Five Key Points From Midlands Derby Stalemate

Walsall extended their unbeaten run to six matches after their 1-1 draw against Coventry City at the Banks’s stadium.

The two midlands rivals shared the honours with goals from Erhun Oztumer and Andy Rose respectively.

The draw lifts Coventry City out of the relegation zone and extends their undefeated run to three matches.

The visitors took the lead towards the end of the first half as Rose, finished off a cross from the right side courtesy of Marvin Sordell with a coolly taken volley past home goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.

Rose only started the game due to an injury suffered to Chris McCann against Rochdale last Saturday.

Oztumer’s second half strike put the host’s level and his effort from just inside the area was his eighth goal of the season. The goal itself came from a cleverly worked move by Oztumer, Kieron Morris and substitute Simeon Jackson as their passing move contributed heavily to the goal.

Walsall back to their best

Manager Jon Whitney took charge of the Saddlers in March, and despite a shaky start to this campaign, Whitney has got his side in a good run of form.

His side have picked up 21 points so far in their 15 league games this season with 11 of those points coming in their last five last Football League One fixtures.

Whitney has said; “I’m really pleased with our progress in the opening third of this season” with his side sitting just three points shy of the play off places.

Coventry out of the relegation zone

 The draw at Walsall lifts Coventry City up two places to 19^th in the League One table and out of the relegation zone.

The club have had their difficulties this season with the continuous battle between supporters and the board of directors, which has affected the players mentally.

However, the Sky Blues are now unbeaten in their last three matches and have won four of their last six in all competitions.

Coventry possesses some of the strongest players in the division, and with results starting to go their way; Mark Venus’ side could start to fly up the league table.

Erhun Oztumer’s Wonderful Form

Since arriving at Walsall from Peterborough United in the summer, Erhun Oztumer has been in stunning form and is one of the strongest players in Jon Whitney’s side.

The attacking midfielder has notched eight goals this term with five of them coming in his last four league games. The 25 year old is nearly surpassing Whitney’s targets for the season, as he only expected “ten to a dozen goals” for the midfielder in this campaign.

Oztumer is a joy to watch and if he can keep playing to this standard, big name clubs will soon be knocking on the door for this in form midfielder.

Coventry City’s Support

For the local midlands derby, Coventry City took an impressive 1,981 fans on the 28 mile journey to Walsall.

With less than 7,000 fans at the Banks’ Stadium, Coventry out sung the hosts for the vast majority of the afternoon.

These are encouraging signs for the West Midlands side as regular large attendances both home and away will help maintain their current run of results.

Kieron Morris

The Walsall midfielder had an impressive afternoon, but the home fans will definitely be concerned as Morris was forced off injured just before the end of the match.

Morris was on the end of a reckless challenge from Coventry’s on loan left-back Lewis Page which Page was very fortunate only to receive a yellow card for his awful challenge.

The Saddlers will now face an anguishing wait over their midfielder who set up Oztumer’s goal.

Kachunga hands McClaren his first defeat

Elias Kachunga’s late header ended Derby County’s four game unbeaten run as Steve McClaren suffered a 1-0 loss in his first defeat since his re-appointment.

Kachunga’s header came from a cross by second half substitute Harry Bunn and his header past Scott Carson sent Huddersfield up to third in the Championship table level on points with the automatic promotion places.

Derby County drop one place to 21^st position only two points clear of the relegation zone and newly appointed manager McClaren said “The defeat was very cruel and we didn’t deserve that”.

Huddersfield looked very nervous in defence particularly in the early stages of the game with Derby’s attack causing some nervous clearances from Town goalkeeper Danny Ward.

Czech Republic international Matej Vydra had two good chances to put the visitors ahead, the first coming off a great cross by Cyrus Christie but the forward was unable to direct his header on target. The second came via a Will Hughes cross that Vydra connected to, however his powerful close range volley flew straight over the cross bar.

Hughes himself also had a good effort midway through the first half which curled just past the far post from outside the penalty area.

Nahki Wells had a great chance to put the hosts in to the lead, some fantastic play down the left side from Town eventually found its way to full back Chris Lowe. His driven cross picked out Wells and his shot forced a great save from goalkeeper Scott Carson.

Derby came close to getting a late winner. A superb lofted pass by Cyrus Christie to Tom Ince put the winger through on goal; his effort forced a superb save from ‘keeper Ward.

The late goal caused heartache for the Rams as they had a lot of chances to gain at least a point from the game. Steve McClaren said; “The players were magnificent today, we just need to be able to perform like that for 95 minutes”.

He added; “There were three or four mistakes, we thought we’d be able to see the game out”.

The win for Huddersfield puts them back to winning ways after consecutive defeats to Sheffield Wednesday and Preston North End in the past week.

Winning manager David Wagner said; “It was a fantastic game of football”. He added; “It was intense and full of chances that we should have taken earlier in the second half”.

