Kiwomya eyeing up top half for Notts
NOTTS COUNTY tore-up the formbook by holding Walsall to a draw – and Magpies manager Chris Kiwomya believes Saddlers’ boss Dean Smith was begging for the final whistle.
A 74th minute equaliser from super sub Yoann Arquin cancelled out Romaine Sawyers’ opener and handed County their first point of the season - ending the Saddlers’ 100 per cent start in the process.
Kiwomya said:“He’s saying they should have won the game. I’m saying – in the last ten minutes – he’s going ‘please ref, blow the whistle!’
“Once we got to grips with them after halftime and made changes, there was only one team going to win.
“We were much the better team in the second half, they were there for the taking and - if the game had gone on for another five minutes - we would have won.
“If I get my starting 11 on the pitch – and can keep them on the pitch – we can get into the top half of the table.”
Walsall started the match on the back of a fine start to the season, with league wins over Tranmere and Oldham sandwiching a Carling Cup victory over Port Vale. But they needed a brace of fine saves from Richard O’Donnell, denying Joss Labadie and Callum McGregor, to keep them on terms against the winless Magpies early on.
It was the home side, however, that hit the front five minutes after halftime when Romaine Sawyers netted his first goal for the club with a sublime curling finish from the edge of the box.
Craig Westcarr twice wasted a golden opportunities to double the lead.
But the visitors regrouped and levelled 17 minutes from time when Arquin converted Alan Sheehan’s cross with a bullet header at the back post.
Arquin netted with his head again in injury-time, only for an offside flag to intervene.
Saddlers boss Dean Smith said: “Credit to them for coming back, but we had enough chances to go 2-0 up.We could have been out of sight and that’s disappointing. “Once we scored, I thought we’d go on and win it comfortably because we created some really good opportunities and didn’t quite take them. With better finishing we’d have killed the game off.
“There are no bad teams in this league. It was always going to be a tough game and we never underestimated what Notts County would bring. But going 1-0 up at home – and with the chances we had afterwards – we should have won the game.” To comment on this match go to http://boards.footymad.net/