THE TEAM
Walker; Marsh, Pointon, Henry, Viveash, Roper
Wrack, Steiner (sub 56 min Eyjolfsson), Rammell (sub 89 min Green), Keates (sub 77 Larusson), Brissett
By Steve Roy
A day many of the 9,000 + at Bescot will live long in the memory, as Sir Ray Graydon completed what many saw as an impossible task – on a shoestring budget taking last year’s strugglers to promotion to the 1st division.
The game began with Oldham having better possession, at least for the first ten minutes or so. Oldham had a chance from a header that super Jim tipped over, then the resulting Oldham corner was cleared to Steiner, who raced from the half-way line only to put his shot within the reach of keeper Gary Kelly. A major difference between the two sides was the central defence – in Ade Viveash and Ian Roper, Walsall had a wall of steel, whilst Oldham’s looked vulnerable to any swift attack.
There was a small alarm amongst the packed stands when 13 goal Darren Wrack clashed heads with Oldham’s Paul Reid – Wrack had to go off for at least five minutes to have stitches, and we wondered whether we’d see him back. But shortly after a hero’s return greeted him, it was Dazza who struck the first goal. A long Neil Pointon cross from the half-way line wasn’t dealt with by the keeper under pressure from Steiner, and from a narrow angle Wrack was able to fire the ball home.
We were up off our seats – the first shouts of “Stand Up if you’re going up” – and a sense it could be our day.
The Saddlers’ side had a good balance to it – with the recalled Jason Brissett perhaps earning one last chance from Sir Ray. Brissett was making some lively runs, with Rammell and Steiner looking an aerial menace.
Now to be honest I missed the second goal, because on 34 minutes four pints caught up with me. From the confines of the toilet I heard what sounded a muffled cheer, and I presumed Oldham had equalised. My delight was therefore doubled when I emerged to see everyone on their feet again and confirmation that Chris Marsh had got number 2. Walsall’s servant of 12 years had been put in by Steiner following a great pass from Nick Henry, playing against his former club.
In the second half Oldham had a good spell for about 20 minutes, and were rewarded on the hour when a fine header left Walker no chance. It quietened us down a bit but Walsall steadied the ship and a bit of magic from Sir Ray sealed the points.
With just over 20 minutes to go Ray threw on super sub Siggy. Minutes later great work from the born-again Brissett on the left put in the Icelander. He took a bit of time to compose himself, and placed the ball into the corner to put the Saddlers 3-1 and into dream land.
The last 15 minutes were a bit of a blur, Oldham did hit the bar in the last minute, but nobody cared. The pitch announcer said Ray and the lads would do a lap of honour if we stayed off the pitch, but it was never going to happen, and on the final whistle thousands of Saddlers fans relishing this amazing season of achievement exploded on to the turf. After a few minutes the players appeared, we all sang “let’s all have a disco” and finally the Messiah Graydon came out of the darkness and a great light shone upon him.
Before super Jim tipped champagne over his nice new jacket.
Matchfacts
Walsall completed their fairytale success by achieving automatic promotion with this convincing win. However, Oldham remain firmly entrenched in the relegation zone. Walsall moved into a commanding first-half lead, but were unnerved by Duxbury’s goal. Substitute Siggy Eyjolfsson was the man of the hour when he notched the third goal to put the issue beyond doubt
GOALS
1-0 Walsall 22 mins Wrack
left-wing cross from Neil Pointon was missed by Gary Kelly as he was challenged by Robert Steiner and the ball ran to Darren Wrack who scored with an angled right-foot shot from 18 yards
2-0 Walsall 34 mins Marsh
a pass by Steiner sent the defender galloping through to score with a right-foot shot from 12 yards
2-1 Oldham 56 mins Duxbury
a Sheridan cross from the right was headed home by the Oldham skipper from six yards
3-1 Walsall 76 mins Eyjolfsson
the substitute scored just ten minutes after coming off the bench with a left-foot shot from just inside the penalty area
Express & Star
What a day, what a season, what an achievement.
Stunning. Incredible. Downright unbelievable. Call it what you will, but what has happened at Bescot during this season is one of the most heart-warming football tales of recent years.
Walsall have provided a template for the country’s smaller clubs to admire and try to emulate; a Ray of hope for the less-fancied, less-affluent clubs in this money orientated age of football
The minnows out gunning the big-boys. The underdogs having not just a one-off day to remember, so often associated with cup exploits, but nine months of pure fantasy football.
The story has been scripted by a man who at 50 was sampling management for the first time, and acted out by what must be one of the most tightly-knit group of players in English football.
