Post by deadbat on Aug 16, 2011 23:18:13 GMT
The Blades continued their winning start to the season as they saw off Walsall in a five goal thriller at Bramall Lane. The home side had been two goals behind and in truth outplayed for long periods but showed great spirit and resolve to come back and turn the game around. It was not a good performance by any stretch of the imagination and the visitors will be desperately disappointed to not take at least a point back to the Midlands in a game where they had the better chances and looked to be coasting to victory at one stage. United were revived by substitutes Lee Williamson and Michael Doyle who helped bring them back into the contest with Williamson in particular instrumental in the comeback win. Manager Danny Wilson will know United will have to do much better and that more clinical sides than the Saddlers would have put them to the sword.
The game began with United naming an unchanged side from the one that beat Brentford at the weekend whilst visitors Walsall were able to name skipper Andy Butler in the line up after he has successfully appealed a red card in the previous game. Former Blade trainee Kevan Hurst began on the left hand side of midfield.
Walsall started proceedings well and were able to see a lot of the ball in midfield and were in the ascendancy. Peterlin had a shot from range just over and then Griggs when well positioned miskicked right in front of goal. United had not got going thus far but Quinn was always looking to get on the ball and make things happen. However, the visitors continued to control proceedings and Peterlin had another effort off target. Poor control and passing from the home side was beginning to frustrate the crowd who were not seeing the cohesion and control they had on previous games with McDonald not having the same impact as against Brentford. Macken then sidestepped Collins and shot across the goal with teammates unable to get on the end of the ball. United tried to get going again but Lowton’s over enthusiasm saw him yellow carded for a really poor challenge with some of the crowd fearing the worst. Walsall almost deservedly went ahead when nice play down the left saw the ball transferred into the box and Macken’s powerful shot was superbly tipped onto the bar and over by Simonsen. Another error from Jean Francois led to another half chance but Walsall’s sloppiness in front of goal was the only factor preventing them from being in the lead. United had a rare break when Montgomery advanced into the box and fell under Taundry’s challenge but referee Haines waved play on. United then finally forced Walker into action with Mendez Laing’s powerful shot being tipped around the post and then not long after Quinn hit a fierce effort from a narrow angle that stung the keepers palms. McDonald pulled up and had treatment but was able to carry on. The half time whistle came soon after and United were fortunate to go on at the break level after an excellent showing by the visitors and a poor one from the Blades.
United fans must have envisaged some improvements but they were stunned when only 15 seconds had been played and Walsall were ahead. The visitors kicked off and HURST came inside Lowton and hit a fierce shot that swerved away from Simonsen. In truth the keeper would have been disappointed with his effort as the ball seemed to go through him. United tried to hit back but Cresswell was hustled out and then Hurst had another effort narrowly wide as the Saddlers smelt blood. Soon after they had doubled their lead thanks to another goalkeeping error. Simonsen had done well to push a Macken shot over but from the resultant corner he got caught up in mass of bodies and could neither catch or punch and GRIGG smashed home in the scramble that ensure. The keeper was booked for his appeals but in truth he ought to have done better. McDonald who had tried to carry on was clearly struggling and had to be replaced by Doyle as United faced a mountain to climb as their poor performance had seen them in real trouble.
Another error from Simonsen almost made it three as he spilt a long range effort from Hurst and Gnakpa shot wide with the goal at his mercy. United’s fans were now starting to grumble about the disarray caused from the experienced showstoppers’ mistakes. The Blades made another change with Williamson coming on for the ineffective Mendez Laing. It seemed this kick started the home side into action and finally United were able to show some life. A move down the right nearly led to a chance and soon after they were back in it. Williamson played in Quinn who took his time before feeding it back to the substitute whose cross was turned in smartly by the advanced LOWTON. The ball was back on the centre circle quickly and soon after United came again. Peterlin was booked for a foul and was lucky not to get a second after another cynical trip on Quinn. United were now throwing men forward with the full backs supporting and even the centre backs coming out of defence. Walsall had everyone behind the ball and Walker was taking an age to take goal kicks. Lowton had a strong appeal for a spot kick when he seemed to nudge the ball before the challenge from the defender but the referee was again unmoved. From the corner that came about after this appeal, Quinn’s excellent delivery was headed goal bound by Cresswell but the ball was headed right off the line by Westlake with the keeper beaten and the striker appealing that it had crossed the line.
