A chilly Winter’s Tuesday evening up in the Midlands is not everyone’s cup of tea, but those Bournemouth fans that made the journey up to the Bescot Stadium on Tuesday could be forgiven for uttering the words ‘never again’. No matter how many times we go away in this competition (the LDV Vans trophy as it is now termed) we always seem to regret the journey and performance. In contrast to last years’ slip-up at Shrewsbury of League Two, the Cherries faithful made the journey to Walsall with the same outcome just one round further in, albeit in a much lower scoring game. A fast flowing attacking game of football from both sides produced some entertaining play, however, and made for a comparatively interesting spectacle for a much-maligned competition.
Starting with a 3-5-2 formation, Sean O’Driscoll returned to a tried and tested formula. Reintroducing a couple of players from injuries and spells on the sidelines in Neil Moss and Stephen Purches also demonstrated what is still a comparatively valuable aspect of this competition. A three man defensive unit was once more assembled, identical to that which has been seen in recent games, and comprising the three available defenders (all full backs) in Neil Young, Shaun Cooper and Callum Hart. Operating as wing backs were Stephen Foley and James O’Connor, with Surman and Hayter making the running from midfield, covered at the back by Purches. Dani Rodrigues was handed a rare start alongside Steve Fletcher up front.
A lively start to the game from both sides saw Walsall take the game to the Cherries from the off, earning a couple of corners very early on. The defence dealt with these balls in admirably as the stall to keep the clean sheet was set out from the off. The first serious incision made by the visitors came when a Fletcher knock-down was received by Purches on the edge of the box. Running for the penalty spot, the returning midfielder couldn’t quite keep the ball under control as it ran away from him under pressure, through to the Walsall keeper Joe Murphy. Matthew Fryatt curled a delightful 18-yard effort against Moss’ post for the home side at this early stage, too. Neat skill from Dani Rodrigues saw him turn his marker, but despite an audacious lob over the defender the forward lost control of the ball and his chance to shoot was gone.
The first serious chance of the game was earned through pressure from James Hayter on the right. The resultant corner was played in low to Fletcher, whose diving header was pushed away well by Murphy. Hayter’s performance continued to flourish as his next effort just passed over Murphy’s goal, a swerving shot from 20 yards out. At the other end, Walsall’s incisive front-man Matthew Fryatt continued to work away at the Bournemouth defence, forcing a corner on the left. The high ball in bounced around the area frantically, before a swipe at the ball from Hart carried it goalwards. Moss dealt with the situation admirably to prevent any real danger rising from the situation. At a quarter of an hour gone, Hayter once again tried to find a route to goal but his finishing boots deserted him as he shot over the bar from around 20 yards, following neat interplay between Fletcher and James O’Connor. Another Fletcher effort off a corner failed to find any real end product. Hayter and Foley also linked up well to find Rodrigues in the box, but the best he could do was to force a further corner. The step-over routine resulted in James O’Connor firing wide of the left post. A high ball to the back post found Fletcher, whose header failed to test the Walsall defence as it bounced across the six yard box. The continuing spell of Cherries pressure saw Purches fire wide low from distance.
Fryatt was continuing to have a superb game for the Saddlers whenever he was allowed time and opportunity on the ball. His running and control had the Bournemouth defence struggling for answers at times and it was his attacking play, running at the defence, that led a chance for Ruben Dario Larrosa. A superb piece of control by Jorge Leitao on the right saw a ball played to the Saddlers’ forward, but his finish wasn’t quite up to the standard of the play, as standing unmarked 8 yards out he proceeded to clip the ball high and into his own chest. The Cherries continued to probe, however, as Foley fired wide in front of the home fans, following another neat build-up, this time a result of Fletcher’s well-placed pass to Surman. Hayter’s quick-thinking passing opened up a little space on the right of the area for James O’Connor but he ended up playing a ball back across the edge of the hosts’ 18 yard box. Goalie Moss had to be alert to push over an Eric Skora free kick, after Leitao had been upended on the edge of the area by Neil Young. Pressure from corners, a key area of Walsall’s game all evening, almost resulted in the ball being won at the back post, following a neat one-two exchange from the set piece. Ishmael Demontagnac’s charge down the left was also brought to a fair and abrupt end by Neil Moss. An intelligent run into the box by Fryatt saw the ball break for Skora on the edge of the box, but the midfielder’s effort was well blocked and cleared by Shaun Cooper. It was all Walsall by this point, with the half closing out with a Fryatt shot being blocked after running amongst the entire Bournemouth back line.
At half time, the visitors could honestly feel that they had produced the better chances to attack, restricting Walsall’s game in an end to end fixture dominated by the two main players on the field in James Hayter and Matthew Fryatt. It was noted that hot food ran out in the refreshment facilities by this point, which seems a little surprising, regardless of the levels of support that may have genuinely been expected.
