An emphatic Saddlers win on this day two years ago...
14th April 2015 - Walsall 5-0 Crawley TownToday’s featured match came at an important stage of the 2014/15 season, with the Saddlers needing three points to ease their relegation concerns. They faced a Crawley Town side also in need of results in order to retain their League One status - the Sussex side sitting inside the drop zone before kick-off.
The home side named a strong starting XI heading into this match, with athletic shot stopper Richard O’Donnell in goal. Also in the side were popular and present Port Vale full-back Ben Purkiss, versatile former West Bromwich Albion man James Chambers, his brother and current club captain Adam, ex-Doncaster Rovers defender James O’Connor, current Blackpool captain and left back Andy Taylor, fans’ favourite and current Brentford star Romaine Sawyers, talented Leicester City loanee Michael Cain, young winger Kieron Morris, forward Tom Bradshaw and now Bradford City loanee Jordy Hiwula.
Sixteen minutes in and the Saddlers took the lead thanks to a goal from Jordy Hiwula, who fired the ball past veteran ex-West Brom keeper Brian Jensen following a neat through ball from Walsall academy graduate Kieron Morris.
The Manchester City loanee went on to double his and Walsall’s tally with a curling strike which flew in the top corner.
A few moments later, Morris made it 3-0 after a fantastic individual run ended in a powerful drive which sailed into the roof of the net - surely confirming three points for the home side.
Walsall increased their lead when defender Andy Taylor’s deflected shot beat Jensen. And substitute Jordan Cook completed the rout by tapping the ball home from winger and fellow substitute Anthony Forde’s pass.
The Saddlers produced a tremendous display deserving of the three points on the night. The team would finish the memorable 2014/15 campaign in 14th place on 59 points, a season in which the Saddlers reached the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final, our first competitive match at the home of football, Wembley, in 127 years. Our opponents Crawley Town would finish in 22nd place, subsequently being relegated to the fourth tier of English football.
Other fixtures on this day:
2012 - Walsall 0-1 Tranmere Rovers
2007 - Notts County 1-2 Walsall
2001 - Stoke 0-0 Walsall
1998 - Bournemouth 1-0 Walsall
1990 - Walsall 2-1 Brentford
1987 - Walsall 2-1 Chesterfield
1984 - Millwall 2-0 Walsall