Pushover Saddlers defeated at The Valley

CHARLTON 2-0 WALSALL (L1)

Another defeat against another big side – not that people did not expect it.

However, you would of though a better fight would have been put up against the early season pace-setters in L1. It seems that the occasion of playing on a bigger stage was too much for some of the Saddlers.

It was a goal-mouth scramble on the half hour that saw Miguel Llera bundle the ball home, despite the best efforts of Saddlers keeper Clayton Ince.

From then onwards, it was all Charlton with us looking unlikely to break the Addicks back four, despite our best efforts.

Parkin and Deeney missed good chances to claw our way back, but it was vertually game over on 72 minutes when Charlton youth product Scott Wagstaff scored on his first senior appearance to round-off a superb counter-attack.

Super Sammy Parkin came close to a consolation with a well-placed header from a Matty Richards cross, only for the effort to rebound off the post to signal a bad day at the office for the Saddlers.

More will be needed for Gillingham at home next Saturday.