It seemed like it would not be long before the leveller came as the game had completely turned around and when it came it was a beauty. Collins strode out of defence as he had a couple of times previously and played in WILLIAMSON who stepped inside a defender before hitting a beautiful curling effort into the far corner at the Kop end. United were now buoyant but a well timed tackle from Maguire saved what could have been a disastrous moment not long after as United had to remain on their guard. Soon after though the comeback was complete. The ball was played inside the box but poor defending from Sadler saw him let Williamson get goal side and as he went past him the challenge felled the midfielder and the decision seemed inevitable. There may have been minimal contact but it was a daft challenge and after the previous appeals you felt it was inevitable an award would come from Haines. CRESSWELL stepped up and hit a fierce effort high and straight down the middle of the goal as Walker dived to his right.
Quinn then hit a great effort just over as United looked to kill the game off but another mistake from Simonsen almost saw the game level again. The ball spun loose after Simonsen failed to collect a routine through ball and Grigg seemed certain to score but the close range effort hit Maguire and agonisingly rolled against the post and away. Slew was booked for charging down Walker’s free kick and then Jean Francois upended Jarvis as United tried to hang on as the game entered five additional minutes. Good work from Cresswell, Slew and Williamson killed time towards the end and Slew then nearly sealed matters but his shot was blocked from close range. The final whistle came and ended a frantic contest with United just happy to continue their 100% start and relieved to come back from such an awful first 60 minute performance. Manager Danny Wilson will be pleased with the win and heart in coming back but will know there needs to be big improvements and that United have to play for the whole of games not just for bursts.
United – The performance tonight was utterly appalling for 60 minutes where the visitors completely outplayed us. They outfought and out battled us but more than that they out passed and out skilled us. United just never got going and so many players were off the ball with full backs off their men, the midfield not winning the ball and the front two being snuffed out. We had nothing from wide players and looked tentative in possession with sloppy touches and passes giving Walsall the ball back consistently. It was really poor and I was just glad to go in half time at 0-0. I figured we would not play any worse when lo and behold we came out and gave away two awful goals and looked well beaten. Suddenly a bit of interchange and drive from Quinn, Williamson and Lowton saw a goal and the game changed. Doyle and Williamson won balls and got us going forward and we took over. We had other chances and then scored an excellent equaliser. It seemed like there would only be one winner after this; with only Simonsen’s eye popping performance threatening this. We got a penalty after the referee had given us next to nothing all night and that seemed to be it but further errors from our custodian almost saw all the good work undone but somehow we managed to see the game out.
We have to do much better than that and even though Walsall played well, better teams would have beaten us easily and taken the chances they had. We really were sloppy all over the field, not winning individual battles and our first touch almost always seeming to lead to a tackle or us giving the ball away. We barely kept the ball and going the other way lost runners and were not tight enough. It is not enough to just turn it on for a small period of game and whilst tonight the 20 minute spell we had did see us win; we will not be so fortunate next time. We need to sign another keeper and fast as we cannot keep letting Simonsen gifting teams’ goals. Collins actually did better tonight but the full backs were poor until they started going forward. We had little creativity until Doyle (surprisingly) and Williamson (less of a surprise) came on and turned the game around. Tonight did show that this division is not going to be a cakewalk and it we play like that in the next two away games we won’t get anything. Indeed if we had played like that today against a Championship team we would have got thumped.
Walsall – Walsall played really well for 65 minutes and definitely deserved a draw, maybe all three points. They came out and got on the ball and showed real adventure, getting players forward and attacking United. They had 3 or 4 half chances and then a couple of really good chances. They hit the bar and certainly deserved to be in front in the first half. They won many of their individual battles and controlled midfield with lively forwards putting us under pressure. The two wingers also got at the full backs and caused problems. The two goals they scored may have been scrappy (well hit shot by Hurst even if a keeping error) and seemed to have the game sown up. However, the complete control they had was relinquished when United made it 1-2 and they sat back and seemed to fall apart. United now went at them and it seemed like the game completely turned around. Now United were winning all the loose balls and Walsall had 10 men behind the ball trying to stop the waves of attacks. You always felt if United made it 2-2 then they would go on and win and so it proved. However, despite this Walsall still had chances thanks in the main to Simonsen who was looking beyond shaky at this stage and the one that hit the post via a deflection was very unlucky and easily could have gone in. Despite them falling apart somewhat and United having most of the last 20-25 minutes and turning the screw, Walsall really took the game to United and deserve a lot of credit for a good performance where they won a lot of battles and passed and moved well. The two in central midfield played well for 60-65 minutes and played with heart and intelligence. The front two showed good hold up and linked well. The experienced Macken always looked a threat but his partner Grigg looked very lively and was even more impressive. With a little more clinical finishing and composure in the final third they could have been 3 or 4 nil up well before United mounted their comeback. Whilst United were poor for the most part, Walsall were much better than Brentford and Oldham and showed that United cannot turn it on for spells of games and have to play consistently and start games; imposing themselves on teams. Sloppy starts and not winning midfield battles will see many more teams do this to United.
