A Matter Of Luck

Watford 'keeper Rene Gilmartin cuts a disconsolate figure after his side lost on penalties to Bristol Rovers

When it rains, it pours, that's certainly the way Watford fans are viewing their start to the season, dropping out of the Carling Cup to League 2 Bristol Rovers on Tuesday night following a penalty shootout.

Hornets boss Shaun Dyche has had it tough thus far, prior to the single goal scored by Marvin Sordell in the 1-1 final scoreline at Rovers there have been just two efforts rustling in the back of opposition nets, both of those coming on the opening day at Burnley. Two home defeats followed, that including a 4-0 thumping against West Ham, and last Saturday's 0-0 stalemate against fellow strugglers Coventry City did little to raise confidence amongst the squad.

And yet they came out against Rovers and scored within 2 minutes through Sordell, only for Matt Harrold to hit a barnstorming equaliser from all of 25 yards, Watford going on to later hit the woodwork on more than one occasion. When your lucks not in...

The dominance shown throughout the majority of the rest of the match reaped little reward, 13 shots missed the target, while the 14 that were accurate found either Rovers goalkeeper Scott Bevan or a flying defensive body to keep the ball out of the net. That's not to discredit Rovers who kept the clear cut chances down to a minimum, defending stoutly under pressure and never giving Watford time to settle.

It would have been pleasing to see for fans of the Horns who, despite being harried whenever they were in possession, created so many opportunities, the link up play between Sordell and his strike partner Troy Deeney impressive with the midfield four joining in every chance they got.

The defensive side of their game worked fairly well, the Rovers players closed down and crowded out quickly, though when the home side got the ball down and passed and moved at pace Watford did look vulnerable. The way that the visitors forced the Pirates back was, however, a positive, a fair amount of the passing from Rovers done around their own defence.

After Gas forward Matt Harrold was withdrawn from the field of play by his manager Paul Buckle Watford were able to control the game by a grander degree, Rovers leaving Scott McGleish to play up front on his own and packing five men into their midfield, thus finding themselves unable to maintain possession at the top end of the pitch, allowing the visitors to launch wave after wave of attack on the home third.

After putting on a brave face for the first half of extra time Rovers came out and looked to take the game to their more illustrious opponents, Adrian Mariappa required to make a fine block from McGleish while substitute Wayne Brown forced Rene Gilmartin to extend his body fully to keep out a free kick that was bending towards the top corner.

Referee Coote failed to award a penalty to the Hornets late on after a rash challenge felled a Watford forward as he blazed into the area, the luck still not returning for Shaun Dyche's men, and it wasn't to make an appearance in the shootout either.

After Jo Kuffour scored the opening penalty for Rovers, John Eustace was only able to find the body of Bevan which deflected the ball onto the crossbar and away. Though the shootout was levelled up after McGleish missed and Sordell slotted home Watford missed their fourth penalty, Bevan getting down to save once again, this time from Carl Dickinson and Mustapha Carayol made no mistake as he won the game for the Pirates, sending the fans in the terraced end behind the goal into delirium.

So the winless run for Watford continues, the failure to make their way past a side two divisions below them will dent the already fragile confidence further though a game against Birmingham City, another side in a slump both on and off the pitch, gives Shaun Dyche's men a chance to put the doubters to rest.

The way the visitors ran the game, however, signals that all is not lost and the sooner the Hornets catch a break the floodgates may start to open. No doubt it is going to be a bumpy ride, it's just a matter of whether the luck returns to Vicarage Road.

Bristol Rovers 1-1 Watford (4-2 On Penalties)

120 minutes of high energy football were not enough to separate Bristol Rovers and their Championship opponents Watford at the Memorial Stadium on Tuesday night, the hosts eventually taking the originally postponed Carling Cup tie 4-2 from the penalty spot.

Marvin Sordell scored only the Hornets third goal of the season in the second minute after sliding in to divert Craig Forsyth's low centre, only to see Matt Harrold thump in an equaliser three minutes later. After a goalless extra time period the game went to penalties, Watford missing two of their first four spot kicks, giving Mustapha Carayol the chance to settle the game, the Gambian international obliging with the 12 yard winner.

