup. And one of the people who lost their lives in the disaster was a member of the Brighton hospitality staff as well as playing for Worthing F.C. as a genuinely rightful mark of respect before kick-off there was a minute’s silence. Enormously respectful – the whole crowd in harmony for a minute, between referee’s whistles.

 

Then applause and the game began.

Credit to the four hundred and some fans of Brighton who made the long journey; these are real supporters. Travelling the distances for away games in mid-week. As an experiment Walsall have moved away fans into the pitch-side stand, with both “ends” being allocated for Walsall fans. The idea, as best I understand it (and maybe I don’t) is that our team gets vocal support from both ends. This is fairly common at other away grounds. Let’s see what comes of it.

Certainly there were chants from both ends – and enough noise from the Brighton travelling masses.

Now Brighton began the game unbeaten: second in the Championship ( league above us) and started brightly enough. Our defence passing the ball smartly and accurately, but Brighton stronger and appearing fitter (as one might expect from a higher league side). Don’t get me wrong; I am constantly impressed by the levels of fitness shown by the Saddlers team: Jon Whitney has a lot to be proud of. But they also appeared more tactically savvy, changing and adapting and sharper.

Downing guilty of misplacing some passes and giving the ball away.

Referee was also sharp: we got a high number of free kicks in the first fifteen minutes. But then he slacked off, feeling, perhaps that he had established his authority.

Bradshaw playing a lone man up front, busy as ever, but getting nothing from the Brighton defenders. Credit to the striker – he never gave up chasing and harrying. Kieron Morris again supporting brilliantly: some wonderful close control as he ventured on long runs.

The corner score board screen surreally showed the pitch action. Smaller than real life. At rock concerts it is the very opposite: the stage screens show large images. Here we wondered at the point of the exercise. Really necessary?

But a few minutes before half time Brighton player Forster Caskey, after riding a challenge for a defender, decided to throw himself to the ground. Rather than book the blatant diver the referee pointed to the spot and the penalty was scored.

Half time – one of the access doors to the savoy Lounge being jammed we nipped inside for a coffee. Back out again afterwards Walsall’s attitude this season kicked in. they’ re from a higher league? Well, let’s get among ‘em then. Lalkovic, eager in the first half became more of a threat, jinking, turning, her one moment, somewhere different later.

Young, muscular centre half Matt Preston made his season’s debut (was that his parents next to me taking so many photos?) to replace Downing. Sawyers on for Flanagan. A long, perhaps hopeful ball down the line saw Tom Bradshaw, head down getting to it first, bustling past a defender and knocking it into the ox. Sawyers? No, he let it run: Lalkovic, steaming in hammered it home. He is very passionate, this twenty two year old and celebrated long and too hard, earning a yellow card. Such antic s (scoring and heart) have already made his return popular.

Now we were rampant!

But, another Brighton penalty at least as dubious as the first. Blazed high, wide and not terribly handsomely over the bar. To the delight of the Walsall fans ensconced behind the end where, normally Brighton fans would have been. Is this the desired effect?

Game ticking in to last ten minutes, we are well on top, pushing hard. Sawyers, having a much better game against this classier side, swung a ball into the path of raiding forward defender Rico henry: the tiniest player on the pitch. Tiny? But massive hearted; he’d run himself all over the pitch to that point. A great finish – and we hung on for the additional five minutes. Thanks ref!

Who would we like in the next round? I wondered aloud if Milan Lalkovic might like to have a crack at Chelsea the team that let him go.

Whaddaya know? Looking at the draw on the internet: Chelsea at home

The original Mourinho versus the “ginger Mourinho”

Meanwhile in the Athletics World Championships Jessica Ennis-Hill amazed herself and not a few aficionados by blasting her way to a gold medal. Modesty personified she is gritty, committed and gracious, she was uncertain about even competing in these games having given birth to a son just a year ago. Alf Tupper, are you looking in on this? And Greg Rutherford also claimed a gold in the long jump.

Close Shaves and World War III ? Coventry Home.

Home

23^rd August.

