Walsall 2 Portsmouth 3 - Report and pictures

In what was overall an even first-half at the Banks’s Stadium the Saddlers went on to concede two soft goals to gift the initiative to Kenny Jackett’s side.

First Brett Pitman opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Morgan Ferrier had needlessly pushed Nathan Thompson in the box.

Then midway through the half, a route one kick from Craig MacGillivray seemed to get caught in the wind with Omar Bogle racing through before lifting the ball over Liam Roberts.

The second-half also proved fairly even until Viv Solomon-Otabor calmly fired in a cross from Jamal Lowe to seemingly put the game to bed.

But Jon Guthrie pulled a goal back from a corner shortly after. The defender then fired in again from close range in the final seconds.

By then though it was too late, with Walsall having performed admirably but in the end taken nothing from the game.

With Andy Cook serving the last game of this three match suspension, Keates opted to stick with the team that secured a routine victory over Fleetwood when naming his startling line-up

It meant the Saddlers continued in a 4-3-3 system with Josh Gordon the central striker and Morgan Ferrier and Zeli Ismail either side.

In a bizarre announcement before kick-off, it was revealed Portsmouth were without Irishman Ronan Curtis after the winger got his finger trapped in a door.

Despite the set-back, Pompey continued in a 4-2-3-1 system with Bogle up front and Pitman in the number 10 role.

Blues loanee Viv Solomon-Otabor started on the left wing with Jamal Lowe on the right.

In what proved to be a disastrous opening 25 minutes, Walsall actually started the game brightly with Keates’ men pressing high and moving the ball at pace.

Both Ismail and Gordon in particular were looking lively but in the 13th minute, Pompey were gifted a penalty when Ferrier needlessly pushed Nathan Thompson in the box.

It was a challenge the striker didn’t need to make with referee Trevor Kettle having no hesitation in pointing to the spot.

And Pitman then made no mistake from 12-yards with the former Ipswich striker calmly finding the bottom left corner.

Walsall rallied to regain a foothold on the game. But midway through the half they found themselves two goals down when just seconds earlier they had been close to equalsing.

After Ferrier got in behind the defence he hit a drive which Craig MacGillivray could only parry.

But the former Saddler raced to his feet to get to the ball ahead of Gordon before pumping it up field route one.

In windy conditions, Walsall’s defence then seemed to struggle to read the flight of the ball with Bogle racing through unopposed before brilliantly lifting the ball over Liam Roberts and into the net.

Portsmouth actually thought they had been gifted a third moments later when they took a quick free-kick.

Jamal Lowe raced through to fire in at the second attempt. But the referee thought the free-kick had been taken too quickly and hauled play back.

From that point the game went back to being an even contest with the Saddlers battling well and Ismail often getting into dangerous areas.

But they struggled to create clear cut chances with Keates’ men forced to come off at the break knowing two silly moments had given them a mountain to climb.

Walsall again started well following the re-start and they came close to pulling a goal back when Gordon sent in a wonderful cross that Ismail was inches away from heading home.

The Saddlers continued to apply pressure as the clock ticked past the hour mark.

But while they sent a number of balls into the box, they all felt a touch hopeful with clear-cut chances remaining at a premium.

And in the 69th minute, Portsmouth went on to out the game to bed.

Initially Jon Guthrie tried to intercept the ball ahead of Pitmen. But the defender lost out with the ball then worked to Lowe on the right.

And he then raced towards goal before unselfishly squaring for Solomon-Otabor who kept his composure to fire past Roberts.

Walsall hit-back almost immediately with substitute Corey Blackett-Taylor winning a corner from which Guthrie headed home.

Blackett Taylor had made a massive difference and just minutes later the Villa loanee almost helped his side win a penalty.

After darting at goal the winger found Ferrier in the box who then lifted the ball against the arm of Thompson.

But despite loud cries from the home end, the referee decided to wave play on.

For the last 10 minutes the game became frantic with Walsall throwing men forward and Pompey looking to hit them on the counter.

And in the last seconds Guthrie grabbed his and his teams second when he bundled the ball in following a mammoth goalmouth scramble.

It was too late for a fight-back though with the whistle blown almost immediately after the re-start.

Teams

Walsall: Roberts, Leahy, Guthrie, Scarr, Devlin, Dobson, Kinsella, Edwards (Blackett-Taylor 70), Ferrier, Gordon, Ismail (Oteh 87).

Subs not used: Dunn, Fitzwater, Norman, Laird, Osbourne.

Portsmouth: MacGillivray, Brown, Clarke, Burgess, Naylor, Pitman (Walkes 86), Lowe, Solomon-Otabor, Thompson, Bogle (Vaughan 74), Close.

Subs not used: Bass, Hawkins, Donohue, Evans, Haunstrup.

Referee: Trevor Kettle (Rutland)

Attendance: 4,097