Grecian's defeat youthful Blues

Two late goals from Chelsea’s Ike Ugbo was not enough to deny Exeter City their first home win of the Checkatrade trophy.

Goals from Ollie Watkins, David Wheeler and Liam McAlinden gave the Grecians their first win of the cup campaign.

The hosts’ played the Blues’ youngsters off the park for the majority of the game where first team experience really proved to be a huge difference between the sides.

Exeter manager Paul Tisdale made five changes to his starting line which proved to be a good decision as the hosts took the lead inside the first two minutes. A great passing move by City was finished off after a strong back post header from Ollie Watkins via a Liam McAlinden outside foot cross.

The hosts doubled their lead midway through the first half with a superb curling effort from the edge of box. Wheeler showed good skill to beat two defenders before cutting in on his right foot and finding the top corner of the net to grab his second goal in all competitions this season.

The Blues’ only real first half chance came from Charlie Wakefield as his shot from beat goalkeeper Christian Pym but forced a great goal-line clearance from 16 year old Exeter defender Ethan Ampadu.

McAlinden, who provided the first goal, put his side three goals clear just minutes into the second half. Pierce Sweeney’s low driven cross from the right hand side flew straight across the penalty box to the feet of McAlinden who slotted his shot past a stranded Bradley Collins in the Chelsea net for his second goal of the season in all competitions.

Chelsea got one back midway through the second half. A very impressive strike from Ike Ugbo from twenty yards out flew straight past ‘keeper Pym for his second Checkatrade trophy goal of the campaign.

Ugbo’s second came in second half stoppage time with another strike from the edge of the penalty area but the late comeback proved to be too late for the youth side.

City manager Tisdale felt that “It was a great opportunity to play in a different circumstance and we enjoyed it”.

The evening kick off was seen by an attendance of 1,979 with an away contingent of 263 fans who out sung the home fans for 90 minutes.

The result moves Exeter City above Chelsea under 21’s in Group C and eliminates the London side with one group game remaining at home to Oxford United. The Grecians face Swindon Town at home in their final fixture needing a win to progress to the knockout phase of the competition.

Oztumer’s late corner settles five goal thriller

Erhun Oztumer’s late goal gave Walsall a 3-2 win in a thrilling local derby against managerless Shrewsbury.

The win for the Saddlers sends them up two places to 14^th in the League one table. The visitors are now 3 points away from safety staying in 23^rd spot.

Walsall manager John Whitney said “We did the basics better than them, we’re disappointed to concede two set pieces. We’re pleased with the win that’s three on the bounce. It gives us momentum that we can take into Tuesday.”

The game was full of controversy featuring five goals and two red cards.

Oztumer’s winner came from a direct corner which curled in at the near post in the 89th minute which topped off a fine performance as he also made the first goal and was awarded man of the match.

Amadou Bakayoko scored the hosts first goal and was sent off late in the game after his celebrations for their late winner saw him pick up a second yellow card. Josh Morris picked up the other goal for the hosts.

Regarding the scorers red card, Whitney said that “It was a mistake and a bit of naivety from Amou, it was just the emotion of the goal. It’s harsh because you celebrate goals, but it’s the rules.”

Ryan McGivern was sent off for two yellow cards after a foul early in the second half and an altercation with Bakayoko.

The home manager showed sympathy for the opposition’s dismissal and felt that “I thought it was harsh on Ryan, I know he’s put his hands up but sometimes decisions like this can ruin the game”.

He added, “It’s very difficult for referees, sometimes he was a little bit card happy.”

First half substitute Oliver Lancashire equalised just four minutes after coming on, he then turned provider in the second half as his header set up Junior Brown to make it 2-2.

The Shrews are now without a win in their last seven league matches and now face two difficult home games against Sheffield United and Northampton within the next seven days.

Shrewsbury were without top scorer Ivan Toney which clearly showed as their strikers were unable to score either of their two goals.

The visitors are also facing an anguishing wait over their captain Adam El-Abd who was forced off injured midway through the first half.

Terrific Tammy makes his mark

A brace from Tammy Abraham helped inspire England to a 5-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in their final Euro qualifier at Walsall’s Banks Stadium.

Tottenham midfielder Josh Onomah scored on his first cap for the under 21’s, Bristol City’s in form forward Abraham got his two goals on his first start for the side whilst Newcastle midfielder Isaac Hayden was awarded his first cap. Luton goalkeeper Christian Walton was also given his first cap as regular under 21’s stopper Jordan Pickford had been a late call up to the senior side.

The young lions had already qualified for next summer’s championships in Poland which gave newly appointed manager Aidy Boothroyd the chance to rotate his side. Boothroyd thrived at the chance by making nine changes from his last team that beat Kazakhstan on Thursday.

Reading midfielder John Swift put the hosts ahead early in the first half with a fantastic dipping shot from just outside the penalty box. He was picked out by a great pass from Aston Villa forward Jack Grealish who was only getting started on what turned out to be a man of the match performance by the 21 year old.