Simonsen 3/10 – In the first half he made a great save tipping the ball onto the bar and was one of few players who looked ‘at it’. However he was then badly at fault for the first goal when a speculative effort (maybe took a slight deflection) went straight through his body. After this he completely fell apart. He did make one save straight at him not long after but overall his performance after this was an utter debacle. Reminiscent of last season he came for a corner and got nothing on it in a crowd of players; going up meekly and almost making himself smaller than other players even though he can use his hands and is 6 foot+! The ball bounced around and was turned into the net. He appealed in vain for a foul when it was never a foul in my opinion and as Walsall celebrated; he ridiculously charged out towards the referee and got booked. After this he came and missed other corners, stayed rooted to his line for other crosses he should have taken. However two moments summed up his showing as twice innocuous shots/balls towards him were spilt (under little pressure) and twice Walsall should have scored but once the ball was put wide (an awful miss) and then another saw their player’s goal bound shot strike Maguire and spin onto the post. It was worrying what he would do next and United were just trying to get the ball away from him. On that performance he simply has to be replaced. He has done little wrong in the first two games but has barely had a shot to save or cross to take. Tonight under some pressure he crumbled and the players in front of him has absolutely no confidence. Long is not ready yet and he must sign an experienced keeper immediately to at the very least mean if he plays like tonight again which is a real possibility after last season where he gifted so many goals; he can be replaced.
Lowton 6/10 – Thought he was dreadful for 60 minutes like a lot of the rest of the team. His touch was awful; he gave his man too much time and also could have been sent off for an awful late and high tackle near the John Street Stand. He seemed nonchalant in possession and did not do the basics. He finally came alive and started driving forward as he has in previous games. Scored a well taken goal and was involved in other attacks down the right and suddenly improve and like the rest of the team was a different player for the final half hour.
Maguire 6.5/10 – A mixed bag where he at times played some poor passed that put players under pressure and also way too many long balls. Also got beat a few times and showed his lack of mobility/pace when nippier players ran past him. However, he made a couple of key blocks and kept going and by the end had grown in confidence. To be fair having a keeper behind you who is basically a liability cannot help a youngster learning his trade.
Collins 7/10 – One of our better players tonight and actually even when we struggled he was one of few looking to take responsibility. The negatives included him being easily beaten once in the first half when they should have scored and also not winning enough headers against smaller men or certainly not getting enough distance on them. However there were many more positives tonight and he came out of the back with the ball three or four times and actually made the second goal with such a run forward. He never hid and tried to get on the ball when he could. For all his faults showed a lot of commitment tonight.
Jean Francois Lecsinel 5.5/10 – Nowhere near as assured as in the first two games and he like Lowton he did not get tight enough to his man and was careless with his touch and passing. He has obviously been told to get it down and pass the ball and at times he was guilty of overplaying and lost the ball putting us under pressure. He too improved as the game went on and got his man turned and went forward taking the game to his opponent as he got up and supplanted the attack as much as he could.
McDonald 5.5/10 – Nowhere near as effective as Saturday despite 2 or 3 excellent balls; he got out run by quicker, more mobile players from Walsall and was always 3 or 4 yards behind the play as for much of the first half we got overrun and dominated in the midfield area. He still showed a nice touch and his range of passing but he got kicked 5 minutes before the break and then despite trying to go on at the start of the second half; he had to go off.
Montgomery 6/10 – Monty was not tight enough to his men in the first half and I felt we had a big gap between the defence and midfield and they got men into this area to cause problems. McDonald’s lack of mobility (lacking match fitness maybe too?) meant Monty had to cover a lot of ground and of course found it hard to go from front to back too much. His passing was as inconsistent as ever but when Doyle came on he was more effective and I felt for the final half hour we won nearly everything in the middle of the field and controlled the game.