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Half time Walsall 0 – 0 AFCB
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After a little light-hearted banter with a steward turned sour at half-time, the result of a broken seat in the visitors’ seating enclosure perpetrated by a wayward but powerful James Keene shot in the half-time warm ups, the second half got under way. A quick run down the left from Foley warmed the fans up at the start of the second half after a neat piece of skill carried him inside his marker and allowed him to play a ball in across the six yard box. Unfortunately, the ball just travelled a little too far ahead of James O’Connor in the middle. The Cherries remained responsible for long spells of attacking pressure as Walsall struggled to break into any real sort of rhythm. Dani Rodrigues’ return to the side saw him make real efforts to impress, again turning expertly and with no uncertain amount of flair, before his ball in failed to find its target in Fletcher.
The hosts were soon starting to lever their way back into the game however, and Fryatt, unsurprisingly, was the chief protagonist. His running led to Neil Young bringing him down in the centre circle and the referee’s shorts parting company with the book for a few short seconds as the yellow card was unleashed. The free-kick came to nothing. Moss punched clear, with the follow up seeing Larrosa denied by the keeper once more. Fryatt’s continued pressure almost paid off on the hour mark, as a neat interplay between himself and Skora on the left saw Fryatt fire over.
The visitors were not to be outdone, however. Dani Rodrigues, played through by a perfectly weighted Fletcher through-ball, ran in towards goal with good pace and composure on the left of the box, only to lose his confidence at the last minute and fire wide of the right post, an improvement on his effort recently for the reserves against Plymouth but little else. The error proved crucial as, just a couple of minutes later, the Saddlers had the advantage, Fryatt the scorer as he headed the ball home powerfully from about six yards out. It was the result of a frantic goalmouth scramble that can only have undermined the confidence of a defence that had been very effective to that point in the game. A Skora shot was saved by Moss after he burst in well from the right of the box, before a couple of further efforts eventually saw the ball picked up by Daryl Taylor, the Walsall substitute picking out Fryatt in space for what was to prove the winning goal.
Stephen Purches looked reasonably comfortable in his midfield role, an attempted lob failing to test the keeper following Fletcher and Rodrigues once more looking a seasoned partnership up front, linking up expertly. Whilst Hayter suffered a little from a knock to the head, O’Driscoll concocted his tactical moves, and introduced Stock and Pitman in exchange for Purches and Rodrigues. The attack-minded Portuguese striker had made a satisfactory return to the team showing some good touches, but again didn’t exactly impress upon the crowd in terms of finishing. Foley fired a free kick well over from distance as the Cherries tried in vain to get back on a level playing field. Skora placed a free kick over the bar from the left side of the visitors’ box as Walsall started to assert themselves more in the game. A spell of pressure followed where the hosts kept the ball but never really created any further chances. Fletcher spurned a glorious chance, to tie things up shortly afterwards, however, after being played through by a sublime Hayter through-ball. Faced with a one-on-one situation he shot right footed and past the keeper, but the wrong side of Murphy’s right post.
As time ran out, Fletcher was replaced by skilful midfielder Stephen Cooke, and Walsall had a goal disallowed. The second half had proven to be a lot more competitive than the first, with the hosts not only scoring but also starting to create more shooting opportunities. A strike from distance by Ian Roper failed to test Moss as it went well wide, before a miscontrolled pass by James O’Connor essentially brought an end to the three minutes of time allowed at the end of the game, a cruel reminder of the very way in which the side performed. Effective passing, particularly by the likes of Surman, Hayter and Stock (when introduced) was frequently tainted by a severe lack of end product from all involved. Dani Rodrigues was responsible for the worst miss of the day, but at least he did gain a good amount of time on the pitch. Fletcher looked to play his part, contributing to the side’s passing game rather than being relied on as solely a target man, adding a dimension to the game that few envisaged possible.
On the whole, despite the result, there were a lot of positives to take from the game. It was a solid performance that displayed a real willingess to attack. The side passed the ball very well indeed and, alongside Walsall provided an open and entertaining game that cannot be faulted. Moss looked assured and could hardly be considered at fault for the goal. The only negative thing about this match was theat result that defines the end of our cup competition involvement for the season.
Player Ratings
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Plus Points
Attacking play from the outset with Hayter looking revitalised in a midfield role with wider powers to control the game. Fletcher looked dominant in the air and more than competent with the ball at his feet, Rodrigues seemedly just needing a little bit of luck to get his career back on track and Moss was called into the side once more and performed solidly. A good game, in which few players could really be criticised.
Minus Points
Yet another potential source of income (however small) disappears. It’s looking disappointingly like this season could be one of misadventure off the pitch and possibly on it too.
Ref watch
Let the game flow for the most part and rarely got too involved. A professional performance all too rare in the game.
In a Nutshell
End of the cups for the season, even if in an entertaining game!
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