Walsall 1 Hereford United 0 - match report

Last updated : 09 April 2007 By Footymad Previewer
Dean Keates' 12th goal of the season strengthened Walsall's grip on automatic promotion from League Two, but spare a thought for Hereford whose brave fight for a point only came to an end after a late sending-off.

The incident came in the 79th minute when defender Dean Beckwith was seen to hold Trevor Benjamin as the big Walsall striker strode towards goal.

Lincoln referee Gary Sutton had judged the foul to have been outside the box and Keates drove the resultant free kick over.

But the Saddlers threw everything into attack, and in the 83rd minute, substitute Darren Wrack had a low shot saved by keeper Wayne Brown but Keates rammed home the rebound from short range to earn Walsall all three points at the Bescot.

Yet it had been a match in which lowly Hereford had looked the more skilful side, especially in the first-half, with Danny Thomas tormenting Walsall down the left flank and both Ben Smith and Luke Webb controlling the centre of midfield.

There was plenty of action, with Benjamin forcing a 25th-minute save from Brown, Martin Butler seeing a shot blocked from the rebound and finally Michael Dobson shooting wide.

Butler missed a good 42nd-minute chance presented to him by a mistake from Hereford's Rob Purdie, but soon afterwards Alan Connell went close for the Bulls.

Most of the second-half chances fell to Richard Money's men, with Dobson having a shot blocked from Keates' 53rd-minute free kick and Brown saving Chris Westwood's follow-up shot.

Brown also saved a Butler header and Kevin Harper fired wide of the far post, but Graham Turner's team were never out of it and a fierce volley by Andy Williams was taken by Clayton Ince, who has now kept a Walsall record of 20 clean sheets this season.