Quinn 7/10 – Again he seemed to always want the ball and moved around the field a lot, from left to right; into the centre and also came deep to collect off the defence. He is taking a great deal of responsibility and wants to be the one that starts the play. Once again his touch, passing and general play on the ball was not always there. He did try some clever balls/touches but not everything came off and it was only in the later stages when United came back that his influence and class on the ball showed as he combined well on numerous occasions. His patience and pass made the first and he was involved in a number of other decent moves as United finally started to play. Had a great shot that was just over from range. Corners were a mixture of dreadful deliveries where he failed to beat the first man and some good ones (Cresswell almost scored from one) where he drove them with pace.
Cresswell 7.5/10 – Thought he was one of our better players tonight and really worked his socks off. He got battered and bruised but he led the line well and even for the first half he ran from front to back and side to side. He was our foal point up front and gradually his work rate gradually wore the defenders down. Unlucky to score with a great header from a corner and then he hit a cool penalty to win it.
Mendez Laing 4/10 – Was really poor all night. He never really got going and I think he only beat his man and got a cross in once. Had one good shot and that was it. His first touch was generally poor and often led to a tackle or him giving it away. When he did finally get the ball he took too many touches and too much showboating/stopovers when he simply needed to get the ball into the box.
Slew 7/10 – People may disagree but despite him not having many efforts on goal or being directly involved in the goals, he gave an improved performance from Saturday and one that showed better all around play. He was not always in the game but when he had the ball he tried to hold it up, ran the channels well, closed defenders down and linked well when he could. Still got a lot to learn but he showed some good strength and intelligence at times tonight and thought he worked a lot harder than Saturday.
Subs –
Williamson 8/10 – His mark may seem high for someone who only played half an hour he helped turn the game around. He was involved in the first goal and then scored an excellent individual goal to equalise. He also then went on a run to win the penalty. He was always on the ball and linking with others to get the ball into the right areas and cause defenders to be facing their own goal. He was involved in all the good things we did and showed good ability on the ball with strong running getting defenders on the back foot. Never doubted his ability but he must surely now ensure he gets a good run of starts and prove he can do it on a consistent basis. Will certainly start on Saturday you would think.
Doyle 7.5/10 – Another one where his mark may seem high but he was excellent tonight and contributed to the comeback by helping us assert authority and control over the centre of midfield. He won numerous tackles, got his foot in and outmuscled opponents to ensure they turned the ball over and we could get back on the offensive. He also got on the ball himself and kept it nice and simple, reversing or switching play and getting us moving forward quickly in comparison to the slow build up or direct stuff we had seen in the first half.
Officials – I thought the referee was really poor tonight. We had two big decisions go for us; Lowton (maybe could have been sent off) and the penalty (which may have been soft but was a foul anywhere else on the pitch). However, I actually thought he gave us very little all evening despite this. We had a half appeal for a penalty in the first half against Montgomery and then a very strong appeal against Lowton in the second where he got to the ball first but was clearly upended I felt. As for the penalty there was definite contact and the man got wrong side of Williamson. You could see why he gave it but maybe if it had gone against my team I may have been annoyed. Cresswell got shoved and barged all game but was given little in the way of free kicks and we had numerous other free kicks that he did not give us. In comparison most other 50/50’s seemed to be given to Walsall. I am sure there fans will see it differently considering the penalty decision but I can barely recall us getting a free kick all game and he booked 3 of ours to one Walsall player yet they committed as many cynical fouls as we did. Peterlin was booked and then committed a really poor foul on Quinn (meant to chop him down) and escaped a second yellow card which was bizarre. He never even saw Walker whack the ball intentionally at Slew (had his back to the action) but still booked Slew yet constant time wasting from the keeper had not been penalised before. The referee had no help from his linesman who were equally bad and neither seemed to want to take responsibility and make a decision.
Crowd/Atmosphere – The crowd was down again and coming towards the ground it seemed like there was no one about. It did fill up a bit around kick off but it is strange after having the last 5 or 6 seasons of 20,000+ crowds; to see the Lane pretty much half empty (half full you could say!). There were a few murmurings and boos when we went 2-0 down and a lot of ironic cheers for Simonsen who rightly were not very patient with the keeper as they had seen such calamitous performances so many times before from him last season. However, when we made it 1-2, they got behind them and really helped rally them to come back and win the game. The crowd support and appeals for penalties undoubtedly put pressure on the referee and contributed to his decision (even though I thought it was a penalty).
