Reserve Report WFC 2-1 PNE

Date: Wed 29th April

Location : Bescot - Walsall

Kick Off : 2:00pm

Saddlers Latest

Match Info

        Walsall: Harris, Hawley

         PNE: Abbott

         - None

         - None

Line Ups

Harris, Willetts, Harkness, Kris Taylor, Emblem, Daryl Taylor, Wright, Hawley, Fryatt (Wheeler, Birch (Atieno) Subs: Coleman, Platt, Branc.

Lonergan, Mears, Broomes, Yakubu, Jackson, Bailey, Cartwright, Skora, Abbott, McKenna, Lewis Subs Used: Lucketti, Etuhu, McCormack.

Karl Hawley and Neil Emblen found places in the side to face PNE at the Bescot. Hawley's loan spell has finished with Hereford, while Emblen has been released by Norwich City.

The Saddlers got off to a good start when Matty Harris rounded the stranded Preston Keeper and slotted home from 18 yards out. The youngster seemed sharp and was willing to chase on to through balls, as Hawley played a little deeper.

Gary Birch was out on the left flank, while Daryl Taylor played wide right. Mark Wright partnered the impressive Kris Taylor in the center of the park, and Taylor was certainly the best player on the field during the first half. Time and time again he managed to disposes  Preston players with ease and then breeze past them with the ball before trying to get Wright, Taylor, Birch, Fryatt or Hawley through on goal.

Preston failed to trouble Matty Harris during the first half,  while the only other Saddlers chance of any note came via Karl Hawley who wriggled free on the right flank, cut inside and fired a fierce right footed shot straight at Longeran who saw the ball bounce up under his body and go out for a corner kick.

Matty Fryatt left the field of play mid way through the first half with what appeared to be a problem with his hip or back. He was replaced by Midfielder Wheeler as Gary Birch moved up front.

HT Walsall 1-0 PNE

The unimpressive Gary Birch was replaced by Atieno for the second half, as Preston started off the brighter of the two sides. However It didn't take the Saddlers long  to grab their second goal of the game thanks to a superb goal from Karl Hawley. It was arguably one of the finest goals ever scored at the Bescot Stadium, as Hawley took advantage of the space he found on the right flank, and from 20-25 yards out he unleashed a powerful drive that flew right across the face of the Preston keeper and in to the top left hand corner of the goal. 

Kris Taylor went on to shoot in to the side netting, Hawley shot wide while under pressure from the advancing keeper and Emblen had a header cleared off the far post.

Preston eventually got a goal when Matty Harris failed to hold on to the first Preston effort, but Abbot was their to fire home the rebound from close range. But that was with less than a minute left and Preston had no time to grab another one.

FT Walsall 1-1 PNE

Player Form

 

• Harris - Suspect handling and dodgy kicking. Always looks uncomfortable.
• Willetts - Looks like a very good full back.
• Harkness - Seemed to waste the ball a lot
• Emblen - Quality, dominated in the air.
• Bennett - Looked comfortable.
• D. Taylor -  Lazy and not strong enough.
• K Taylor - MOTM Performance. The complete midfielder.
• Wright - Effective game in central midfield.
• Birch - Waste of time.
• Hawley - Got better as the game went on.
• Wheeler - Struggled to get involved.
• Atieno - Decent performance.