Getting just a little bit of stick at home for the – er – not quite beard that I am not quite growing. Its not a fashion thing, indeed not a big deal; just that when I don’t shave facial hair appears. But, casting for a suitable time to take a shave, some days ago I promised “after the Coventry game”. Because, seriously the Coventry game seemed like such a long way into the future.

Talking to a guy in the butcher’s car park. He went to his first ever Walsall game in 1948. He reels off a string of names that was the line-up. He does the same for a Liverpool team that played against Walsall in “one of the best games I’ve ever seen”. His wife, appearing from the butchers, is a west Brom fan and talks, with a smile about “when we beat Chelsea six-nil”.

They sometimes go, together to Hednesford Town football games – and it was very interesting to talk with him.

There is increased media speculation about the transfer market. Tom Bradshaw is – and properly so – a magnet for scouts. The big clubs have a week-and-a-bit to make their moves. Scuttlebutt on the Rochdale terraces was about how much: ) we’d miss him and b)how much he’d be sold for. There’s pride backed by realism to deal with if you’re a Saddlers fan.

Dean Smith is apparently also talking about making “two more signings”. We are a small club with a small squad. But to make anything like a real bid for any kind of sustained glory I reckon he is right. Injuries will bite at some point.

I have a friend who is a Coventry fan, but replied to an invitation to the game by saying that he “was taking his family to the zoo”. There’s a difference?

A warm drive to the game. Parked up and, not knowing the new season’s systems I enter via the turnstiles. Access to the Savoy Lounge ( needing a season pass) is changed: the restaurant is now in the centre of the room and we are permitted some space – and it might get crowded! – at the far end. So I have to burn the routes into my brain and delete the old by-habit ones … including which toilets to use.

Coventry have bought a goodly number of fans; the atmosphere is superb: noisy, bright, animated. Coventry are doing well (early season league leaders) and have high expectations. Stadium (this is my first home match) looks impressive. Good playing surface.

 

By these new routes it seems a long way to my seat, but sure I will get used to it.

There is a buzz from the beginning; this is one of the many local derbies throen at us this season. Notably Jason Demetriou (nominally full back) is forward and at home taking players on, little one-two passes and sharp. Etheridge, so mobile and looking more confident, has a few scrambles. Bradshaw is marked by a physically large centre half Reda Johnson: interesting. But we make ground and keep it, looking very positive and on the front foot. Coventry have their own goal machine, Adam Armstrong, teenager on loan from Newcastle, but their attacks fizzle out in poor shots.

Then there is a pantomime moment. On top of the professional (what a misnomer: it is nowhere near professional to fall over, feign injury and seek advantage – quite the opposite in fact!) part of their game one of the Coventry players (James Maddison) goes down – and stays down. Physio comes on – he’s there for an unusually long time before deciding Maddison can walk. Maddison then takes an equally long time to limp to the side line (carry the bloke for God’s sake, let’s get on with the game). Immediately, however the physio signals that he is OK to re-join the game, the ref waves him on,. He walks on to the pitch, looks at the bench, shakes his head and – sits down! He could have found that out while he was “off the field of play”!

Substitution! Six minutes gone!

The football being played is open, skilful and a wonderful advert for both teams – and, indeed football at this level. While the referee misses some things and is lenient with others the players are committed and seem to be enjoying the match themselves. We string about twenty passes together; the move ends with a promising shot; wide.

We break the deadlock just before half time. Bradshaw is marked pretty much out of the game, dropping back deeper to find the ball. He scoops a ball to the busy Sam Mantom who drops a wonderful pass in to Forde’s path. Cool finish: one nil!

Half time. We organise getting tickets for the Brighton game (Capital One Cup at home on Tuesday night) and wander out for what we think will be a torrid second half.

It is, but Walsall are keeping this aggressive attitude. Rather than sitting back on the one gaol (so expensive last season) we rally after the inevitable early Sky Blues pressure and Bradshaw (who else?) is there to snap up a rebound from Lalkovic’s shot and toe – poke the ball in for the second. Possession and quality then from saddlers. Kieron Morris (good start to the season from him) comes on for Forde and Cook comes on for Lalkovic. A surprise because It seems to be sawyers whose game is least effective at this point. He is too easily put off the ball of doesn’t get to the passes. But, hey I am not the manager – and we are winning two nil! What do I know?