Walsall only brought a couple of hundred fans and they backed their team very well with good support and probably thought they were on the way to a great victory. They seemed as stunned as their players when they threw away the lead but can be proud of the performance overall when they certainly deserved to take something from the game.
The game began with United naming an unchanged side from the one that beat Brentford at the weekend whilst visitors Walsall were able to name skipper Andy Butler in the line up after he has successfully appealed a red card in the previous game. Former Blade trainee Kevan Hurst began on the left hand side of midfield.
Walsall started proceedings well and were able to see a lot of the ball in midfield and were in the ascendancy. Peterlin had a shot from range just over and then Griggs when well positioned miskicked right in front of goal. United had not got going thus far but Quinn was always looking to get on the ball and make things happen. However, the visitors continued to control proceedings and Peterlin had another effort off target. Poor control and passing from the home side was beginning to frustrate the crowd who were not seeing the cohesion and control they had on previous games with McDonald not having the same impact as against Brentford. Macken then sidestepped Collins and shot across the goal with teammates unable to get on the end of the ball. United tried to get going again but Lowton’s over enthusiasm saw him yellow carded for a really poor challenge with some of the crowd fearing the worst. Walsall almost deservedly went ahead when nice play down the left saw the ball transferred into the box and Macken’s powerful shot was superbly tipped onto the bar and over by Simonsen. Another error from Jean Francois led to another half chance but Walsall’s sloppiness in front of goal was the only factor preventing them from being in the lead. United had a rare break when Montgomery advanced into the box and fell under Taundry’s challenge but referee Haines waved play on. United then finally forced Walker into action with Mendez Laing’s powerful shot being tipped around the post and then not long after Quinn hit a fierce effort from a narrow angle that stung the keepers palms. McDonald pulled up and had treatment but was able to carry on. The half time whistle came soon after and United were fortunate to go on at the break level after an excellent showing by the visitors and a poor one from the Blades.
United fans must have envisaged some improvements but they were stunned when only 15 seconds had been played and Walsall were ahead. The visitors kicked off and HURST came inside Lowton and hit a fierce shot that swerved away from Simonsen. In truth the keeper would have been disappointed with his effort as the ball seemed to go through him. United tried to hit back but Cresswell was hustled out and then Hurst had another effort narrowly wide as the Saddlers smelt blood. Soon after they had doubled their lead thanks to another goalkeeping error. Simonsen had done well to push a Macken shot over but from the resultant corner he got caught up in mass of bodies and could neither catch or punch and GRIGG smashed home in the scramble that ensure. The keeper was booked for his appeals but in truth he ought to have done better. McDonald who had tried to carry on was clearly struggling and had to be replaced by Doyle as United faced a mountain to climb as their poor performance had seen them in real trouble.
Another error from Simonsen almost made it three as he spilt a long range effort from Hurst and Gnakpa shot wide with the goal at his mercy. United’s fans were now starting to grumble about the disarray caused from the experienced showstoppers’ mistakes. The Blades made another change with Williamson coming on for the ineffective Mendez Laing. It seemed this kick started the home side into action and finally United were able to show some life. A move down the right nearly led to a chance and soon after they were back in it. Williamson played in Quinn who took his time before feeding it back to the substitute whose cross was turned in smartly by the advanced LOWTON. The ball was back on the centre circle quickly and soon after United came again. Peterlin was booked for a foul and was lucky not to get a second after another cynical trip on Quinn. United were now throwing men forward with the full backs supporting and even the centre backs coming out of defence. Walsall had everyone behind the ball and Walker was taking an age to take goal kicks. Lowton had a strong appeal for a spot kick when he seemed to nudge the ball before the challenge from the defender but the referee was again unmoved. From the corner that came about after this appeal, Quinn’s excellent delivery was headed goal bound by Cresswell but the ball was headed right off the line by Westlake with the keeper beaten and the striker appealing that it had crossed the line.
