Mat Sadler insisted he was proud of his Walsall side despite seeing them surrender a two-goal lead in the dying minutes to draw 2-2 at Cheltenham.
The Saddlers had opened up a seemingly comfortable advantage through Ellis Harrison’s strike inside a minute and Albert Adomah’s 79th-minute effort.
But ex-Walsall forward George Miller pulled one back in the 90th minute and Jordan Thomas levelled in the third minute of time added on.
“It was frustrating at the end, certainly, but I was very proud of the performance throughout the game,” Sadler said.
“It’s disappointing because I felt like we’d seen out the game and you are looking for another goal on the counter.
“It felt like the game was drawing to a conclusion, but the first goal gives them that lifeline that something might happen and evidently in the end it did.
“I am disappointed we didn’t go on to win the game because we deserved to. We played some fantastic football against a very good team, who throw caution to the wind, especially at their home ground.
“We controlled and handled the game really well and controlled a lot of their attacks very well too.
“On another day we are going away with three points, but I am proud of four points from the last two away games, showing qualities I’m sure we will show until the end of the season.”
Sadler’s side made the perfect start when Jamie Jellis’ long throw-in from the right was headed towards goal by Oisin McEntee.
Goalkeeper Joe Day could only claw it as far as Harrison, who tapped in his second goal since arriving on loan from MK Dons in January.
Walsall’s lead was doubled 11 minutes from the end when an error from Sam Stubbs gifted the ball to substitute Adomah, who finished calmly to send the 1,053 travelling fans behind the goal wild.
But Miller volleyed in after Thomas’s deflected shot fell to him in the box and Thomas snatched a point with a clinical finish after a throw-in from Ethon Archer the left was nodded down to him by Miller.
Cheltenham’s former Walsall boss Michael Flynn believes his team are now a match for any side in the division as they prepare for a late play-off challenge.
“100 per cent it was a point deserved,” Flynn said. “We went toe-to-toe and I probably thought we were the better team without the goals in it.
“But they are such a good, strong team, well-drilled and you can see why they are top of the league.
“They all know their roles and responsibilities and they have a team that don’t stop running, running, running, but so have I and nobody has played us off the park this season.”
Ange Postecoglou insisted his controversial cupped ear celebration to Tottenham fans in a 1-0 loss at Chelsea had been misinterpreted on another bad night for the Australian.Spurs slipped to a 16th defeat in the Premier League this season thanks to a 50th-minute header by Enzo Fernandez, but it only told half the story of a typically frenzied London derby.VAR was required to rule out a fine strike...
Chelsea climbed back into the Premier League’s top four as Enzo Fernandez’s header early in the second half earned a 1-0 derby win over Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.Enzo Maresca’s side were under pressure after limping into the international break playing football that had ceased to excite home fans, but they largely had the better of a disappointing Spurs team that failed to tak...
David Moyes believes James Tarkowski was lucky to avoid a red card for his reckless challenge on Alexis Mac Allister as Everton were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool on a controversial night at Anfield.Diogo Jota’s 57th-minute goal, which Moyes claimed should have been ruled out for offside, gave Liverpool a 100th derby win and moved them a step closer to the Premier League title, but both sides were...
Jack Grealish dedicated his goal to his late brother after scoring in Manchester City’s 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Leicester on Wednesday.The England international hit his first Premier League goal for 16 months, on his first start in the competition since last December, as City moved back into fourth with a comfortable success at the Etihad Stadium.It came on the 25th anniversary of...
David Moyes bemoaned an “offside” goal that gave Liverpool a 1-0 win over Everton – but admitted James Tarkowski was lucky to avoid an early red card on a controversial night at Anfield.Diogo Jota’s 57th-minute goal gave Liverpool a 100th derby win and moved them a step closer to the Premier League title, but both sides were left unhappy with decisions from referee Sam Barr...
Eddie Howe hailed Sandro Tonali’s shooting power after seeing him cap a fine display with a stunning winner to edge Newcastle into the race for Champions League qualification.The 24-year-old Italy international brought an incident-packed encounter to a fitting conclusion with a 74th-minute piledriver which beat goalkeeper Mark Flekken from an improbable angle to hand the Magpies a precious 2...
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery believes Marcus Rashford is “progressively getting better” in all aspects of his game following his first Premier League goal for the club.The on-loan Manchester United forward set Villa on course for a comprehensive 3-0 win over fellow European hopefuls Brighton with a 51st-minute finish at the Amex Stadium.Rashford’s milestone strike came three days ...
Southampton boss Ivan Juric vowed to keep fighting as relegation moved sharply into focus after Crystal Palace denied them only a third Premier League win of the season.Substitute Matheus Franca’s stoppage-time header, to secure a 1-1 draw for the Eagles, means Saints will be down at the weekend if they lose at Tottenham and Wolves beat Ipswich.If relegation is confirmed on Sunday, Southampt...
Derby boss John Eustace insists his side are reaping the rewards for the hard work they have put in since he was appointed as manager after the Rams earned a 2-0 win over Preston to climb out of the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone.Derby came out firing after a lacklustre opening period and Craig Forsyth coolly slotted the hosts in front with his fourth goal of the season.The Rams doubled thei...
Notts County manager Stuart Maynard hailed a “massive” three points as his side comfortably saw off MK Dons at Meadow Lane to maintain their promotion challenge.Two stunning strikes from David McGoldrick and Will Jarvis from the edge of the box, either side of Nick Tsaroulla’s close-range effort, earned County a convincing 3-0 win.“I think every three points is massive now,...
- 1 Hot WAG flaunts 'astonishing' washboard abs in bikini
- 2 Danny Rohl hails Sheffield Wednesday resilience in draw at Cardiff
- 3 Alfie May double sends Birmingham step closer to Championship
- 4 Marcus Rashford scores first Premier League goal for Villa in win at Brighton
- 5 Ryan Lowe and Conor Hourihane felt team deserved more as Wigan and Barnsley draw
- 6 Mat Sadler hails Taylor Allen set-piece skills after Walsall snatch draw
- 7 Chris Davies says Alfie May’s goal drought never concerned him
- 8 Football fan 'eats' raw pig's head in ultimate insult
- 9 Marcus Rashford still looking to improve after firing Villa into FA Cup semis
- 10 Chelsea prepare €70m for Barcelona defender