From the early stages the match looked to be a thriller and within two minutes Watford opened the scoring, Craig Forsyth scampering down the left wing on a break, sweeping a low ball into the box that Marvin Sordell knocked past Rovers goalkeeper Scott Bevan to open his account for the season.

Just a couple of minutes after the restart the game turned back the way of the Pirates as Matt Harrold collected the ball on the edge of the box before unleashing a venomous drive from all of 25 yards that had Rene Gilmartin diving in vain to his left, unable to sustain his sides slender advantage.

Watford's front pairing of Sordell and Troy Deeney linked up well throughout and the latter could have snatched back the lead after twenty minutes but Bevan was quick off his line to smother at the ex-Walsall man's feet.

Soon after the match almost swung Rovers way, Harrold knocking down a Jo Kuffour cross into the path of Chris Zebroski who failed to connect with his swinging right boot. Kuffour hadn't given up on the move, however, following in and hitting the underside of the crossbar off of Gilmartin's body, only to see the ball bounce back down plum onto the line and away from goal.

Watford were having the better of the first half proceedings and the loss of central defender Cian Bolger further added to Rovers woes as Deeney again missed chances, flashing a header wide from a Mark Yeates cross before rifling a shot that forced Bevan to push the ball into the side netting.

Kuffour hit a low shot wide but it was at the other end where Josh Walker hit a cracker that thundered off of Bevan's crossbar, meaning the sides went in level at half time.

Into the second half and Harrold and Kuffour saw efforts miss the target, only for the Hornets to take the game by the scruff of the neck, Lloyd Doyley hitting an instinctive effort from range that took a bounce before going out of play via Bevan's right hand post, the Rovers custodian failing to react to the full back's shot. John Eustace was the next to be involved, hitting wide after Forsyth's shot was blocked.

And so it went to extra time, by which point Watford were in full control, Wayne Brown having replaced the imposing Harrold leaving the Gas with little power or presence to hold the ball up front, the away side able to control phase after phase of the play.

The best chance of the extra period went to Eustace, the visiting captain forcing Bevan to drop to his left to stop the downward header while Rovers substitute Mustapha Carayol fired wide at the other end.

The second half of extra time was far more even and there were two late chances for the home side to take the tie. Firstly Kuffour was unable to get on the end of a McGleish ball, the veteran striker reacting quickly to the half clearance as he volleyed a shot directly at Adrian Mariappa.

Moments later came the final opportunity of the game, Wayne Brown hitting a bending free kick that looked for all the world to be heading into the top corner, Gilmartin, though, had other ideas as he tipped the ball behind for a corner.

That was to be it for a game that had kept the 4,432 crowd on the edge of their seats for two hours, penalties the only way the contest was going to be sorted.

Jo Kuffour stepped up first for Rovers, sending Gilmartin the wrong way. Watford's first kick taker was Eustace, his low effort hitting Bevan, bouncing up onto crossbar and away from the goal.

The most experienced man on the pitch, Scott McGleish, failed to utilise what he had learned in his 17 year Football League career as he dragged his penalty wide, Sordell equalising with his own spot kick.

Adam Virgo and Mariappa cancelled out eachother's strikes before Wayne Brown powered his penalty past Gilmartin. The pressure moved onto Carl Dickinson and it seemed to get the better of him as Bevan produced his second save of the shootout.

That left Carayol with the chance to finish the match and with consummate coolness the winger slotted the ball home to hand Rovers a second round tie away to Leyton Orient.

'It Is Going To Be Tough' Says Buckle

Paul Buckle admitted that when his Bristol Rovers side line up to face Watford in the Carling Cup this evening they will have a stern test ahead of them.

What remains of the Pirates squad from last term will be looking to put to rest the haunting memories of their 6-1 humiliation away to Oxford a year ago, their opponents having only just won promotion back to the Football League after a four year absence. The last time the Hornets clashed with Rovers was three years ago, once again in the Carling Cup, a certain Will Hoskins sentencing the Gas to a 1-0 defeat at Vicarage Road.