Andy Rammell’s contribution will stand out after his goalscoring efforts and leadership up front, Darren Wrack’s fleet-footed skills have gained national recognition while Jimmy Walker’s faultless displays of keeping have seen him lift the player of the season award.
But this has been very much a TEAM effort. The bond that has been forged within the confines of the dressing room has been taken to the field week in, week out and has pushed them on to greater efforts.
Graydon has been the focus of much media attention during the past week. Rightly so, because he is without doubt the managerial star of the season, but the response from his players deserves great credit and plenty of plaudits.
He may have shelled out only a paltry £35,000 in transfer fees, but Graydon inherited some solid Second Division performers. That collection has been added to with free transfers and loan captures, but the real key to this success is that Graydon has improved every player at the club.
They have listened, they have learned and taken on board his thoughts on discipline and professionalism, and all that was climaxed in 90 minutes on Saturday when the dream became reality.
Walsall in the First Division – sounds good, doesn’t it? So let’s say it again. Walsall in the First Division.
I doubt if it has quite yet sunk in, to either the players or the majority of the 9,000 plus souls who turned Bescot into a carnival of noise and celebration on Saturday afternoon.
Only when the season has finished will the true measure of what Graydon and his blazing Saddlers have achieved during this never-to-be-forgotten sea-son sink in.
The tension has been mounting in recent weeks as the finish line approached, and there were probably still plenty of Saddlers fans in the crowd on Saturday, thinking there is still time for it all to go wrong.
Well, it didn’t. There was no stage fright, no late show of nerves from the players. Just a steely determination to get the job done and claim the reward they truly deserve for their efforts.
Oldham were not given the chance to gatecrash the party. Apart from a lively opening and a 10-minute flurry in the second half they were forced to play second fiddle to a side intent on seizing the moment.
The game exploded into life with both keepers forced into early saves, Walker producing an acrobatic effort to tip over the type of Rammell header we are more used to seeing at the other end as the striker attempted to clear Andrew Holt’s long throw.
Within 30 seconds Rob Steiner was galloping clear from the halfway line only for Gary Kelly to push away his shot.
The end to end nature of the game continued, but whereas The Latics’ thrusts forward ran aground on the rock-like presence of Ian Roper and Adrian Viveash, Saddlers looked capable of opening the visiting defence up at will.
The hectic start saw both sides temporarily reduced to 10 men with Wrack and Oldham wing-back Paul Reid having to leave the fray after a clash of heads.
Wrack, with six stitches inserted in a gash above his eye, announced his return to action in stunning fashion with a tension-lifting opener after 22 minutes.
The winger has bagged some priceless goals this season, but none has been more welcome than the crisp right-foot finish he produced after Kelly had spilled Neil Pointon’s cross under a stern challenge from Rob Steiner.
It was as much a sense of relief as joy that swept round the terraces, and with Oldham’s rearguard struggling to cope with the physical presence of Rammell and Steiner, plus the pace and trickery of Wrack and Brissett, more goals looked certain.
The second duly followed, created by former Oldham man Nick Henry, whose delightful ball picked out Steiner who in turn slipped a short pass from which the on-rushing Chris Marsh provided the clinical finish before setting off for some serious celebrating.
The joy that greeted this goal hammered home the reality that Walsall were nearly there; that one foot had been firmly planted in the First Division.
At this juncture there looked no way back for the Lancashire outfit who could see their Second Division status being pulled from beneath them.
To their credit they managed to cause some doubts among the home support when skipper Lee Duxbury took advantage of some rare sloppiness in the Saddlers defence to plant a free header beyond the exposed Walker.
This made for an anxious moment or two, but Walsall still carried the greater threat – and thanks to another waft of the magic wand Graydon seems to possess, any fears of a dramatic comeback were abruptly ended by substitute Siggi Eyjolfsson.
The Icelandic striker,a cult figure with the Bescot faithful, appears to have this priceless knack of getting in the right positions at the right time.
He had only been on the pitch 10 minutes before he received a short pass from Brissett before offering a little feint one way and then firing home into the bottom corner.
The ground simply exploded in celebration and the final 15 minutes were played out in a carnival-like atmosphere. The fact that Shaun Garnett headed against the crossbar went largely unnoticed.
Bescot was ready to party and nothing was going to stop that. “Please keep off the pitch” was the message boomed out by the PA announcer. He was wasting his breath and even looking for help from Graydon would have proved fruitless.
Stopping the spontaneous invasion would have been one miracle too many.