In the final twenty minutes or so Coventry go for broke. Big centre half Johnson goes up front, they throw everything they have at us – and we endure, getting some counter attacks going to balance the game. We are not giving up, they can’t let us get another goal. They have a near-perfect free kick come back of our post. We relax: Etheridge had it covered after all. Didn’t he ? (No he bl**dy well didn’t!).

And Murphy, their clever nuisance value winger hits a screamer which Etheridge very definitely doesn’t have covered. Consolation. But on the drive on the way home, Brighton tickets in back pocket, I hear that we are (joint*) League One leaders – equal on points with Gillingham.

Teenager Joel Richards, long time Walsall supporter and local referee- one of a family of three who, along with other tourists was murdered in a terrorist attack on a beach in Tunisia – has had his efforts recognised by Birmingham County referees. He is awarded Referee of The Year. He should have been alive to collect it!

So it is now after the Coventry game: should I shave the “beard?

*hmmm; just wondering: shall I delete the “joint” before I publish?

“That’s Quite a First Forty Five Minutes …”*

 

11^th August.

Upstairs room: home.

My brother is elsewhere, my usual partners in crime in the south west of England or beyond contact: so- a day on the allotment and listening to the radio (BBC WM commentary on Bristol Rovers v Birmingham City Capital One Cup game) with highlights from the Saddlers at Nottingham Forest and Wolves v Newport County games.

Highlights?

Three changes from the team that drew against Oldham in the season’s first game: Lalkovic in the team, Rico henry in the back three and Kieron Morris playing (Romaine sawyers, Andy Taylor and Jordan Cook stepping aside as it were).

Forest are one of the fancied-for-promotion sides in the Championship, but after eleven minutes Bradshaw has put us in front. Great news and before I can take it in he’s only gone and done it again. two nil up; fourteen minutes gone. Who would have thought it? By half time Forest are putting the pressure on; pulling a goal back. But it’s still sounding good!

Sunday’s tour of Buckingham palace was outstanding; side stepping massive queues and leisurely following and audio tour through geography, society and history. So many marvellous impressions of a brilliantly put together stroll through intense changes and modern royalty. I am impressed!

The journey back is through Chelsea (where is Chelsea Football Club?) past Lord’s cricket ground and a glimpse of Brentford’s football ground and the ridiculous pomp of that Wembley Arch – sorry, still can’t see the point of that.

Meanwhile, after the half time chattering with pundits and esteemed guests (mick Kearns always so refreshingly honest about Walsall, even denigrating players and performances at times. Not this time: he’s surprised, proud and, dammit downright impressed. Me too – even at this distance. The commentary game goes on, sounding frankly boring and I get the impression (perhaps a.k.a. bias) that the producers wished they’d plumped for the game at Notts Forest.

Chambers, usually solid and professional is injured, tries to carry on but has to be substituted. Romaine sawyers coming on in his place. This is definitely not a like-for-like substitution: we don’t have anybody like Chambers!

But – and I’ve seen the video Sawyers is starting the season on fire. An eye opener for me! He is ready to take a pop whenever the chance presents itself. Bradshaw fluffs a shot, the ball drops – a long way – for Sawyers and it’s in the net!

I’m sitting here, big smile on my face. And it gets bigger as time passes, passes, passes. Then, whoops Forest have made a substitution and the sub scores. Surely that’ll be it. The game is nearly finished. But – ouch with a capital Oh! That self-same sub scores an equaliser – and we’re bound to be heading for extra time. (it’s a very classy goal actually, spontaneously taken back heel: confident and cheeky … why is this guy only the substitute?)

But as I am beginning to think that BBC will switch to the Forest game for the inevitable extra time:

“there’s a moment of pure drama here. Walsall have been given a penalty … Tom Bradshaw to take it …”

His first ever professional hat trick. Scored the winner in the final seconds of time-added-on.

