Walsall manager Mat Sadler was full of praise for non-league Sheppey United after his team recovered from a goal down to record a 4-1 win in the FA Cup first round last night.
The clash was a stark reminder of the magic that the world’s oldest domestic cup competition can offer and it looked as if an unlikely upset might be on the cards when the Isthmian League South East team took the lead in the 21st minute. The Saddlers hit back through Douglas James-Taylor just after the half hour mark and the two teams went into the half time break level.
Hopes of an upset were dashed in the second period as the League Two side showed their quality to pull away, with goals from Tom Knowles, Ross Tierney and Isaac Hutchinson eventually securing a 4-1 win. Speaking afterwards, via the Express & Star, Sadler was relieved to seal a passage into the second round;
“I think they did exactly what we asked them to do, and we got the shock of our lives amongst it all.
“It would’ve been really easy for that to be the catalyst of something that it never needed to be.
“We’ve got a great group there. I thought the athleticism of us in the end coupled with the quality proved to be the difference.
“I was really pleased with everything they did and I thought they were really professional.”
In truth, Walsall dominated the tie and could have been out of sight much earlier if it were not for the heroics of Sheppey goalkeeper Aidan Prall. Sadler was quick to offer praise to the shotstopper, saying;
“Their goalkeeper had a fantastic match, and I think he got man of the match, and rightly so.
“On another night, a few more of those go in. We want to be clinical and we were once the game grew on.
“We had to show that and I am really pleased. Now, I am looking forward to who we get in the next round.”
All eyes will now be on tomorrow’s second round draw, where the West Midlands side will be hoping for a favourable tie ahead of the introduction of Premier League and Championship teams in the third round.
Writer’s View
This was an excellent game to watch and proves why the FA Cup is like no other competition in world football. Sheppey United’s opener made this a real old-fashioned cup clash, but Walsall proved far too strong as the game wore on.
The TV coverage will do wonders for the financials of the non-league club and the same for Horsham, who secured an excellent 3-3 draw with Barnsley at Oakwell.