Buckle is under no illusions as to the challenge that stands between his side and a second round tie against Leyton Orient, that despite Watford's thus far winless campaign.

"It is going to be a tough game, and we are going to have to be at the top of our game defensively." Said the Rovers boss, "You have to be watertight without the ball against teams from a higher division. If we can do that we still believe we can create chances.

"I think Watford will mix it up. I watched them in pre-season and the Championship is a tough division, it is a physical league, so we will have to be on top of our game physically.

"The players have been great defending the box, we have to go and do that again, but at the same time we have to try and have some quality to try and open them up when we get the opportunity.

"The fact that they have not won yet this season makes them very dangerous. Their manager is a very organised guy, and Watford are a proud club.

"They will not want to come to Bristol Rovers and go out of the competition, they will see this as an opportunity to kick start their season, what we must try and do is try and add as much misery to their season as we can. If we are at our very best, we will have a chance."

The confidence that a Carling Cup run could provide to Buckle's squad, not to mention the financial rewards to the club, are major factors for future success and the former Torquay gaffer noted that he will be taking the competition seriously.

"The Carling Cup is massive. I have always taken great pride in the cups, and we want to do well every game and do ourselves proud and put a good show on for the fans.

"It is a massive game for us, it is one we are not expected to win, we are playing against a very good Championship side, but we are at home, and we fancy our chances. I think it will be a very good game, a fast game, and we will have to be at our very best.

"We would like to build momentum and confidence ahead of our league game on Saturday. There is so much stuff you can take from a good cup run, I have been fortunate over the last four years to have had good cup runs, and I want to continue that.

"It is exciting for the club that we have a Championship side coming down tomorrow night, to see where we are at as a club."

Despite a tough encounter away at Macclesfield on Saturday Rovers still have a strong squad available, Stuart Campbell and Gary Sawyer the only players definitely out while Joe Anyinsah faces a race against time to prove his fitness.

Bristol Rovers Face Watford In Carling Cup Clash

Bristol Rovers take on Watford in the Carling Cup on Tuesday, a game whose original date was postponed due to the riots that swept the nation.

Rovers come into the game on the back of a 0-0 draw away at Macclesfield having missing a host of chances, hitting the target just the once throughout the ninety minutes. At the other end Scott Bevan was kept far busier, denying Scott Wedgebury during the first half in a one-on-one situation and scrambling saves on further occasions. Rovers sit in ninth position after the weekends round of games concluded with seven points out of a possible twelve and a first clean sheet of the season will encourage the defence and manager Paul Buckle as Rovers look to tighten up at the back.

New Watford boss Shaun Dyche has endured a testing start to the season, his side currently sitting in the bottom three of the Championship table with just a pair of points after the Hornets weekend game also ended in stalemate at Coventry. There have been just two goals for Watford fans to cheer this term, both coming away at Burnley on the opening day. Add in results from the tail end of last season and the Hertfordshire club have failed to win in seven away games.

If Rovers are to get past past Watford, a clash away to League 1 Leyton Orient the reward, they will have to bypass Horns' defender Adrian Mariappa. An academy graduate Mariappa has held down a regular place in the Watford team for the past two seasons, helping the side to 16th and 14th placed finishes, and will look to continue his run for the continuation of this. The 24 year old, scorer of three goals during his six years at Vicarage Road, has been offered the opportunity to play for the Fijian national team, only to turn down the chance offered to appear at the Pacific Games.

One of the key players who will be vying to get the better of Mariappa is ex-Arsenal trainee Jo Kuffour, currently one of Rovers in-form strikers. Though he has scored just a single goal so far the pacy forward has proved that the poor form shown last season is behind him, having started the previous two games and looking threatening with his turn of speed and tricky runs. Pre-season saw rumours of Kuffour's departure, the 29 year old turning down an offer from Yeovil Town before deciding to remain at the Memorial Stadium for Paul Buckle's tilt at League 2 promotion.

Pirates winger Joe Anyinsah will be fitness tested before the game as he looks to make a comeback from a niggling hamstring injury while Stuart Campbell is also unavailable with a longer term hamstring complaint.

