Walsall boss Mat Sadler hailed his unique dead-ball weapon Taylor Allen after the defender’s late free-kick rescued the League Two leaders a 1-1 draw with promotion rivals AFC Wimbledon.
The left-sided centre-back and set-piece specialist curled home his eighth league goal of the season on 87 minutes – to go with seven assists – to keep Walsall top of the table by a point.
It was the Saddlers’ fifth draw in a winless run of seven games and they are clinging on to top spot by a thread but Sadler was happy to have a game-changer like Allen in his ranks.
“He’s brilliant, he’s so good,” Sadler said. “That dead ball is special, he’s got a fantastic left foot.
“He knows it’s a big moment and for those moments you want a player like that with personality and character, and that’s what he has running through him.
“We want athletes at the club and we want more people like Taylor Allen, that have got a desire to improve and better themselves. He’s somebody I’ll always trust to go to war with.”
Allen’s strike cancelled out a fine 18-yard finish from Dons substitute Omar Bugiel as the second half opened up following a cagey first period.
“It was the least we deserved,” said Sadler, after a game witnessed by Walsall’s largest league crowd in 11 years of 9,203.
“I thought we came out really strongly in the second half and their goal came against the run of play a little bit.
“But then the subs made a real impact on the game and it’s another point on the total. Not the three we wanted but another point in the right direction.
“And these points are so important at this stage of the season.”
Wimbledon, meanwhile, slipped to fifth after the late leveller but are still just two points off the automatic spots.
“My message to the boys is if we perform like that seven more times, I think we go very, very close,” said Dons boss Johnnie Jackson.
“We know where we’re at and we have an unbelievable opportunity to finish the season strongly.
“There’s no gimmes in this league, no easy games, we’ve seen that with the results and we will continue to see that in the last seven games.
“There will still be teams that drop points, it’s the nature of this league, it’s so fiercely competed.
“We soaked up a lot of pressure in our penalty box today even though our goalkeeper hasn’t had a lot to do but they peppered our box with crosses and we stood up to it.
“And then it’s a bit of quality from their lad, Allen, who’s done that many a time this season – you have to accept that.”
Leyton Orient remain on course for the Sky Bet League One play-offs after a 1-0 win which dented Wycombe’s hopes of automatic promotion.Randell Williams scored the only goal of the game and Orient’s victory, their fifth in succession, leaves them ahead of seventh-placed Reading on goal difference.Defeat for the Chairboys, though, has handed the initiative to Wrexham, who could seal the...
Doncaster clinched promotion to League One after goals from Rob Street and Billy Sharp secured a 2-1 win over 10-man Yorkshire rivals Bradford.In an incident-packed encounter in front of over 12,500 fans – the Eco-Power Stadium’s biggest crowd of the season – Doncaster hit the post through Jordan Gibson before on-loan Lincoln striker Street gave Rovers a 33rd-minute lead with his...
Reading’s hunt for a Sky Bet League One play-off spot will go to the final day of the season after the Royals beat Bristol Rovers 2-0 at the Memorial Stadium.Lewis Wing’s eighth league goal of the season after 67 minutes and Chem Campbell’s added-time effort leaves the Pirates staring at relegation after Noel Hunt’s side had to survive a first-half onslaught from the hosts....
Jamie Andrews struck a late equaliser as Woking twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with Eastleigh in the National League.Tyrese Shade put the visitors in front after 14 minutes, played in on goal by Ben Close before finding the bottom corner of the net.Woking then drew level three minutes before the break when Aiden O’Brien headed in from Jacob Jones’ free-kick.Shade had Eastleigh back...
Port Vale secured automatic promotion to League One after beating AFC Wimbledon 2-0 at the Cherry Red Records Stadium.Second-half goals by Jayden Stockley and Jaheim Hedley ensured Vale would finish in the top three and also made a dent in the home side’s push for the play-offs.Vale created the first real attempt of the game which saw Lorent Tolaj fire over from 12 yards out following a cros...
Zian Flemming and Jeremy Sarmiento both scored twice as Burnley emphatically maintained their Championship title hopes by hammering QPR 5-0 in their penultimate match of the season.Josh Cullen also netted in a one-sided game as the Clarets, already promoted along with Leeds, won with ease to move to the top of the table, three points ahead of the Yorkshire side.However, Leeds, who are at home to B...
Nicolas Jackson ended his long goal drought to fire Chelsea a step nearer to the Champions League with a 1-0 win against Everton at Stamford Bridge.A dominant display was capped by the winning goal scored midway through the first half, the striker’s first since December 15 finished confidently from 20 yards past Jordan Pickford as though he had been scoring every week, as suspended head coac...
Celtic clinched the William Hill Premiership title in style with a 5-0 victory over Dundee United at Tannadice.Nicolas Kuhn and substitute Adam Idah both hit doubles after Ryan Strain’s 30th-minute own-goal kicked off the rout.Celtic had only needed a point but they wrapped up their fourth consecutive championship in similar fashion to last year, when a 5-0 win at Kilmarnock earned Brendan R...
Chris Wilder labelled his side’s 2-0 win over Stoke a “proper away performance” as they got back to winning ways.The Blades had seen their automatic promotion hopes ended after losing four of their previous five, including their last three matches away from Bramall Lane.An improved showing saw Sam McCallum, making just his eighth start of the campaign, score late in the first hal...
Goals from Sam McCallum and Andre Brooks ensured Sheffield United returned to winning ways with by beating Stoke 2-0.The Blades had seen their automatic promotion hopes ended after losing four of their previous five, including their last three matches away from Bramall Lane.McCallum had scored just one goal since his summer move from Norwich but popped up at the back post when Rhian Brewster&rsquo...
- 1 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 2 Cole Palmer’s girlfriend Connie Grace dazzles in low-cut top and mini skirt
- 3 Man Utd & Man City join PSG in race for Akliouche
- 4 We always have a chance – Miron Muslic bullish as Plymouth boost survival hopes
- 5 Tottenham to compete with Man City for defender
- 6 Ten-man Falkirk beaten by Raith as late goals keep title race alive
- 7 Big Brother legend Chanelle Hayes flaunts weight loss in red bikini
- 8 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 9 Daily Laugh - Totttenham 1-2 N Forest
- 10 Conor Gallagher's girlfriend dazzles on red carpet as stars gather in Madrid