Ssssshhhh 
I didnāt keep abreast of this game. I had hoped that they might snatch a late winner.
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Iām certainly one of the folk who think a season of stabilisation would be OK. But that is from the point of view of our inexorable backwards momentum since May 2016 and the dismantling of all that was good about the playing side of Walsall FC. We need to bottom out at some point and 10th in the fourth division with us re-establishing some semblance of footballing identity throughout the club would be good enough for me.
But youāre right. The quality of football is awful. It is definitely 95% perspiration stuff. And whilst putting in bags of effort should be the minimum expectation you look at Notts County this season who on paper should have been top seven and you hope we donāt replicate their demise.
Either way, I doubt it is going to be pretty. When Crawley, Morecambe etc bring 50 on a Tuesday night as part of a 2,500 attendance (good work EFL and ifollow) I really hope weāve got the character and self motivation on the park to be as good as each and every player can be. And that takes certain types of players and a certain type of mentality which if it is missing leaves 2,450 of that crowd trudging away from the ground contemplating a following season where 25 Dover fans make the trip on a Tuesday night as part of a 1,500 crowd in non-league.
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I wonder if there was enough fannying about to satisfy even the most discerning punter? And were shirts swapped at the end of the game? 
I didnāt watch the National League Ā£Ā£Ā£Ā£ ā ā ā ā ā Off but I watched today, and all the play offs games. The L2 games have been competitive, Newport ruined all the games they contested, which is a shame they didnāt limp to penalties again today and bugger off to League One.
It was dross last time, very unpopular opinion but I was one of the few that didnāt enjoy our title winning season. āTwas dreadful to watch at times, but the results had fans not caring very much. Was only alcohol that helped me forget the actual games and concentrate on the table and rhetoric. 0-1 Walsall.
Had hoped L2 wouldnāt be that bad. FGR vs Tranmere was okay at times, but the commentary team did keep pointing out that FGR are a rare football playing pacifist versus the general population Rugby League impersonating mo fos in League Dos.
Hereās to a few shandies seeing us through it.
Welcome to the big league 
How about Tranmereās sub 
. Fattest bloke Iāve ever seen playing professional football.
Glad Newport lost as itās the closest game for me next season.
I see the state of the pitch came in for heavy crticism
Will it be re-laid in the close season or will our usual penny pinching antics see our groundsman sprinkling a few lawn seeds over the penalty areas and try to fork away the rain soddened sides?
Surely the monies from yesterdays match shared with the FA could pay for new turf or am I being overly optimistic about our boards intent?
However it was good to see some quality footy at the Banksās for a change! ahemā¦
Donāt think the state of the pitch will matter too much next season, as the ball will be in the air most of the time.
The thought crossed my mind when he came on, was the reason they didnāt try harder to keep Cookie being theyāve only got one shirt in that size.
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As it has done all season. That pitch should really be in the process of being relayed now, not playing these other games on it.
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Looking back at that promotion season, and it was back in the days when I was going a lot more than I do now, youāre right it was very much pragmatism over flair. Iām not sure this manager will be as defensive as Dosh was at times, but he was right to build on a defence that included players that were head ans shoulders above the fourth division. Incredible for a team that actually won the league, our top-scorer was a midfielder who was on free-kicks and pens! We also only conceded more than 2 goals in any game twice that season. Once against Premier league Bolton, and away at Hartlepool. In both those games we went into the last two minutes at 1-1 and conceded 88 and 90. 23 clean-sheets in all competitions, incredible.
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Everyone contributed to that, and we set up in a style to not concede and then try and snatch something. But what should act as a major alert to us for next season is that the whole style and ethos we adopted was only possible because of the immense role that Ince played in completely controlling the 18 yard box and being in command of balls launched into the box for 4th division players to attack. We need to sort out the goalkeeping situation first and foremost, this is not a league for a young, perhaps promising,keeper to try and rediscover his form
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Couldnāt agree more. Also there are lots of experienced keepers out there who could come in and do a job. Sam Slocombe has a League Two promotion on his CV with Blackpool for example. Played under DC at Rovers and is available. Somebody like him would do for me. Iāve always liked Joe Murphy also, getting on a bit now, but if the Bury situation continues to unravel he will be available.
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Agree with the posters above re. our L2 title winning season.
Absolutely splendid to see us win a championship, but it was utterly grim at times- Swindon, at Bescot, were excellent, & the Wycombe home game was an enjoyable contest, but beyond them, the quality was fairly diabolical. Torquay and Boston were the two most hopeless professional sides Iāve ever seen, bar none.
I vividly recall the opening day of the following season, watching how comparatively accomplished Carlisle were, and making a personal oath never to slag the third tier again.
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Yes but we made money instead of spending it 
Spot on. The opening day 1-0 at Dale became a bit of a blueprint for how we would win the league that season. We won some awful games 1-0. The last game at Swindon also demonstrated how we somehow managed to claw some draws from the jaws of defeat. Lincoln Away, Barnet Away, Rochdale at home (that Dann goal) all draws in drab games.
But Dickie Dosh gave me a league title and gave the club only its second only ever honour. We took an average of 1000 Away. Despite the poor football it was a brilliant season.
Dickie Doshās biggest achievement with us was the season after. After a really poor start at the higher level, that team clicked in the autumn and played some of the best football Iāve seen a Walsall team play. Up there with the Buckley and latterly the Smith teams. A completely different level to the more pragmatic approach of the season before.
Going into that new year I believed we were going up. Then Bonser let three of our best players leave and we were goosed. Thatās when popular opinion swung hugely against Bonser.
Anyway, back on topic. Fourth Division football tends to be a slog.
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I agree about the contrast. And you could definitely see it yesterday, that was like watching a different sport to the two previous play-off finals consisting of teams weāll be playing next season.
The pitch is relaid every close season.