Full back Gary Sawyer and young midfielders Ollie Clarke are definitely out having both undergone surgery for a hernia and knee injury respectively.

Watford will be without the services of recent signing Prince Buabe. The Ghanaian, yet to make his Hornets debut, has had a minor hamstring injury and is generally lacking in fitness after joining Shaun Dyche's squad two weeks after pre-season training had started.

Gavin Massey missed the weekend game with Coventry, suffering from a virus, but is likely to return to the squad that travels to Bristol. Imposing forward Chris Iwelumo, formerly of Bristol City, has only a slight chance of recovering in time to face Rovers, Dyche wanting the Scotland international 100% fit before throwing him into competitive action.

Ross Jenkins and Martin Taylor will face fitness tests to determine whether or not they can play after taking slight knocks from the Coventry game.

Blizzard, Brown And A Big Load Of...

Dear me, 6-1. Do I really want to write about this? I guess I'll be alright as long as nobody in my house starts to play any Leonard Cohen. Keep the medicine cabinet locked please, mother.

And to think I nearly went today, on two occasions. A few weeks ago I thought to myself 'it's about time I went to an away game', I've got none to my name thus far this season, not even Swindon away thanks to Sky's arrival meaning the game was rescheduled for a Monday night. Walsall isn't that far and there's a train station right next to the ground, so I thought I might as well, but alas, I never followed through with my plan, £18 for each train journey eventually putting me off. Then just a couple of days ago my neighbour said they may be going, that never came off either. Add a match ticket, a couple of beers and a bacon roll into the equation and I've saved myself a good 70 odd quid.

The radio it was then. I'm used to that, tuning into good old Geoff Twentyman and the BBC Radio Bristol crew, so much so that it's nearly an every-other-Saturday tradition. The first shock of the day came when I read on my laptop that Dominic Blizzard was in the starting XI, his first start since facing Aldershot in the JPT in October.

Blizz has always been an enigma to me and many other Rovers fans alike, his first season started off with him suffering from a virus and other niggling injuries meant he never started off fully fit and from then on he found himself unable to dislodge the central midfield partnership of Campbell and Lines and spent much of his time wide on the right, a position that he was clearly uncomfortable in. Stockport fans used to call him 'The Hoover' as he was always sucking up the loose balls that dropped in the middle and they loved him for it. But he has never been given the opportunity in that position while playing for the Gas and was eventually made available for loan by Paul Trollope having become frustrated at the lack of chances he was getting.

Since Trollope's departure he was given a role on the bench under Darren Patterson and subsequently Dave Penney before being placed on the transfer list by the new manager. With Chris Lines suspended he was given his chance in his preferred central position but that seems to have gone spectacularly wrong for him given the result, and I fear that Wayne Brown could end up in the same boat too.

After the Swindon game Penney came out and said that he had only two central midfielders he could trust, namely Campbell and Lines, but with Lines suspended and Blizzard transfer listed Brown looked to have a chance, even playing in front of his gaffer in a reserve team game in the week, but for whatever reason he wasn't picked today, not even coming off of the bench unlike new loanee Scott Davies who came on and played wide right. Brown is young and inexperienced but from the few times I've seen him I feel that there's definately some talent there, it's just how to use him. At 5'5" he won't have much of a physical presence in the middle of the park so perhaps Penney felt that putting him in alongside Campbell would leave his midfield a bit too weak. Brown's best spell in football came at TPS Turku in the Finnish Premier League where he was allowed to play in much more of a free role sat just behind the striker and he was successful, scoring nine goals and setting up numerous others, but in Rovers situation he may be a luxury player, not the sort of battling type that is needed in a relegation dogfight.

Friday saw the arrival of two new players on loan, the aforementioned Scott Davies and striker Rene Howe. I don't know a great deal about either player but having looked at the stats I feel confident about Davies, but not so much Howe. Davies has played a lot of games for both Aldershot and Wycombe as well as a brief stint with Yeovil, spending two seasons with the Shots, and has a decent goal scoring record for a central midfielder and with Lines looking rather out of form this season he has a real opportunity at getting a run in the side and would most likely have started against Walsall had he met and trained with his new teammates before their pre-match meal.

