Grimsby (H) League - Monday 15/01/07

[Who moved the goalposts?]

From the Racing Post

WALSALL look nailed on for maximum points against Grimsby tonight, but there could be better ways to make money on a home victory than just lumping on the home team when the sides meet at the Bescot tonight.

Backing under 2.5 goals is a value punt. Going low at evens is the call, particularly with 21 of Walsall’s 31 games in all competitions this season featuring fewer than three goals.

For all the Saddler’s excellent football, top scorer Martin Butler has not found the net since September 19, a barren spell of 17 games. However, the home side are excellent defensively – they have conceded just five home league goals.

Grimsby had only two shots in their 2-0 home defeat to Chester on Tuesday and the Mariners have failed to notch in their last five defeats. You would expect Walsall’s extra quality to come through and correct-score punters should focus on either a 1-0 or 2-0 victory. Slight preference is for a 2-0 success, a result the Saddlers have achieved four times in 13 home league games, although Walsall to win to nil at 6-4 with Paddy Power is another option available.

Recommendations
Under 2.5 goals 1pt evens
Walsall to win 2-0 1pt 13-2

[Dynamo Zuffle]

I don't do scoreline predictions, but I'm willing to predict that I'll have a pint at half time 8)

You fetching it yourself then tonight mate as we wont be in the club before kick off.

[Duke]

BBC Early Team News



Walsall will be without midfielder Daniel Fox as he serves a one-game ban.
New recruits Par Cederqvist and Geordie Lyall are both available to make their debuts and Darren Wrack is available after overcoming a hamstring problem.

James Hunt signed in time from Bristol Rovers to feature for Grimsby and could play in midfield, although Paul Bolland is also pushing for a place.

But Nick Fenton is suspended and there are doubts over Michael Reddy, Isaiah Rankin and defender John McDermott.

[Morty]

From Sky Bet:-

Walsall 1/2 Draw 5/2 Grimsby Town 5/1

Please let us have a good performance in front of the cameras!!

Also, can all the goals happen in the first half, as my g/f is pinching the tv at 9pm to watch Waking the Dead!! :shock:

[We-ARE-Walsall]

Decent price is that on Walsall

[philthesaddler]

I got a feeling Cederqvist wont start...

If he does Ill have him to score at some point.

[We-ARE-Walsall]

I got a feeling Cederqvist wont start...

If he does Ill have him to score at some point.

Be on the bench i think , could be wrong, but i reckon sam and butler will start

[philthesaddler]

I got a feeling Cederqvist wont start...

If he does Ill have him to score at some point.

Be on the bench i think , could be wrong, but i reckon sam and butler will start

Yeh thats what I reckon. I want to be wrong, but I just cant see him splitting Sam and Buts.

[Magic Man Fan]

I think he may start with Per. I think DD has been waiting to drop Sam for a while and has become increasingly impatient with him which showed in the second half at Peterborough.

[philthesaddler]

I think he may start with Per. I think DD has been waiting to drop Sam for a while and has become increasingly impatient with him which showed in the second half at Peterborough.

I hope your right

[Red Leader]

looking forward to this game, living the otherside of the galaxy as I do, I dont get to see the mighty saddlers all that often.

Just moved house, so will see what my new local is like....could be risky :D

anyhoo Im going for 2 nil - westwood and butler

but this being walsall on telly.......... :roll:

[Exile]

01 Ince
05 Westwood
24 Dann
06 Roper
15 Taylor
14 Wright
08 Dobson
02 Pead
12 Keates
09 Butler
10 Sam

Sounds like we've had the vast majority of the play so far. Amazingly it's still only 1-0 but I guess that's we're league 2 not the premiershi*.

[Exile]

I think he may start with Per. I think DD has been waiting to drop Sam for a while and has become increasingly impatient with him which showed in the second half at Peterborough.

I hope your right

Sam provided the cross for Butler's goal. That should help his confidence.

[Exiled_Brummie]

enjoying it so far-even with the bbc text commentary as they've got rid of sky in the local-glad to see butler back on the scoresheet.

[jnks]

We've been well on top so far. They've had a couple of chances but we could have had three by now. Dann was so unlucky not to get things off to a flyer on 2 minutes, their keeper did well to keep it out.

Best bit is we took delivery of a new 50" TV today so feels almost like I'm there!

Grimsby have just started the second half brightly so will have to see how things unfold but confident we'll get the win tonight.

Up the Saddlers.

[Exile]

Cider Quest is on the pitch!

Anyone know why Lyall didn't make the squad?

[jnks]

Fat Boy Jones has just had a great finish chalked off for offside! Ahh well.

[Exile]

We're laying siege to their goal area but can't bury the ball in the onion bag.

What's the betting for a 1-1 draw now?

[jnks]

What's the betting for a 1-1 draw now?

Not great - Butler 2-0 GET IN!!!!!! Great poacher's goal laid on by a good effort from Cederqvist.

[Exile]

Cederqvest in the thick of it, according to commentary. MOTM Sam.