It seemed like it would not be long before the leveller came as the game had completely turned around and when it came it was a beauty. Collins strode out of defence as he had a couple of times previously and played in WILLIAMSON who stepped inside a defender before hitting a beautiful curling effort into the far corner at the Kop end. United were now buoyant but a well timed tackle from Maguire saved what could have been a disastrous moment not long after as United had to remain on their guard. Soon after though the comeback was complete. The ball was played inside the box but poor defending from Sadler saw him let Williamson get goal side and as he went past him the challenge felled the midfielder and the decision seemed inevitable. There may have been minimal contact but it was a daft challenge and after the previous appeals you felt it was inevitable an award would come from Haines. CRESSWELL stepped up and hit a fierce effort high and straight down the middle of the goal as Walker dived to his right.
Quinn then hit a great effort just over as United looked to kill the game off but another mistake from Simonsen almost saw the game level again. The ball spun loose after Simonsen failed to collect a routine through ball and Grigg seemed certain to score but the close range effort hit Maguire and agonisingly rolled against the post and away. Slew was booked for charging down Walker’s free kick and then Jean Francois upended Jarvis as United tried to hang on as the game entered five additional minutes. Good work from Cresswell, Slew and Williamson killed time towards the end and Slew then nearly sealed matters but his shot was blocked from close range. The final whistle came and ended a frantic contest with United just happy to continue their 100% start and relieved to come back from such an awful first 60 minute performance. Manager Danny Wilson will be pleased with the win and heart in coming back but will know there needs to be big improvements and that United have to play for the whole of games not just for bursts.
United – The performance tonight was utterly appalling for 60 minutes where the visitors completely outplayed us. They outfought and out battled us but more than that they out passed and out skilled us. United just never got going and so many players were off the ball with full backs off their men, the midfield not winning the ball and the front two being snuffed out. We had nothing from wide players and looked tentative in possession with sloppy touches and passes giving Walsall the ball back consistently. It was really poor and I was just glad to go in half time at 0-0. I figured we would not play any worse when lo and behold we came out and gave away two awful goals and looked well beaten. Suddenly a bit of interchange and drive from Quinn, Williamson and Lowton saw a goal and the game changed. Doyle and Williamson won balls and got us going forward and we took over. We had other chances and then scored an excellent equaliser. It seemed like there would only be one winner after this; with only Simonsen’s eye popping performance threatening this. We got a penalty after the referee had given us next to nothing all night and that seemed to be it but further errors from our custodian almost saw all the good work undone but somehow we managed to see the game out.
We have to do much better than that and even though Walsall played well, better teams would have beaten us easily and taken the chances they had. We really were sloppy all over the field, not winning individual battles and our first touch almost always seeming to lead to a tackle or us giving the ball away. We barely kept the ball and going the other way lost runners and were not tight enough. It is not enough to just turn it on for a small period of game and whilst tonight the 20 minute spell we had did see us win; we will not be so fortunate next time. We need to sign another keeper and fast as we cannot keep letting Simonsen gifting teams’ goals. Collins actually did better tonight but the full backs were poor until they started going forward. We had little creativity until Doyle (surprisingly) and Williamson (less of a surprise) came on and turned the game around. Tonight did show that this division is not going to be a cakewalk and it we play like that in the next two away games we won’t get anything. Indeed if we had played like that today against a Championship team we would have got thumped.
Walsall – Walsall played really well for 65 minutes and definitely deserved a draw, maybe all three points. They came out and got on the ball and showed real adventure, getting players forward and attacking United. They had 3 or 4 half chances and then a couple of really good chances. They hit the bar and certainly deserved to be in front in the first half. They won many of their individual battles and controlled midfield with lively forwards putting us under pressure. The two wingers also got at the full backs and caused problems. The two goals they scored may have been scrappy (well hit shot by Hurst even if a keeping error) and seemed to have the game sown up. However, the complete control they had was relinquished when United made it 1-2 and they sat back and seemed to fall apart. United now went at them and it seemed like the game completely turned around. Now United were winning all the loose balls and Walsall had 10 men behind the ball trying to stop the waves of attacks. You always felt if United made it 2-2 then they would go on and win and so it proved. However, despite this Walsall still had chances thanks in the main to Simonsen who was looking beyond shaky at this stage and the one that hit the post via a deflection was very unlucky and easily could have gone in. Despite them falling apart somewhat and United having most of the last 20-25 minutes and turning the screw, Walsall really took the game to United and deserve a lot of credit for a good performance where they won a lot of battles and passed and moved well. The two in central midfield played well for 60-65 minutes and played with heart and intelligence. The front two showed good hold up and linked well. The experienced Macken always looked a threat but his partner Grigg looked very lively and was even more impressive. With a little more clinical finishing and composure in the final third they could have been 3 or 4 nil up well before United mounted their comeback. Whilst United were poor for the most part, Walsall were much better than Brentford and Oldham and showed that United cannot turn it on for spells of games and have to play consistently and start games; imposing themselves on teams. Sloppy starts and not winning midfield battles will see many more teams do this to United.