Rene Howe could go either way, he has had good spells out on loan before but never in League 1, his most recent run of games coming at Conference side Rushden & Diamonds, though their manager has come out and said that there were various league clubs after him. He has never made it at Peterborough and clearly wants out and Rovers is his big chance to remain a League 1 player. From what I've seen and heard he is a decent unit and will provide the power up front that Rovers have lacked since the departure of Rickie Lambert, although he has previously come out and said that he is not a target man during his time at Rushden, so whether he will be able to fulfill the role Penney wants from him remains to be seen.

The game itself sounded like a total disaster from start to finish and we should have gone behind earlier, only for Jason Price to put the ball wide. The first was a header from a free kick, the second came from a backheeled pass inside the box and the third was a volley from outside the box, the first two at least seem to be the fault of poor marking in the penalty area. The team seemed to come out with a bit more verve at the start of the second half and when Jeff Hughes pulled one back you could have thought that bottom of the table Walsall would crumble under the pressure but that never happened as they ran straight to the other end to score, and they went and got two more to rub it in. Needless to say I won't be staying up to watch the goals at 00:45 on The Football League Show, I'll save that for when the highlights go up on the BBC Sport website on Monday.

The scoreline has demoralised the Rovers fans and will do no good for the players fragile confidence either so it hangs on Dave Penney and his management team to motivate them for the visit of MK Dons on Wednesday. I'll be there, watching, hoping for something to change, whether that will come against a team sat in the play-off places remains to be seen, though, and there's only so much praying I and my fellow Gasheads can do. Will any more signings between now and then change anything? We've already got six loan players in and only five can be named in a matchday squad at a time. Post-match Dave Penney has also come out and talked about the budget for ne players, so there may be no new faces before Wednesday.

For me it's a matter of mental preparation for the players that is going to keep us up. Davies and Howe making starts could surprise our opponents, we've looked rather one dimensional for the past two years, so I'm going to cross my fingers for that, as I do at least expect to see Davies start.

A bad day all round for anyone who has something to do with Bristol Rovers, but at least I've got an extra £70 in my pocket, that should be a good night down the pub.

Walsall Preview

The tides are changing. A win over local rivals Swindon a week ago has transformed the mindset of the Bristol Rovers fanbase and the new found confidence looks to have spread throughout the club. The players are upbeat and the manager is hard at work trying to bring new blood into the squad, and quickly too.

Dave Penney has come out and stated his belief that he will have at least one new man in before the Walsall game this weekend. Speaking to bristolrovers.co.uk he said:

"The problem we have got is Colesy and Linesy both missing two games through suspension.

"We have a problem with centre midfield we have to address, and we have been trying to do that all week on the phone.

"We will get someone in before the weekend I would think, hopefully in a couple of positions.

"It is a difficult during the window, everyone wants a permanent deal, but we have to make sure we get the right one, not just anybody.

"I have been on the phone and watching games and I am trying to bring the right one in. Hopefully we will either do it later today or tomorrow."

And he hasn't disappointed.

Friday afternoon came the announcement that Penney had signed forward Rene Howe from Peterborough United, initially on a months loan. 24 year old Howe started his career with his home town club Bedford United before moving onto Conference North side Kettering who he helped reach second place in the league with 25 goals and from there he moved onto his current parent club Peterborough. To date he has made only three starts for the London Road club, scoring just a single goal.



Much of Howe's time has seen him out on loan, scoring 9 in 23 for Rochdale and 12 in 41 for Morecambe, both spells in League 2. Further loan terms saw him spend time at Gillingham, then in League 1, and Lincoln last season and at the beginning of this footballing year the 6ft striker went to Conference side Rusdhen & Diamonds, netting 6 times in 20 appearances and leaving with Diamonds manager Justin Edinburgh claiming numerous Football League sides were interested in claiming the strikers signature. Some fans of LivingTV's reality show Dating In The Dark may also remember Howe's appearance on the programme, which didn't end particularly well and saw him described as a 'cocky footballer' by the Sky TV Guide.

