Blimey, from the other end it was hard to see how glaring the miss was from Dave. What is he, one yard out and hits the bar? Their second goal also looks even worse, if that were possible.
What you can’t see on here is how close to a second goal for them before half time. Looked over the line to me.
First time ive seen highlights. Evans appalling. Gordon’s lack of pullback oh dear.
Hopefully Jacko recovers from illness as Evo is a clown. Just don’t know why we seem to need 3 or 4 glaring misses each game, it really could be the difference between squeezing in OR missing out on 2 or 3 more “deserved” victories. Sadler sounded and looked shell shocked in post match so the next few days on the training ground are critical if we are to hit the ground running against a very good County side if they are “up for it” … COYS let’s stick together
Gordon definitely brings something to the team, but one goal in 17 from a striker who plays almost every minute is appaling, let’s be honest
I would sign him up, but as a squad player rather than a guaranteed starter.
I am not on any social media mate 
and all i said on here was the fact that if there was an award for player of the first half of the season he would walk it but last few games he has looked like he has lost interest
To many people on here talking like we are a play off quality team. I think the expectations are a tad unfair on the players.
We are not good enough its obvious for all to see, but with some decent recruitment I’d expect us to compete next season.
Take no notice mate. Your opinion is just that, and you are a valued contributor on here, liked by pretty much anyone who posts on here enough.
I hope things are going okay for you. Up The Saddlers.
Agreed we are short on quality and definitely need half a dozen “upgrades” in the summer IF we are to be involved in a genuine promotion push next season (or survive League 1 if we fluke a promotion in May). The frustration for me is that despite our obvious weaknesses both players and management inexperience the poor quality in this basement league has left us so very close. The top 3 or 4 teams have only been fractionally better equipped than us imo but that’s all it takes to deliver the consistency that underpins promotions. I feel there is the BIGGEST summer challenge yet ahead for BB and Trivela whichever way this run in story ends. COYS
Agree with that, although I think there are 4 or 5 other teams around us in a similar boat, which is why we have ended up with half a chance.
I’m taking nothing for granted about next season. I hope we are up there, but there is a lot to happen before that and football doesn’t always go how you think it should.
To try and take the positives, 3 home games out of 4 and 10 points is not impossible and it’s fighting for points needed to go up (potentially) instead of stay up. We always slip up against the poorest teams in the division and Crawley v Sutton is not a gimme at this stage of the season.
All the remaining fixtures Walsall have are against good teams but they are also against opposition that we ‘need to prove’ we are superior to if we are to consider ourselves serious contenders for promotion, either this season or next.
It’s a tough run in but the game that looks most enticing is Bradford due to the Cooky effect (pantomime villain) and the Bradford manager (didn’t Alexander turn down the Walsall job before going to MK and getting sacked?)
Regarding last summer’s managerial interviews that ultimately ended up with the caretaker manager, of the other summer candidates, Dave Artell is not doing very well at Grimsby and although it’s a tad unfair to criticise the Cowley brothers for Colchester’s lowly position, Walsall, in Mat Sadler, could well have opted for the manager who finishes highest out of all four candidates, by the season’s close, statistically speaking at least.
Cheers buddy 
Disagree. We should have been at least two up first half. They took heart from a lucky half-time lead. We simply conceded yet another crap goal while wasting chances. I mean, first five minutes, one off the wood, one off the line and a great save by their goalie. I thought “It’s not our night”. It wasn’t. OK, Donny had their moments second half but what they didn’t look was a good team. We should have at least had a draw. Now it all about those home games.
I agree. it was v diff to see what a chance that was, & I wouldn’t have been surprised if their chance in first half stoppage time had been given as a goal.
Just a couple of thoughts from what I saw last night
If we had took our early chances I believe we would have come away with a point.
Second half was as poor as first 30 minutes was good, was that tactics from Donny or just no focual point with Matt off? the later I think
Two poor goals first looked offside from where I was but not seen it back.
Evans look nervous from the moment he stepped on the pitch but didn’t make a decent save first half he didn’t have to, no chance with the goal but questionable with the second
Young players make mistakes we had a couple last night which cost us
Hutch looks a tired player to me rest him up for the week still scored our goal though
DJ a bit lost when he came on but we had stopped creating also the rest of the team looked like they had forgot how to play the balls he thrived on
Due to injuries we have never built any real partnerships on the pitch Donny have an example been Sterry and Molyinex on the wing played a couple of seasons together at Hartlepool now together at Donny next season for us
Promotion you don’t have to be world beaters to go up just better than the others looking at the form table over 22 games we are good enough so three home games it’s still on atm, however if we do go up we would need investment the gap in standard between league one and two is getting bigger imho
Sorry for the essay😉
That’s a very good post and I agree with much if not all of that.
Too many fans will post a “he’s sh!t” rather than a “he’s been shit tonight” and that leads to the perception you talk about. But that’s fans and fans post in the heat of the moment.
What I would say you also have to consider is that you’ve also done the same even in this post which as I say was a good one……”but tonight and on Saturday, he was awful” really should read “……I thought he was awful”.
It wasn’t definitive. As much as many will agree with you it is only your subjective opinion and other opinions will be able to think the same or differently, or in some cases be able to offer quantitive evidence to say otherwise or point to reasons why a player didn’t play well.
I thought he played ok first half Saturday and last night. Second half was poor in both occasions. Tiredness? Maybe. Marked out the game? Maybe. Didn’t try? No chance!!
Two things….
One……I think we’d all agree most if not all players were off it last night? We’d pretty much all agree that the gk and the back 3 showed little composure and kicked it long more often than not? We’d all pretty much agree that the forwards struggled to hold the ball or link up play?
Yet too many seem to think the players in the middle of that can conjure up something from nothing watching the ball go over their heads from both directions!
Two….There’s a saying in football that 8 good performances can carry 3 bad ones but 3 good can’t carry 8 bad……yet we seem to put the responsibility when we play poorly on one player and suggest he should’ve been able to either raise the level set the tone or carry the other 10!
It’s ludicrous. No one can do that. I know we all played at school or on Sundays where we had a lad playing who was better than everyone and rinsed people out every week but this is pro football!! Every player is fit strong quick and technically better than anyone, anyone here has ever played with!
It’s not going to happen.
Last night was poor. I felt every single player struggled to come out with much credit. Nothing to do with work rate or effort just one of those nights where too many were off it. Hutch included.
We need to move on and get behind them for Saturday because we actually aren’t a lot worse off other than Crawley have got their two toughest games out the way….but football is a funny old game……
What an excellent 2nd half of the season we’ve had
Every reason to be optimistic for next season and this seasons not over yet.
Not sure anyone can argue that that table doesn’t show progression.
That’s a good way of looking at players.And judging where we stand in comparison.
Side note it was nice to see Knowles and Jellis travelling with the team and doing fitness work prior to the game
I agree with that including the case for mitigation around Hutchinson’s performance.
The most compelling for me is that without Earing and to a lesser extent Knowles our creative capability behind the front players is more focussed on him. It’s not quite “stop Hutchinson and you stop Walsall” because Foulkes, Gordon and Stirk offer bits and pieces. But they are just that - bits and pieces. As the opposition you can definitely focus on Hutchinson knowing that of you freeze him out you stymied an important supply chain.
