Points Again ! Rotherham Utd 0-0 Walsall

By 4two
March 5 2003

Four points from two away games and suddenly all is looking rosy again. The Saddlers did not create many chances, but Jim Walker was on hand to keep us in the game.

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Points Again !
Millers 0-0 Saddlers Nationwide League Division 1 Millmoor, Rotherham
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Div 1 Latest

Goals	None

	- Samways, Robinson (Walsall) - None

	Pollitt, Bryan, Swailes, McIntosh, Hurst, Sedgwick, Mullin, Woodhouse, Warne, Lee, Byfield.Subs: Gray, Richard Barker, Branston, Garner, Daws.

	Walker, Bazeley, Roper, Barras, Wrack, O'Connor, Samways, Robinson, Matias, Leitao, Shuker. Subs: Ward, Corica, Zdrilic, Birch, Junior.

	Click here to choose your Saddlers player of the match.

	By 4two In dull game, in dull conditions, in a dull town, in a dull part of the world, the thrilling game of football we witnessed between the two sides last time around was sadly missing, as the game finished 0-0.
Nearly 1 week after one of the worst performances Saddlers fans may have ever seen, Colin Lee's men faced a tricky trip to high flying Rotherham United who are currently challenging for a play off spot. Ronnie Moore has put together a smashing little outfit who are able to score goals and dig deep, which is why they are looking at a top 10 finish and we are likely to finish in the bottom 5. Tonight's game was always going to be a big test and by picking up points at Millmoor, confidence must surely been restored after the Brittania Stadium debacle. Martin O'Connor and Jorge Leitao both left the field of play prematurely, and were replaced by Corica and Zdrilic respectively. Bad news for the Saddlers, because the return of the hard working duo had been a crucial factor in Saturdays 2-1 victory over the Bantams. Chris Shuker again looked a threat right from start and he worried Millers keeper Mike Pollitt early on by forcing him to make an early save. O'Connor also had a first half effort, but it was not good enough threaten Pollitts goal. Bayfield looked sharp, and his pace was always going to be a threat. His best chance of the game forced Jimmy Walker to palm his shot after a long ball punted up field from the keeper left the Walsall defence somewhat confused. All in all it was dull first half that had seen Rotherham on top and controlling the majority of the possession. The Saddlers did look sharp on the break, but you could have been forgiven for saying the game had 0-0 wrote all over it. If anyone was going to break the deadlock during the first half, it looked likely to be Rotherham who hit the bar and had a shot cleared of the line in the closing minutes of the half. Half Time: 0-0 The second didn't really offer all that much different, and Rotherham did put the Saddlers under pressure, but this week they were able to be resilient, as well as having lady luck on their side as the Millers again hit the wood work. Overall, their were three defining moments of the second half, and they involved Jimmy Walker. The Saddlers in form man produced three top drawer saves from Swailes, Lee and Warne, while former Walsall hero Darren Byfield couldn't find his feet and wasted both his chances in the game. As for the Saddlers, they pushed forward and got some good balls in to the box, but Zdrilic isn't Leitao, and isn't able to create his own chances like the Portuguese powerhouse does. He struggled to get in the correct positions, but worked hard and helped frustrate the Millers. Full Time 0-0

	Player Form by Ian Hemmings. Walker 9 was Wacker we saw both sides of him his brilliant saves compounded by some poor kicking. Wrack 8 at this rate zigor will have a fight on his hands to get his place back! Roper 9 was roper uncompromised and went about his job in the manner we have been accustomed to! Barras 9 to me just shaded roper for the man of the match award distribution was good and lead the back line well and had a go at them when they went to deep defending free kicks! Bazeley 7 not up to his usual standards hasn't been since the Sheff UTD game. Shuker 8 did a lot of running but very rarely looked like delivering the final ball or scoring a goal. O'Connor 7 went in for balls and ran with the ball but slightly over shadowed by Samways in the middle of the park. Samways 8 best of the midfielders got back when he needed to and helped out with the attack play when he could. Robinson 7 a quiet game but there when needed Leitao 5 didn't do much when he was on the pitch went off with a head injury from a foul that the ref failed to see. Matias 7 worked ok on the left wing and played some nice balls but not as effective as when he comes off the bench. Subs: Zdrilic 7 came on and tried but didn't look like scoring. Birch 6 last 10 minutes didn't have enough time to influence the game. Corica 7 came on played some nice balls but wimped out of tackles.

	4two: Reaction - Just the kind of result we needed. The new players look to have some promise.
	Saddlerz: Reaction - Good result although we didn't seem like scoring - Zdrilic isn't the answer. Whets happening with Junior?
	Short_Heath_Saddlers: Reaction - If someone would've told me that we'd have 4 points out of the last 2 game,I would've probably laughed at them. Not that the other two teams are the best but because the last away performance before these 2. Fair play to the boys and Colin Lee, they got their act together and now we're on the verge of safety, without having to look at the other teams.