Oztumer rescues a point for the Saddlers...
Jon Whitney felt a point apiece was the right result after watching his Saddlers team come from behind to draw 1-1 against resurgent Coventry.Andy Rose’s 36th-minute strike put the Sky Blues ahead, but Erhun Oztumer equalised 14 minutes from time to ensure honours finished even.
The result extended Walsall’s unbeaten run to six matches and Whitney was satisfied with the outcome.
“It was a fair result at the end of the day,” he said. “If Kins’ goal had gone in, I would probably have done a David Pleat down the touchline!
“It was two good teams playing the right way and it stretches our unbeaten run to six. That’s one defeat in 10 now and I was pleased for the lads and it was good that we came back.
“Coventry are an in-form team and they’ve got some good players. They’re playing with a bit of confidence now and we didn’t underestimate them.
“We knew it was going to be a really close game and the first half was a bit of a stalemate. I was disappointed with their goal as I thought it was quite cheap, but we responded well after the break.
“For a 20-30 minute spell we dictated it in the second half and the tempo was what I see us doing. I was pleased for the lads and they deserved to get something out of the game.”
Erhun Oztumer once again grabbed the headlines after another impressive individual display.
The 25-year-old’s second-half leveller was his eighth goal in 17 appearances since arriving from Peterborough in the summer, making him the club’s top scorer.
“We’re not surprised with how he’s done. We watched a lot of his clips and some of the passes, we ended up stopping the wyscout and clapping!
“Some of his runs and some of the assists he gets as well are brilliant. He got a lot of assists at Peterborough – he didn’t score that many but he made a lot of goals.
“He’s turned it the opposite way now and he’s actually scoring the goals. He’s playing a bit higher which helps and when he gets it, he looks for a shot or a pass through.
“I didn’t think he’d score eight in such a short time - possibly 10 or a dozen over the season. For a number 10, the scoring rate that he’s on – nearly one in two – is excellent.”