Ever had one of those nights?

For all those people who assume 0 – 0 scorlines mean a boring game, Walsall and Orient gave a perfect reply in an entertaining encounter at Bescot last night as the Saddlers battered the Os nil - nil. Our visitors must have gone away perplexed as to how they hadn’t conceded.

Money sprang a surprise, not by resting Bradley, who had been looking a bit jaded of late, but by replacing him with Sonko in centre midfield. Nicholls was on the wing and Deeney up front.

The entire game was a story of the home team making chances and decent half chance, but missing them all, as the lack of the absent Michael Rickett’s guile was always a problem.

In the first half, first Deeney was put away but put his cross to close to the ‘keeper, then he had a header cleared away by a defender. Sonko, having a very good game in the middle of the park, then put a near post header across the face of goal froma corner, but no one had gambled on the far post.

Scott Dann was next to have a header just over, when he might have done better, then the same player, usually so deadly in front of goal, fired over from a loose ball, when he should have done much better.

Tommy Mooney was next to have a weak shot saved, which were coupled with some goal mouth scrambles, before Nicholls finished the half by dragging a shot wide after he had been put through

The opposition’s only reply had been from Terry, firing well over after a scramble.

Second half was more of the same, with some weak shooting from Mooney, Sonko, Nicholls and Deeney when all might have done better. Lee Holmes was acting as creator of much of the mayhem, as he had the right back on toast.

The misses of the half, however, came from Dann, when he mistimed his jump and didn’t connect properly with a virtually free header, and Wrack, appearing on the far post to head a wicked Holmes cross just wide when he should have scored.

As the Saddlers got more desperate, Money made some changes, with Nicholls, shortly after having one good shot saved, being replaced by Taundry, the impressive Sonko, injured in a tackle, replaced by Bradley and Demontagnac coming on for Deeney.

Ah, Ishy! More of him later.

Hokems then had a free kick saved well by the ‘keeper, but the Saddlers were running out of steam, so the Orient did mange to get a couple fo chances towards the end, which were ably dealt with.

Man of the Match?

Could have been virtually anyone. The sponsor gave it to Gerrard, but I wouldn’t pick any of the immaculate back four ahead of any of the others. The rest of the squad all did their bit too, it was just Rickett’s extra quality that might have made a difference.

Oh, and Ishy. He was dreadful. He didn’t even look awake. His cameo was summed up by him being put through on goal five minutes from time and actually, somehow, managing to trip over his own feet with a clear run at goal.

Still, never mind, we’ll play worse than this many a time and win.