Express & Star

Walsall 1 Burton 3 - Report and pictures

Walsall were made to pay for a dreadful first-half performance after they were beaten 3-1 by Burton.

Published
Walsall's Isaiah Osbourne after his side fall behind.

The Saddlers found themselves 2-0 down after 25 minutes at the Banks’s Stadium with goals from Jame Allen and Devante Cole putting the Brewers in the ascendancy.

But it could have been worse than that for Dean Keates side’ with Liam Boyce missing a seventh minute penalty as Walsall failed to get going.

Scott Fraser then made it 3-0 to Nigel Clough’s side shortly after the interval.

The Saddlers did improve from that point with Andy Cook having two good chances to pull a goal back.

The striker then did fire in a Morgan Ferrier cross with a little over 10 minutes remaining.

But it was all too late with Burton fully deserving of the points.

ANALYSIS

In naming his starting line-up, boss Keates opted to keep faith with the team that secured victory over Wycombe last time out.

It meant the Saddlers continued in a 4-3-3 formation with Connor Ronan operating in a deep-lying playmaker role while Morgan Ferrier and Kieron Morris were either side of Andy Cook up front.

Burton, as is typically the case, lined up in the same system with Liam Boyce, Devante Cole and Jake Hesketh the front three.

In what was a bizarre opening, it was Nigel Clough’s side who flew out the blocks with the Brewers creating enough chances to win the game in the opening 13 minutes.

They should have opened the scoring when Cole’s clever flick was collected by Scott Fraser just yards from goal.

But from point-blank range, Liam Roberts produced a superb stop to keep out a powerful strike from the Scotsman.

Incredibly, Walsall then survived an even bigger scare in the seventh minute when Isaiah Osbourne recklessly brought down Boyce in the box for what looked a stone-wall penalty.

Referee Kevin Johnson duly pointed to the spot. But Boyce then smashed the spot-kick against the crossbar and to safety.

The early stages had been dominated by the visitors.

And in the 13th minute they did get their noses in front with Allen’s 20-yard strike taking a big deflection to wrong-foot Roberts and sail into the net.

Walsall simply hadn’t got going and they found themselves 2-0 down midway through the half.

In the build-up to the goal, Damien McCrory should have penalised for hand-ball. But despite the lineman being just yards away, he didn’t raise his flag.

And Burton then worked the ball from one side of the pitch to the other with Hesketh slipping in Cole who calmly lifted the ball over Roberts and into the net.

Burton had been getting all their joy down the left with Boyce causing all sorts of problems.

And they almost grabbed a third when the Brewers’ talisman sent in a cross which Roberts parried into the path of Allen.

But with the goal at his mercy, the midfielder fired a strike just millimeters wide, with the entire ground - including Clough - thinking he had scored.

For the rest of the half, Burton continued to look bright, dangerous and inventive on the ball with the Saddlers unable to find any rhythm.

And it meant Keates’ men made their way off at the break having failed to have a shot or corner - in a performance that had lacked spark right from the off.

Walsall made their first change at the break with Nicky Devlin replacing Kane Wilson.

The Saddlers needed an early goal but it was Burton who got one at the start of the second half after the ball got stuck under the feet of Dobson in the box.

Fraser robbed the Saddlers skipper of possession before emphatically firing a low drive into the net from 12-yards.

Incredibly, Walsall could have been four down just moments later with Quinn hitting the underside of the crossbar with a wonderful strike from 20-yards.

The Saddlers had now switched to a 4-4-2 formation with Morris on the right of midfield and Ronan on the left.

And all of a sudden they began to look dangerous with Cook have two glorious chances to score.

The first saw him power a header wide following a pin-point Luke Leahy cross.

Then a Morris pass split the Brewers defence and saw the former Tranmere man go clean through on goal.

But while Bradley Collins initially did well to make a block at the striker’s feet, the ball then fell for Cook who - from a tight angle - then smashed it against the post

Devlin’s introduction had made a difference with the full-back doing well to win the ball and then send in a cross which Ferrier headed wide.

Burton responded well to Walsall’s bright spell and they could have had a fourth when Allen hit the byline and cut the ball back to Hesketh who fired wide from 12-yards.

But with a little over 10 minutes to play, the Saddlers did get on the score sheet with Ronan lifting a ball over the top for Ferrier to chase.

The former Boreham Wood man then sent in a powerful cross which Cook diverted from close range.

Moments later Keates’ men threatened again with Ferrier cutting in off the left before hitting a shot which Collins parried into substitute Josh Ginnelly but the ball bounced to safety.

But it was was all too little, too late with Burton deservedly getting the points.

TEAMS

Walsall: Roberts, Wilson (Devlin 46), Guthrie, Martin, Leahy, Dobson, Osbourne (Ismail 74), Ronan, Morris (Ginnelly 74), Ferrier, Cook.

Subs not used: Dunn, Johnson, Gordon.

Burton: Burton: Collins, Brayford, Allen (Buxton 88), McFadzean, Fraser, Hesketh (Sordell 81), Atkins, McCrory (Fox 90), Quinn, Boyce, Cole.

Subs not used: Evtimov, Sbarra, Templeton, Miller.