Ain’t it always the way? You play better, start getting some confidence back after scoring a goal and then the fact that the League have given you a typical blind, useless, Premiership match official bites you in the backside. We should have won this one.

Walsall lined up Oakes, Pead, Westwood, Mills, Fox, Leary, Osborn, Keates, Smith, Constable, Claridge.

This was a game between two evenly matched sides, which is an improvement in itself, as Vale looked like mid table mediocrity. Apart from the undouted talents of Burchall, who gave Fox a torrid time in the first half, they rarely threatened a solid looking Saddlers defence, despite the fact we were giving away a height difference.

The first 45 minutes were relatively even, as the two teams fought for the right to play, but Walsall dominated possession in the second half, with the hesitation in the last third caused by a lack of confidence in front of goal the problem. Even so, the Vale defence was stretched often. Once Keates robbed Sonner (bliss!) and Smith broke clear on the left and produced a superb cross, for it to be scrambled away at the far post and Constable to shoot home, confidence grew and Vale were really on the back foot, with Claridge espcially unlucky with one effort which was deflected for Goodlad to make a decent save. We started to look even more threatening when the disappointing Leary was taken off for Standing, at last returning from injury.

Enter “top” referee, Mr Foy. Vale had thrown on a telegraph pole up front in desperation and Westwood and Mills had been dealing well with him, when a long hoof was headed up in the air by Westwood under pressure. Danny Fox chased the rebound down and hooked in away over his shoulder, only for it to hit a Vale attacker standing behind him and rebound to another in an offside position. Whether Foy thought it had come off Fox’s foot, it’s hard to say, but the ball was then crossed for the said telegraph pole, Fortune, to fire home. Broadhurst was incandescent.

Kevan’s solution was to take off the tiring Osborn and replace him with Barrowman. It looked as if that move had paid off, as time ran out, when a long cross fromt he left was spilled by Goodlad, as he collided with his own defender, and Barrowman superbly lobbed the ball over them into the empty net. The idiot in charge gave Vale a free kick, despite the fact Barrowman had clearly touched neither. On such moments do entire seasons finally turn.

Invividual verdicts?

Oakes - Had almost nothing to do, apart from some good catches.
Pead - His best game for ages.
Westwood - Superb, got sponsor’s man of the match and was unluckily punished for his one mistake
Mills - Defended really well and was probably my MoM.
Fox - Looked better than of late, other then early on when Burchall was runnig at him.
Leary - Disappointing. His good games are very few and far between and he does look another wasted loan.
Osborn - His usual good game, making things tick. managed to annoy Danny Sonner by being first to every 50/50 between them.
Keates - Won the ball well. always breaking things up. Could have been more productive, though.
Smith - Still the pick of the loanees to me, we have missed him when he was injured.
Claridge - It must be hell playing against him, as it seems impossible to get the ball off him. Suffered though from the runs not being made off him.
Constable - Took his goal really well, but wasn’t winning enough in the air and wasn’t making the runs for Claridge. Still a lot to learn.

Standing - Good to have him back, as he frightened the life out of them running at defenders and looked a far better option than Leary.
Barrowman - scored a cracking (and perfectly good) disallowed goal.

All in all? Too little, too late, but that was the best we have played at home in the League since New Year, and I think maybe before that.