A stunning result!

I decide there and then to light up the fire-pit outside, sit and watch the sky for the Perseid meteor shower. Pleased and proud. That result shows spirit and attitude. It may not last for long, but I am pleased to be a Saddlers fan at this moment … and I haven’t been to a match yet!

• quote from BBC reporter at half time – and it wasn’t nearly over by then!

No Signal, Jet Lag and Doncaster Rovers at Home

I have been away: three days in New York (so much seen, so much left to see) before joining an escorted “heritage of America Tour” that swooped through Philadelphia, Lancaster County, Gettysburg, Colonial Williamsburg and ended in Washington: a city of many monuments and, for me, little identity or soul.

          

 

Overall a great experience: meeting such friendly people and learning so much while travelling the miles and the years. Also frustrating. Because my nephew lives in New York, but without a mobile ‘phone signal – and after running up a twenty dollar ‘phone bill getting the wrong numbers _ I had no way to get to see him. My guess is he would still have got engaged even if he’d met up with us. (Congratulations Tom!)

But, after delays, long-time sitting in airports and plane seats, watching all three available TV episodes of the Vikings and winning two virtual poker tournaments – oh and a marvellous taxi driver who mentioned driving a visiting friend of Randy Lerner’s past the Aston Villa ground – we got home. Stayed awake until English bed time and went to sleep.

At some indecent early hour before the sun was up my ‘phone went off. A message from my brother which read:

“Won – lost – drew”

Needless to say I cursed the ‘phone and wonder – still – why the message didn’t drop in earlier.

Lost seems not to cover it –as we were, apparently truly hammered 4 – 0 at Rochdale, having previously beaten Preston N.E. 3 – 1 at home – the only home game I missed because of the trip.

Meanwhile in the cup formerly known as the League Cup (now the Capital One Cup) Shrewsbury won against Norwich City to earn a home tie against Chelsea and Liverpool and Middlesbrough were involved in a penalty shoot out that needed thirty spot kicks (imagine that) for Liverpool to go through. This took an additional nineteen minutes and is – it goes without saying – a new record number of penalties that, hopefully will not be broken for many a long year.

So I set out to drive to the game: still feels strange to be on this side of the road. It also felt like a long time since I have been to a game (that’s how good the holiday was!) Feeling also some trepidation: we have only won one game in nine this season so far – or three out of the past twenty seven – and the season is finely balanced. Local media talk is about James Baxendale – who once played for Doncaster Rovers and Andy Butler has returned to Walsall (from Sheffield United) on what is termed an “emergency loan”. I have no idea how this differs from any other loan, but it sounds rather desperate.

 

Warm day, no problems parking; stroll to the ground, into the Bonser Lounge. Met up with Andy and Cully. Out in the stadium my first impression was green, space , watching O’Donnell signing autographs for kids behind the practice goal and noise: that “overture and the crashing drums of The Who to welcome players onto the pitch.

Tom Bradshaw back from injury, Reece Flanagan, Grimes on the bench. And the kick off appeared a little chaotic, players not seeming sure who was going to take the kick making me think of schoolboy games when somebody says, at the last minute “Oh all right, you take it but give me the ball; OK?”

Poor first half; no routine, passes going astray, no rhythm and Saddlers players staying back, putting no pressure on the ball or the Donny defence. Bradshaw working hard, bravely and selflessly up front, but nobody behind him to pick up the scraps.

Then, almost as even the most hardened of us was ready for the half time whistle some good play down the left had Sawyers threading a ball to – impossibly – Baxendale when the tall Rovers defenders were expecting a cross (I guess) and little “Bax” fired a sweet shot into the corner of the net.

Second half was a different matter. Walsall in full flow. Players up for it and going forward relentlessly. Some hard and some harsh tackling from Doncaster, but following an injury to the first choice ‘keeper and Billy Clifford coming on for Flanagan, Forde found more space and had composure down the left, with fine support from Andy Taylor (an accomplished player who looks the least athletic of footballers I have seen for some years (don’t judge a book by it’s cover”). Fine, sharp passing brought Sawyers into the game. He looked up, spotted a run by Bradshaw, popped the ball into the space and – another goal for “Bradders”.