Simonsen 3/10 – In the first half he made a great save tipping the ball onto the bar and was one of few players who looked ‘at it’. However he was then badly at fault for the first goal when a speculative effort (maybe took a slight deflection) went straight through his body. After this he completely fell apart. He did make one save straight at him not long after but overall his performance after this was an utter debacle. Reminiscent of last season he came for a corner and got nothing on it in a crowd of players; going up meekly and almost making himself smaller than other players even though he can use his hands and is 6 foot+! The ball bounced around and was turned into the net. He appealed in vain for a foul when it was never a foul in my opinion and as Walsall celebrated; he ridiculously charged out towards the referee and got booked. After this he came and missed other corners, stayed rooted to his line for other crosses he should have taken. However two moments summed up his showing as twice innocuous shots/balls towards him were spilt (under little pressure) and twice Walsall should have scored but once the ball was put wide (an awful miss) and then another saw their player’s goal bound shot strike Maguire and spin onto the post. It was worrying what he would do next and United were just trying to get the ball away from him. On that performance he simply has to be replaced. He has done little wrong in the first two games but has barely had a shot to save or cross to take. Tonight under some pressure he crumbled and the players in front of him has absolutely no confidence. Long is not ready yet and he must sign an experienced keeper immediately to at the very least mean if he plays like tonight again which is a real possibility after last season where he gifted so many goals; he can be replaced.
Lowton 6/10 – Thought he was dreadful for 60 minutes like a lot of the rest of the team. His touch was awful; he gave his man too much time and also could have been sent off for an awful late and high tackle near the John Street Stand. He seemed nonchalant in possession and did not do the basics. He finally came alive and started driving forward as he has in previous games. Scored a well taken goal and was involved in other attacks down the right and suddenly improve and like the rest of the team was a different player for the final half hour.
Maguire 6.5/10 – A mixed bag where he at times played some poor passed that put players under pressure and also way too many long balls. Also got beat a few times and showed his lack of mobility/pace when nippier players ran past him. However, he made a couple of key blocks and kept going and by the end had grown in confidence. To be fair having a keeper behind you who is basically a liability cannot help a youngster learning his trade.
Collins 7/10 – One of our better players tonight and actually even when we struggled he was one of few looking to take responsibility. The negatives included him being easily beaten once in the first half when they should have scored and also not winning enough headers against smaller men or certainly not getting enough distance on them. However there were many more positives tonight and he came out of the back with the ball three or four times and actually made the second goal with such a run forward. He never hid and tried to get on the ball when he could. For all his faults showed a lot of commitment tonight.
Jean Francois Lecsinel 5.5/10 – Nowhere near as assured as in the first two games and he like Lowton he did not get tight enough to his man and was careless with his touch and passing. He has obviously been told to get it down and pass the ball and at times he was guilty of overplaying and lost the ball putting us under pressure. He too improved as the game went on and got his man turned and went forward taking the game to his opponent as he got up and supplanted the attack as much as he could.
McDonald 5.5/10 – Nowhere near as effective as Saturday despite 2 or 3 excellent balls; he got out run by quicker, more mobile players from Walsall and was always 3 or 4 yards behind the play as for much of the first half we got overrun and dominated in the midfield area. He still showed a nice touch and his range of passing but he got kicked 5 minutes before the break and then despite trying to go on at the start of the second half; he had to go off.
Montgomery 6/10 – Monty was not tight enough to his men in the first half and I felt we had a big gap between the defence and midfield and they got men into this area to cause problems. McDonald’s lack of mobility (lacking match fitness maybe too?) meant Monty had to cover a lot of ground and of course found it hard to go from front to back too much. His passing was as inconsistent as ever but when Doyle came on he was more effective and I felt for the final half hour we won nearly everything in the middle of the field and controlled the game.