And just a couple of hours later details of another loan signing were released in the form of Scott Davies of Reading. Davies began his youth career at Watford before joining Wycombe and then current club Reading. Oppurtunities at the Madejski have been limited for the 22 year old who has spent a great deal of time out on loan, spending two seasons with Aldershot, who gained promotion from the Conference National with Davies in the side, scoring 13 goals in his second spell with the Shots in League 2. Two stints back at Wycombe and a short loan to Yeovil followed to give the midfielder a decent level of Football League experience.

The issue at the centre of defence looks to have been solved, Dave McCracken coming into the team and putting in two commanding performances at the back and young Cian Bolger taking a place on the bench for the last two home games. Whether Bolger will remain with Rovers beyond the initial one month loan he is on is yet to be seen as Danny Coles will be coming back into contention when his ban is over after the midweek MK Dons game. Penney has also come out and said that he hopes to get David McCracken on a loan deal until the end of the season on Monday while young midfielder Charlie Clough has joined Weymouth, bottom of the Southern League Premier Division, on a months loan deal.

There has been no indication from anyone within Rovers as to who might be coming in, although the three key positions for Penney to bolster are on the right and in the centre of midfield and a target man to give his side a different option if the game requires it. There had been talk of a Rovers return for Paul Heffernan but that was dependent on Wednesday manager Alan Irvine bringing in either of the Notts County strikers Lee Hughes and Craig Westcarr, neither of which has come off and with pressure mounting on Irvine it could be that the manager leaves before a deal could be made.

At the start of the month bottom of the table Walsall sacked manager Chris Hutchings and ever since Dean Smith has been in charge. Smith was promoted from heading the clubs youth section and has taken three points from the five games he has been in charge of the club for, including a draw away at the Memorial Stadium earlier this month. After his spell as caretaker boss he was confirmed as Hutchings permanent replacement on January 21st and has since lost to Exeter and drawn with Oldham. There will be one signing making his Walsall debut this weekend, Jason Price, whom Walsall have acquired on a one month loan deal from Carlisle.

It has been seven long games since Walsall claimed a victory, that coming against Charlton in a surprise result at the Valley, the only game the Saddlers played in December. Since then Walsall have conceded 19 goals so Rovers can go into the game confident that they can put the ball in the net. Walsall are still nine points off of safety and have been way off the pace all season, going out of the League Cup and Johnstone's Paint Trophy to Tranmere and Chesterfield respectively. They also required a replay to get past Conference National side Fleetwood in the first round of the FA Cup before losing to another lower division side in Torquay in the second round.

Rovers much needed triumph over Swindon was their first in 13 league games since a 2-1 win against Rochdale in mid October but for their last away win you have to look back to the start of that month, Will Hoskins bending in a superb late winner at the Galpharm Stadium against Huddersfield. There have been two heavy defeats on the road since then, a 6-2 loss to Sheffield Wednesday standing out, especially having gone a goal to the good. Recently there was also a 4-0 defeat at Carlisle where Rovers finished the game with ten men. Despite being two points off of 20th placed Swindon it is likely that Rovers will need to make up three points on their rivals, owing to their -16 goal difference.



The only link between the two sides is Walsall defender Aaron Lescott. The full back joined Rovers under then manager Ian Atkins, having originally been loaned out to Rovers from Stockport County. In six years at Rovers he made 234 appearances, scoring five goals, netting his first in a brace against Walsall. After failing to win his place back in the Rovers squad following injury Lescott was sent out on loan to Cheltenham before Paul Trollope released him at the end of the 2009/10 season.

The two sides have played each other 94 times in their history. The first match came way back in 1927 and Rovers went on to win the first six meetings between the sides. More recent meetings have been even, however, although the two games from the 2008/09 season are notable for nine goals being scored over their two matches. In September 2008 Walsall came, saw and conquered at the Mem, coming through with a 3-1 margin of victory thanks to two goals from Michael Ricketts, one of which was a penalty, and a strike fro Stephen Roberts. Steve Elliott scored for Rovers and Byron Anthony was sent off, the more remarkable scoreline came at the Bescot six months later, however. Just six minutes in Rovers were two goals to the good thanks to Darryl Duffy and Craig Disley before Aaron Lescott scored his first for Rovers to make it 3-0 within 20 minutes. Duffy was again on the scoresheet in the second half and Lescott got his second to round off a miserable afternoon for the Saddlers as it finished 5-0 to the away side.

