Walsall finally keep a clean sheet in draw with Exeter

In a game that won’t live long in the memory, Walsall and Exeter grafted to try and seal the win. The game didn’t excite, and with only three shots on target, 0-0 was a fair result. It did however, end a run that the Saddlers will be glad to be rid of.

The pitch at St James’ Park made it very difficult for both sides to try and get the ball on the floor. There was a lot of scrapping in the midfield, and very little end product. Although Exeter had the better of the chances, they were not threatening to Liam Roberts goal.

A long wait for a clean sheet

You have to rewind to 3rd November, when the Saddlers won 1-0 against Crawley Town, to find the last time that they kept a clean sheet. Since then, Walsall have conceded in 21 consecutive games, 19 of these in the League. It has been something of a sore point for Saddlers fans, who have criticised their team for often making mistakes, and gifting goals to their opposition.

Against Exeter, the Saddlers were solid, and worked well as a defensive unit. Mat Sadler commanded his defence well, and with Stuart Sinclair protecting the defence too, the Saddlers looked comfortable. The defence did not show it’s lack of height either, with them beating Exeter’s strikers in the air too, which lifted the pressure at times.

The Saddlers have been guilty of gifting many golden opportunities during games, and although they had their moments, they generally looked good. Hayden White has slotted in to a back three recently. He had a mixed performance tonight, defending very well, but looking poor on the ball. He quickly stopped spending too long in possession, and it made Walsall better for it.

Two systems, both showed promise

Brian Dutton has made changes from game to game, and changes within a match too in his time in charge. Tonight, he set his team out in a 3-4-1-2. The back three, was made up of Mat Sadler in the middle, with Callum Cockerill-Mollett to his left, and Hayden White to his right. It was a selection that raised eyebrows, as Mollett and White, are usually played at full-back. This meant that Walsall had two left-backs, and two right-backs on the pitch. An odd choice, but it seemed to work.

At half time, Dutton mixed it up, by changing to a back four. This meant that the wing backs in the first half, Cameron Norman and Max Melbourne, dropped to full-backs, and Mat Sadler and Hayden White took place in the middle of defence. The change kept the Saddlers as tight as the first half, and they managed to limit the leagues top scorers to only three shots on target, none of which were of much threat to Liam Roberts.

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