Later a free kick on the edge of the box had us wondering who would take it. A real tussle going on in the area, Baxendale upsetting the defenders, getting roughed up, Andy Butler going over and elbows flying about. My guess that Taylor would take the kick was completely wrong: Antony Forde stepped up, shot, the ball arced in, bounced of the inside of the post and into the net. Some credit has to go to Butler and Baxendale here for the distraction I think. But the ball was in the net – again!

This was the final result, although Bradshaw and Sawyers would be replaced by Grimes and Manset (some fine touches and strong play) and there was a general sigh of relief. Maybe this means we are back to business as we once knew it – that’ll be at the start of last season incidentally. But, just maybe, a lot of weight has been taken off the players shoulders now and we are at home again next Saturday.

Kind of Backwards (Crystal Palace: home: Capital One Cup)

Seems I may have to write this one – kind of – backwards.

No standard build-up, start at the end and work to the beginning.

Crystal Palace overwhelmed us. We had too many players off their game and, having given away a cheap early goal through lack of concentration we never looked like bossing it.

Palace were the better team. They are in the Premier League, should be enough said. But it’s the cup and the old eleven versus eleven clichés kick in. Local paper talk – rare in usual circumstances almost had me believing we could pull off some kind of magic, getting through to the next round of the Capital One (Still, to many a fan, the League) Cup.

We gave away a free kick after six minutes or so; players decided to argue the decision. Palace, ruthlessly (and quite properly) took the kick; man in space, fierce shot (Marcus Gayle) and we were chasing a faster game. Gayle gave a master class in striking, notching up a deserved hat trick to the delight of the Palace supporters. Again I give credit to travelling supporters. We are situated on a motorway at the centre of England; few grounds are easier to get to – but still the commitment must be made. No doubt: the Palace players are fitter, more skilful and using keener “football brains” than our team … as you would expect. But even so …

Bradshaw once again – apparently alone up front – gave a good manful account, Grimes, again largely absent when and where he was needed, managed a shot which came back off the inside of the post, hid the Eagles ‘keeper on the back of the head and … went out.

“When your luck’s not in …” the guy next to me said. True enough, but hey, we haven’t won at home since January. Can it be possible? How long can your luck be missing?

And, er, dare I ask it: what if we are actually in a streak of good luck; because things could be worse. Sometimes, as one of the characters in long running TV series Holby City said “haven’t you got it yet: it’s the hope that kills!”

Some excellent displays from our two full backs, both always making themselves available for the pass, running long and hard down both wings as well as defending reasonably well (bearing in mind that we were thumped 3 – o). Andy Taylor (selected as man of the match, a minute before he failed once again to get a free kick on target. And Liam Kinsella, playing against players far larger than him, refusing to be intimidated and very mature in his approach and attitude.

Seemed like a good crowd, packed car park, but at nearly four thousand I really believe it could have been better. The middle and upper tiers of the Walsall end were closed.

Talk between us was of the trip to Tallinn, tram railways, history of Walsall, work, and whether we should go to Scunthorpe on Saturday.

On the same night, however, giant killing was being done. M.K. Dons put paid to Manchester United (who broke the British transfer record with the £59.7 million pounds purchase of Angel di Maria). Four goals to nil! That’s just amazing! Louis van Gaal, the new United manager, still with a lot to prove then (watch this space!). But a couple of the goals were scored by former Walsall striker Will Grigg.

A day later Burton Albion, just down the road and a division lower dumped QPR.

Footnote is that Dean Smith has managed to sign reluctant French striker Mathieu Manset who impressed during his loan spell here and his appearance against Leicester City in a friendly. https://saddlersfan.wordpress.com/2014/07/31/its-a-friendly-right/

Now , just maybe, we have a target man and enough people returning from injury to mount a realistic and proper start to the season. Manset up front with Bradshaw feeding off him ought to be a good combination; and we’ve got one less trophy to worry about now.