New loan signing Rene Howe will go straight into the squad to face Walsall, but is unlikely to dislodge either top scorer Will Hoskins or the in form Jo Kuffour from the starting line up. Scott Davies will also join him in the squad but Cian Bolger is likely to miss out as Rovers are only aloud to name five loan players in their matchday squad.

Both Chris Lines and Danny Coles will be unavailable for Rovers due to suspension, Lines for picking up his tenth yellow card of the season against Swindon while Coles will be serving the third of his four match ban following his second red card of the season at Carlisle. Both will also be missing from the match against MK Dons on Wednesday.

Walsall will give a debut to new loan signing Jason Price who joined from Carlisle on Friday as long as all of the necessary paperwork goes through in time.

Manny Smith and Richard Taundry are facing fitness tests having been left out of the squad for Tuesday's game against Oldham.

Former Bristol City striker Darren Byfield has failed to fully recover from a long-term knee injury in time to face Rovers.



In his pre-match interview Dave Penney talked about Walsall's situation and the threats that they possess, saying:

"They [Walsall] have had a change of manager as well, and we had them watched on Tuesday.

"They keep going right to the death, they got a late goal against us and they got a late goal against Oldham on Tuesday, they are really trying hard to get points and help the manager.

"It will be a tough game, as they are battling away for points just like we are.

"We are hoping we can go there with the confidence we have built up, and keep that momentum and confidence going."

Walsall manager Dean Smith is unfazed by his teams struggle and dares any team to write them off, he told BBC West Midlands:

"Most of the teams will have probably written us off already and will see us as being adrift.

"Our job is to start catching them up and for them to start looking over their shoulder.

"We've looked fearless in the games we've played and the commitment and the spirit has been there."

Midweek League 1 Round Up - 25/01/2011

Six fixtures took place on Tuesday evening in League 1, the highlight being Brighton, top of the division, taking on Colchester at the Withdean but there were also important games taking place at Hillsborough and The County Ground in Swindon.

Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 Colchester United


With MK Dons being the only other member of the top six to be playing Brighton had the chance to extend their lead at the top of League 1 to six points and they didn't disappoint, remaining at the head of the table for the 18th consecutive game.

Albion threatened early and loan signing Chris Woods nodded a shot towards goal, only to see it come back off of the post, but it was just before half time that the home side took the lead, Inigo Calderon stroking home, the full backs fifth goal of the season.

With 75 minutes on the clock Brighton doubled their advantage thanks to Craig Noone's first goal for the club since joining from Plymouth at the start of the month, beating numerous before driving past Ben Williams from the edge of the area. Colchester will be without Pat Baldwin for their next game after the defender was shown red for a second bookable offence late on.

Leyton Orient 2-2 MK Dons


Despite a patchy run of form MK Dons find themselves sat in fifth place in League 1 following an exciting encounter at Brisbane Road. A win would have taken the Dons up to fourth but Orient are decent at home, having gone unbeaten in their previous eight fixtures at their own place including a thumping 4-0 weekend win over big guns Sheffield Wednesday. Orient were without manager Russel Slade for this game, the gaffer having to spend time in hospital following minor surgery, so assistant manager Kevin Nugent was to take charge, and it wasn't long before they found themselves behind in a pulsating first half.

It was Stephen Gleeson who gave the Dons the lead with a stunning volley from 25 yards out having controlled the ball on his chest. Two minutes was all the lasted, though, Scott McGleish taking advantage of Dean Lewington's slip to draw Orient onto level terms. That goal totally changed the game and the O's started to make real headway, Dean Cox rifling a shot back off the post before the winger turned provider, sending in a cross for experienced defender Terrell Forbes to head home and it remained that way until 56 minutes. Sean O'Hanlon heading in from close range from a Peter Leven delivery.