Abraham then grabbed his first goal minutes later; a distanced shot from Onomah forced a good save from Bosnia ‘keeper Kenan Piric but the ball fell to Abraham who got his first under 21’s goal with an acrobatic and stylish finish from close range.

The hosts’ started the second half in similar fashion and they got their third goal minutes after the break.  A very brave diving header from Grealish got the ball to debutant Onomah who turned onto his stronger right side and drilled a shot into the bottom corner from just inside the box.

Man of the match Grealish then secured his hat trick of assists just after the hour mark when a cleverly dinked pass from him cleared the visiting defence and sent Sunderland’s Duncan Watmore through on goal and he coolly slotted the ball past Piric in the Bosnia net.

First time starter Abraham then got his brace and Watmore turned to provider for the hosts final goal as his through ball found England’s number nine who audaciously chipped Piric to round of his fantastic performance upfront.

The win gives Aidy Boothroyd a lot to think about going into Euro 2017 in Poland and there are some serious selection Dilemma’s due to the range of talent to choose from with seven currently capped senior players being eligible for the under 21 side.

Lloyd extends The Blues unbeaten run

Ryan Lloyd’s first half strike helped Chester extend their unbeaten run to seven matches as they beat Torquay United 1-0.

Chester may now only be four points behind the play off places but due to other results in the National League, the hosts have slipped one place in the league to 11th. Devonian side Torquay also slip down to 18th in the table and have not won a league game on the road since the end of August.

Chester’s impressive form has been highlighted by the fact that they have not conceded a goal in the league since the third of September.

The hosts got their goal midway through the first half; some great build up play by Oluwaseun Akintunde and Craig Mahon came to a grinding halt when Mahon was bought down in the penalty area by Joe Ward.

A worrying sign for the home supporters when immediately after the penalty was awarded; teammates James Alabi and Elliott Durrell were involved in a physical confrontation over who should take the spot kick. Captain Luke George elected current top scorer Durrell for the task only to find his spot kick saved by travelling goalkeeper Brendan Moore.

Fortunately for the Cheshire based side, the save fell straight to the feet of on loan midfielder Ryan Lloyd who calmly tucked away the rebound for his second league goal of the season.

Despite his saved penalty effort, Durrell was very much a key player for the hosts particularly throughout the first half and almost scored a free kick in the opening moments of the match but keeper Moore was able to tip the free kick away.

Torquay’s best effort of the first half came from on loan forward Jamie Reid. His header from Lathaniel Rowe-Turner’s cross forced a good save from Liam Roberts in the Chester goal.

Torquay’s problems of recent years clearly showed no major signs of improvement as the West Country side were only able to name 14 players in their match day squad with player-manager Kevin Nicholson starting amongst the substitutes before bringing himself on just before the 80 minute mark.

The visitors main chances came via Nathan Blissett and the Torquay striker almost managed to level the game after his header from a Nicholson long throw whistled just over the cross bar.

The result ends Torquay’s recent run of good results following their win over second placed side Dagenham and Redbridge in midweek.

Knock out blow for The Owls

Anthony Knockaert’s second half strike helped Brighton and Hove Albion secure a 2-1 away win at Sheffield Wednesday.

Sam Baldock put the visitors ahead after getting on to the end of a fantastic through ball from Lewis Dunk. The striker lobbed the oncoming Wednesday ‘keeper Keiren Westwood with a clever half volley for his second goal of the season.

Glenn Murray thought he had put his side two goals clear just minutes later. His thunderous volley however was disallowed after being flagged for offside.

The first half was significantly dominated by the travelling side but this game was certainly a tale of two halves as Sheffield Wednesday came out as a much more inspired side after the break.

The Owls were forced to replace their goalkeeper at half time as Republic of Ireland international Westwood picked up an injury during the first half. Third choice stopper Cameron Dawson replaced him to make his debut for Wednesday having spent part of this season on loan at Wycombe Wanderers.

The hosts bombarded David Stockdale in the Brighton goal constantly throughout the second half but they lacked when it came to the final product. Steven Fletcher had a handful of chances whilst Adam Reach missed a very close range chance which he should have at least got on target.

Knockaert put his side two goals to the good with just over 20 minutes remaining. A low driven cross by Geatan Bong picked out the French midfielder who continued his recent string of good performances and smashed home his shot from close range.

The hosts did get a consolation goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time. A cross towards the back post found Kieran Lee, he set up Fletcher whose acrobatic effort was saved and the ball rebounded out towards second half substitute Gary Hooper who struck the rebound towards goal as his shot deflected past ‘keeper Stockdale.

The win keeps Brighton in fourth place going into the international break with an impressive five game unbeaten streak in the league, which they will hope to continue going into their fixture after the break at home to Preston North End.

Wednesday’s lack of pace going forward clearly showed as Brighton defended extremely well, particularly during the second half. The hosts slip to ninth in the Championship table and they will hope to turn their fortunes around when they face a trip to current league leaders Huddersfield Town.