How could I
ever doubt them ? They didn’t play all
that well but kept it tight and organised themselves superbly. PNE bought
stacks of fans and this would have created a brilliant atmosphere if the glory
hunters in the away end knew how to support a team.
The Saddlers took the lead on
the half hour from a corner through Rammell, obviously, and looked well in control at
that point. Preston came back into the game after the break and dominated the
second half but couldn’t manage to get behind a solid Walsall back four that
had Pointon restored at full back. Gadsby came on for Marsh, who pulled a
hamstring, and again impressed with a faultless forty or so minutes in the face
of some good Preston pressure. Watson replaced Rammell, who also did his
hamstring, but clearly lacks match fitness.
Wrack won a penalty in the last ten
minutes and promptly hit the same post as on Wednesday night but it made no
difference. Preston had a player sent off for knocking the ball out of Wrack’s
hands and Brissett was booked for kicking the ball away and later dismissed for
diving. This was after the ref had only cautioned two players for real leg
breaking challenges and it just about summed his performance up. He probably
was hoping for man of the match but this goes to Keates for another fighting
display.
The top five
lost today and we have gone second in the table. 22 points from 11 games isn’t bad at all and
I really don’t know what to make of this season. At Gillingham I hoped to avoid
relegation, at Chesterfield I was hoping for a top half finish and at Luton to
finish between eighth and tenth. Now the play-off places don’t look out of reach but
in all honesty I would still settle for fifty five points. Oh ye of little
faith, maybe, but I’ve been here before. It is exciting though.