It remained that way until the end pushing Orient a point further from the relegation zone and propelling the Dons into the play-off zone, although the away side would have preferred the victory they arguably deserved, having a negative goal difference and playing at least two games more than many of the teams on their tail.

Walsall 1-1 Oldham Athletic



Before this game Walsall were cut adrift at the bottom of the table, nine points behind 20th placed Swindon Town and after this draw nothing had changed. Oldham on the other hand knew that a win against the strugglers would see themselves jump Charlton, Peterborough and possibly the MK Dons and into the play-off places.

Much of the early pressure came from the hosts but on a number of ocassions striker Will Grigg, recently called up to the Northern Irish under-21 side, found himself unable to beat Oldham stopper Ben Amos and they were punished for their carelessness when Filipe Morais scored in his second successive game to give Latics the lead. Just past the hour mark Walsall levelled thanks to a fierce Darryl Westlake effort from just inside the penalty area.

It was a result that will do no side any great favours as they continue in their own personal battles at either end of the league table.

Sheffield Wednesday 2-2 Yeovil Town



Following an appauling mauling from Leyton Orient on Saturday Sheffield Wednesday looked to get their play-off challenge back on trakc against relegation threatened Yeovil, but there was to be no relief for under fire Owls boss Alan Irvine following a clash that had it all.

Dean Bowditch opened the scoring for Yeovil, running into the area and seeing his shot take a deflection off of a home defender to loop over the stranded Nicky Weaver and into the net. It was down to Wednesday's new signing Gary Madine to level it up for the home team, heading in from six yards out. Two melees took place on the pitch as the game really started to heat up and tensions boiled over.

The Somerset side took the lead again in the second half, Paul Huntington heading goalwards from an Andy Welsh corner before the context of the game changed due to a second yellow card for Yeovil full back Luke Ayling. Adam Virgo came on to shore up the Glovers defence, only to be sent off for fouling Madine in the area moments later. It was down to Giles Coke to level it up for Wednesday and if it weren't for Paul Heffernan encroaching into the area it would been, but as it stood the penalty had to be retaken and this time it didn't end well for the former Motherwell midfielder as he skied the ball well over the crossbar.

With four minutes left, however, Wednesday drew level. Despite a fine double save from Yeovil man of the match Stephen Henderson Reda Johnson knocked the ball over the line to deny Yeovil a battling win. The home side sit 10th, off of the pace and will hope for an up turn in fortunes between now and the end of the season. Yeovil remain in the relegation zone but their good form in recent games will give them the confidence that they need to stay up.

Hartlepool United 1-1 Notts County



Injury hit Notts County faced a trip to Hartlepool where a draw always looked the likely result. County were unbeaten in their last four games on the road, drawing three and winning one trip, while Pools had gone 419 minutes without scoring a goal.

It was Hartlepool who made the breakthrough in the 38th minute, Gary Liddle the scorer despite claims of offside from the Notts defence. The Magpies had to wait until the second half for their equaliser, Lee Hughes stepping off of the bench to secure a point for the visitors, knocking the ball over the line from a position he could hardly miss from. The striker is the subject of transfer interest from Sheffield Wednesday, who are looking to bolster an already strong frontline in their promotion challenge.

County moved a further point away from the relegation zone while Hartlepool have now failed to win in five games.

Swindon Town 0-0 Tranmere Rovers



Following Saturday's 3-1 defeat to local rivals Bristol Rovers Danny Wilson is starting to look down the barrel as his side slip deeper into relegation trouble. Tranmere have moved slightly away from trouble after they shocked Southampton 2-0 at the weekend.

The best chance of a dour game fell to Charlie Austin but the wantaway striker saw his penalty saved by former Fulham goalkeeper Tony Warner after Michael Timlin was fouled in the area by Joss Labadie. Tranmere's best chance fell to Lateef Elford-Alliyu who hit the post while Rovers also saw two penalty shouts turned down. In the second half Austin had another great chance but his drive from a tight angle hit the underside of the crossbar before bouncing to safetey for the Merseysiders.

A draw does neither of the sides any real favours as they both remain in trouble at the wrong end of the League 1 table.