Apologies for upthesaddlers pre-match prediction of a 3-1 Saddlers win - we were generous enough to give Millwall a goal. After Walsall’s best away performance for many years today, it is all smiles back around Bescot as Walsall thumped the Londoners with three quality goals without reply.
Colin Lee replaced Carbon with Roper at the back, with Fitzroy Simpson in for the suspended Sonner. Surprisingly Darren Wrack played on the left, Fitz on the right. The Saddlers ran out to the sounds of one of football’s loudest PA systems, and a feast of football followed.
After a quiet start the game came to live as Walsall forced a series of corners. Then as the match ebbed, the ball went out wide right to Steve Corica, his pinpoint cross was met brilliantly by Aussie David Zdrilic - rare to see a header beat a keeper from so far out, but brilliantly placed into the top corner. Steve Claridge then fell over, which he spent most of the match doing, to cries of “Donkey”, “Get your pension out” and “If you were a horse you’d be shot”. Then 35 minutes in the ball was held up superbly by Jorge Leitao on halfway, his pass fed Darren Wrack bursting down the wing, we all groaned as he cut inside, but he unleashed a blockbuster that flew into the net leaving Tony Warner floundering. Unluckiest man of the half was Darren Bazelely, who took a full ball in the guts standing a yard away from a Danny Hay clearance, then two minutes later clashed heads on the halfway line. With our supporters now in full cry, the first half was complete when Millwall’s best player, Paul Ifill, dived in the box and was booked.
Second half Millwall came at us, as you’d expect. The lads behind me were worried we were defending too deep, but Danny Hay and Ian Roper looked very solid. Hay took several knocks and was forced off replaced by Tony Barras on 65 minutes. On 75 minutes good work down the right saw a ball in from Corica on the edge of the box, the ball broke kindly and Portugese man of war Jorge Leitao had just the keeper to beat. He coolly slotted home, to send the fans directly above him wild with delight. Cries of “Cheer up Mark McGhee” rang out, and the last ten minutes were played out in relative comfort. Keeper Warner did well to tip over a sizzling Darren Wrack shot from the edge of the box, but minutes later Warner aptly summarised Millwall’s woeful afternoon when he fell flat on his face taking a goal-kick.
Sensational afternoon for the Saddlers, we roar up the table to 15th, Zdrilic looked class - he shoots on sight, just the sort of striker we need, Jorge ran his socks off, Steve Corica set up two of the goals, Wrack showed his goal-scoring touch of 98-99 might be coming back, and Zigor didn’t put a foot wrong! If they play like this every week, the house full signs at Bescot will be dusted off and stay up for the season!
Were you watching Dennis Wise?