[newtownal]

Good enough for me!!! We worked hard, looked solid and WON!!! Bring it on!!! Great to see Butler back in and amongst 'em!

[hullsaddler]

Looked a thoroughly professional performance. I thought we played some neat effective passing football despite the pitch. Impressed with Cederquest (shame he didnt score with that header) but the fact that martin butler is back on the scoresheet is the most important thing of this win. Hopefully he'll go on a run now.
Nice to see Martin Allen ( obviously desperate for a Grimsby comeback) having to endure watching us going 7 points clear of Franchise FC

[Jorge14]

Cracking result, workmanlike performance and even better to see Butler back on the scoresheet. Looks like Gran Canaria was a masterstroke - just a shame we took the beach home with us.

Possibly the greatest moment of the night though was watching Coxy, Rob and the Ellisons make a special guest appearance as "the ygas of Bescot Stadium". :wink:

Love you all

xx

[Matt'sdad]

Job well done. I thought the whole team played well. very impressed with Pead playing in midfield , getting forward and linking well.

Well done Butler ...... Alan Buckley would have been pleased with those finishes.

Should have taken our chances first half.... but who's complaining :D :D

[SheffieldSaddler]

Super performance.
We looked a quality side, well organised, good at back and superb at going forward.
I thought Wright put in some excellent crosses.
Sam worked his socks off.
Butler looked back to his oldself.
And Ceder had some super headers when he came on, he will score sooner rather than later thats for sure.
6 points clear! And 7 points ahead of Dongs and Lincoln with a game in hand!
We have one hand on the Champions trophy!

[Eli_B]

*A Great result in terms of performance and of course the small matter of being 6 points ahead of Swindon (with a game in hand). And seven points clear of The Imps & the Franchise as well. I was keeping an eye on the score via the BBC text score and it seems that thet team were domnating possession and could have scored 2 or 3 goals more. Plus the team restricted The Haddocks to two opportunities in the second half.

Seems like the new signing Cederqvest played well on his debut. What happened to Geordie Lyall btw?

*After the clinical and professional performance against the Posh who have just got rid of Keith Alexander after just 8 months!

[Welsh_Saddler]

What a treat - Monday night, so a room to myself in the local pub, Sky telly showing a Walsall win.... what more could I ask?

Excellent game, although I thought Grimsby were quite skilful in their approach play - almost better than our equivalent in some ways. We did, however, have the rock of Ian Roper to break down the majority of Grimsby attacks. Butler.... what a workload that guy gets through, and how well he deserved his two goals, the first a header from Sam's cross, the second when their goalie couldn't quite hold on to a Cederqvist power shot. For both of those goals Butler had to be in the right place at the right time, and his workrate made sure of that.

My general observations, for what they're worth:

Ince - Controlled his area totally, came for the crosses and claimed them with authority.
Paed - Neat, tidy, came more into the attack as the game progressed.
Dobson - Perhaps I wasn't looking for him specifically, but he seemed to be a background player.
Westwood - The best I have seen him play; aggressive, committed, and always looking for the quality pass.
Roper - What a defender, totally reliable (if a little short of pace at times), quite took me back to the days of Albert McPherson with some of his play (ask Leamore)
Keates - Always wanting to be part of the action, even if his free kicks didn't really work out. Ran his socks off for the team, indispensible in my book.
Wright - A weak link in many ways. Is this guy supposed to be a winger? If so, he's the first winger I've ever seen who spent the whole match unable to beat the full back and cross. Note that Butler's first goal came from a cross supplied by Sam rather than Wright. Wright made one or two good interceptions, but I couldn't say he contributed hugely to the team.
Sam - Worked for the front-line, tried to support Butler, and tackled back occasionally. Good for three quarters of the game, hence the substitution.
Butler - As stated, worked his bits off, and thoroughly deserved his two goals. When he headed the first one in, the whole team (bar Ince) hurried to congratulate him, but none of them had the width of smile that he had!!! He's been waiting for that goal!!
Cederqvist - Came on as sub for Sam. Impressed from the start, even though he only had about ten minutes. Certainly not afraid to go where the boots are flying, has the build to assert himself on the pitch, and very nearly scored with the shot that their keeper parried for Butler to poach his second goal. I'd like to see him given 90 minutes....
Demontagnac - Came on as a late sub for Keates. Not much time to impress, but he did have a good run in from the left wing and a shot that could have troubled lesser defences. Good point was that he "had a dig" - we were 2-0 up and playing freely at that stage.

I have to say that it was a good job the Saddlers' defence held its line towards the end of the game as Grimsby came looking to get back in the match. They had the ball in the net only to see it ruled out for a (just about) offside.

I can't comment on Martin Allen's half-time blurb, as I had the volume turned down in deference to the ladies who were playing Bingo in the next room :( At least I didn't have to watch Merscum's face during the proceedings.