Quinn 7/10 – Again he seemed to always want the ball and moved around the field a lot, from left to right; into the centre and also came deep to collect off the defence. He is taking a great deal of responsibility and wants to be the one that starts the play. Once again his touch, passing and general play on the ball was not always there. He did try some clever balls/touches but not everything came off and it was only in the later stages when United came back that his influence and class on the ball showed as he combined well on numerous occasions. His patience and pass made the first and he was involved in a number of other decent moves as United finally started to play. Had a great shot that was just over from range. Corners were a mixture of dreadful deliveries where he failed to beat the first man and some good ones (Cresswell almost scored from one) where he drove them with pace.
Cresswell 7.5/10 – Thought he was one of our better players tonight and really worked his socks off. He got battered and bruised but he led the line well and even for the first half he ran from front to back and side to side. He was our foal point up front and gradually his work rate gradually wore the defenders down. Unlucky to score with a great header from a corner and then he hit a cool penalty to win it.
Mendez Laing 4/10 – Was really poor all night. He never really got going and I think he only beat his man and got a cross in once. Had one good shot and that was it. His first touch was generally poor and often led to a tackle or him giving it away. When he did finally get the ball he took too many touches and too much showboating/stopovers when he simply needed to get the ball into the box.
Slew 7/10 – People may disagree but despite him not having many efforts on goal or being directly involved in the goals, he gave an improved performance from Saturday and one that showed better all around play. He was not always in the game but when he had the ball he tried to hold it up, ran the channels well, closed defenders down and linked well when he could. Still got a lot to learn but he showed some good strength and intelligence at times tonight and thought he worked a lot harder than Saturday.
Subs –
Williamson 8/10 – His mark may seem high for someone who only played half an hour he helped turn the game around. He was involved in the first goal and then scored an excellent individual goal to equalise. He also then went on a run to win the penalty. He was always on the ball and linking with others to get the ball into the right areas and cause defenders to be facing their own goal. He was involved in all the good things we did and showed good ability on the ball with strong running getting defenders on the back foot. Never doubted his ability but he must surely now ensure he gets a good run of starts and prove he can do it on a consistent basis. Will certainly start on Saturday you would think.
Doyle 7.5/10 – Another one where his mark may seem high but he was excellent tonight and contributed to the comeback by helping us assert authority and control over the centre of midfield. He won numerous tackles, got his foot in and outmuscled opponents to ensure they turned the ball over and we could get back on the offensive. He also got on the ball himself and kept it nice and simple, reversing or switching play and getting us moving forward quickly in comparison to the slow build up or direct stuff we had seen in the first half.
Officials – I thought the referee was really poor tonight. We had two big decisions go for us; Lowton (maybe could have been sent off) and the penalty (which may have been soft but was a foul anywhere else on the pitch). However, I actually thought he gave us very little all evening despite this. We had a half appeal for a penalty in the first half against Montgomery and then a very strong appeal against Lowton in the second where he got to the ball first but was clearly upended I felt. As for the penalty there was definite contact and the man got wrong side of Williamson. You could see why he gave it but maybe if it had gone against my team I may have been annoyed. Cresswell got shoved and barged all game but was given little in the way of free kicks and we had numerous other free kicks that he did not give us. In comparison most other 50/50’s seemed to be given to Walsall. I am sure there fans will see it differently considering the penalty decision but I can barely recall us getting a free kick all game and he booked 3 of ours to one Walsall player yet they committed as many cynical fouls as we did. Peterlin was booked and then committed a really poor foul on Quinn (meant to chop him down) and escaped a second yellow card which was bizarre. He never even saw Walker whack the ball intentionally at Slew (had his back to the action) but still booked Slew yet constant time wasting from the keeper had not been penalised before. The referee had no help from his linesman who were equally bad and neither seemed to want to take responsibility and make a decision.
Crowd/Atmosphere – The crowd was down again and coming towards the ground it seemed like there was no one about. It did fill up a bit around kick off but it is strange after having the last 5 or 6 seasons of 20,000+ crowds; to see the Lane pretty much half empty (half full you could say!). There were a few murmurings and boos when we went 2-0 down and a lot of ironic cheers for Simonsen who rightly were not very patient with the keeper as they had seen such calamitous performances so many times before from him last season. However, when we made it 1-2, they got behind them and really helped rally them to come back and win the game. The crowd support and appeals for penalties undoubtedly put pressure on the referee and contributed to his decision (even though I thought it was a penalty).
Walsall only brought a couple of hundred fans and they backed their team very well with good support and probably thought they were on the way to a great victory. They seemed as stunned as their players when they threw away the lead but can be proud of the performance overall when they certainly deserved to take something from the game.
