Match Report – Walsall 4-2 Doncaster

The Saddlers made it seven points from the last possible nine following a comprehensive victory over a mediocre Doncaster Rovers at a very chilly Banks’s Stadium last night.

Goals from Amadou Bakayoko, Kieron Morris and a double from Joe Edwards saw the Saddlers romp into a four goal lead before Doncaster put up a fight at the death scoring two goals and almost netting a third.

Whitney made three changes from the side which drew at Blackpool – out went Kinsella, Bakayoko and Ngoy, in came Devlin, Oztumer and Shaibu.

Neither side looked like scoring until the Saddlers took the lead. A great overlapping run by Nicky Devlin saw the Scottish full back cross the ball to Joe Edwards who got above his man and looped a header over the Doncaster keeper.

Two minutes later and the Saddlers were two goals up. This time great work from Brentford loanee Shaibu saw him drag the ball back into the path of Edwards who beautifully side footed it into the bottom corner.

I found myself wondering where the hell those two goals had come from and before I had chance to digest what was happening, we made it three.

Morris punished some very poor Doncaster defending and rifled the ball past the helpless Lawlor, Saddlers went into the break three nil up.

Doncaster came out second half with a bit more about them however after fifty five minutes they went back to being the same lacklustre side that had been ripped apart in the first half.

Any possible fight back was ended on seventy minutes as Bakayoko latched onto a through ball to fire under Lawlor.

Doncaster somehow grabbed a goal following poor defending from the Saddlers and Tommy Rowe rifled the ball between Liam Roberts legs…with the fourth official holding up the board for four minutes, you would have thought that was it with many heading to the exit.

However Doncaster were awarded a very dubious penalty on the ninetieth minute as former target Andy Boyle was bundled down in the box by Nicky Devlin. Mason stepped up and sent Roberts the wrong way.

Doncaster almost added a third as a cross came in from Leahy’s side (once more) but somehow Marquis headed inches wide.

Saddlers are now six points clear of the drop zone but the main talking point last night was how after scoring four goals at home could the Banks’s be so miserable and quiet? – simple really the past two years has taken it out of so many.

There were only 3,200 home fans there last night and the numbers seem to be dwindling. Three out the last six home games have provided the lowest home gates since 2015.

Where do we go from here? – well lets get to fifty points, survive and then start the post-mortem.