A good win, comfortably achieved, and we're 6 points clear at the top, still with a game in hand over some of the chasing teams. I'll have to search long and hard to find a season to compare with this one (so far) - I'll call an expert witness at this stage - Leamore, do you reckon 1961???? :wink:

The beer's beginning (beginning?) to talk, so I'll wrap it up here.

UP THE SADDLERS!!!!!

[Registered Saddler]

Comfortable, professional, routine and probably - come the end of the season - forgettable. We did what we had to and, while it probably didn't thrill any neutrals, it was more than good enough for Grimsby. And more than good enough for 95% of the teams in the division.

Ince was commanding, Ropes and Dann did the business on a quieter night than of late. The shape is much better in the middle with Dobbo and Pead - both will benefit. Wright was infuriating as normal. When he doesn't think about it, he can whip a great ball in (eg the second goal, which was a fantastic delivery) but at other times he just stumbles out of play. Such is the lot of a winger. Butler was back to his predatory best and Sam continues to prove the doubters wrong. My opinion is that he did enough today to keep hold of his place at Mansfield.

[coxy_saddler]

Cracking result, workmanlike performance and even better to see Butler back on the scoresheet. Looks like Gran Canaria was a masterstroke - just a shame we took the beach home with us.

Possibly the greatest moment of the night though was watching Coxy, Rob and the Ellisons make a special guest appearance as "the ygas of Bescot Stadium". :wink:

Love you all

xx

Yow see me too :D

Quality performance once again. Well Done Martin Butler..The goal's have come! More will follow now i'm sure. Sam had one of the best game's tonight in a walsall shirt i thought. Nice cross for the goal. The enw player..well it's what we really need. Good in the air as he neally scored a few ! Strong on the ball! Good with his feet! Superb. Top performance by every walsall player out there tonight! 6 point's clear with a game in hand.. 8)

UTS

[SheffieldSaddler]

What a treat - Monday night, so a room to myself in the local pub, Sky telly showing a Walsall win.... what more could I ask?

Excellent game, although I thought Grimsby were quite skilful in their approach play - almost better than our equivalent in some ways. We did, however, have the rock of Ian Roper to break down the majority of Grimsby attacks. Butler.... what a workload that guy gets through, and how well he deserved his two goals, the first a header from Sam's cross, the second when their goalie couldn't quite hold on to a Cederqvist power shot. For both of those goals Butler had to be in the right place at the right time, and his workrate made sure of that.

My general observations, for what they're worth:

Ince - Controlled his area totally, came for the crosses and claimed them with authority.
Paed - Neat, tidy, came more into the attack as the game progressed.
Dobson - Perhaps I wasn't looking for him specifically, but he seemed to be a background player.
Westwood - The best I have seen him play; aggressive, committed, and always looking for the quality pass.
Roper - What a defender, totally reliable (if a little short of pace at times), quite took me back to the days of Albert McPherson with some of his play (ask Leamore)
Keates - Always wanting to be part of the action, even if his free kicks didn't really work out. Ran his socks off for the team, indispensible in my book.
Wright - A weak link in many ways. Is this guy supposed to be a winger? If so, he's the first winger I've ever seen who spent the whole match unable to beat the full back and cross. Note that Butler's first goal came from a cross supplied by Sam rather than Wright. Wright made one or two good interceptions, but I couldn't say he contributed hugely to the team.
Sam - Worked for the front-line, tried to support Butler, and tackled back occasionally. Good for three quarters of the game, hence the substitution.
Butler - As stated, worked his bits off, and thoroughly deserved his two goals. When he headed the first one in, the whole team (bar Ince) hurried to congratulate him, but none of them had the width of smile that he had!!! He's been waiting for that goal!!
Cederqvist - Came on as sub for Sam. Impressed from the start, even though he only had about ten minutes. Certainly not afraid to go where the boots are flying, has the build to assert himself on the pitch, and very nearly scored with the shot that their keeper parried for Butler to poach his second goal. I'd like to see him given 90 minutes....
Demontagnac - Came on as a late sub for Keates. Not much time to impress, but he did have a good run in from the left wing and a shot that could have troubled lesser defences. Good point was that he "had a dig" - we were 2-0 up and playing freely at that stage.

I have to say that it was a good job the Saddlers' defence held its line towards the end of the game as Grimsby came looking to get back in the match. They had the ball in the net only to see it ruled out for a (just about) offside.

I can't comment on Martin Allen's half-time blurb, as I had the volume turned down in deference to the ladies who were playing Bingo in the next room :( At least I didn't have to watch Merscum's face during the proceedings.

A good win, comfortably achieved, and we're 6 points clear at the top, still with a game in hand over some of the chasing teams. I'll have to search long and hard to find a season to compare with this one (so far) - I'll call an expert witness at this stage - Leamore, do you reckon 1961???? :wink:

The beer's beginning (beginning?) to talk, so I'll wrap it up here.

UP THE SADDLERS!!!!!

Is this a wind up? If not I honestly give up! I dont like Wright in all honesty, but I believe in giving someone credit when its due.
Added to that, sometimes you dont have to beat a full back to put a decent cross in, or have you not noticed! :roll: