Saddlers ride their luck in comeback

WALSALL boss Jon Whitney took a leaf out of legendary golfer Gary Player’s book after his soaring Saddlers needed a slice of fortune to see off the crumbling Cobblers.

Whitney’s side came from behind to move within four points of the play-offs but had to survive several goalmouth scrambles and a stoppage-time Northampton penalty miss to do so.

The Saddlers gaffer, paraphrasing a famous Player quote, smiled: “I think the harder you work the luckier you get.

“I think the lads, the way they have applied themselves this week – with an eight-hour round-trip on the bus to Millwall last Wednesday – deserve that bit of luck.

“Our back three were colossal and we always say: ‘Never be beaten’. Teams all over the pyramid, right the way up to the Premier League, when they go a goal behind, their heads go.

“But not us, we’ve got resilience.”

Walsall face a huge test of their top-six credentials with backto-back trips to high-flying Bolton and Scunthorpe. But Whitney said: “The pressure is on them.

“Teams are going to be wary of us now. I don’t think either of them will fancy playing Walsall at the moment.”

Walsall almost led on 13 minutes but defender Matt Preston’s shot on the turn from a corner hit the post from ten yards out.

A howler from Saddlers keeper Neil Etheridge then gifted Northampton the lead as he dropped a Matty Taylor free-kick and John Joe O’Toole pounced to fire home.

Walsall turned the game around in six second-half minutes as Preston poked home a corner and Erhun Oztumer rifled in his 11th goal of the season.

In between, Marc Richards headed a golden chance wide for the Cobblers before, at 2-1, Etheridge atoned for his earlier error with a stunning save from O’Toole’s bullet header.

Several goalmouth scrambles came and went before Richards was fouled in the box in stoppage time but ballooned his penalty over.

Justin Edinburgh’s side are five points off the bottom four after a fifth straight away defeat.

He said: “I’m bitterly disappointed we didn’t take anything from the game because a point was the least we deserved.

“I thought we were very good in the first half and got the goal.

“But, fair play to Walsall, they came at us. Marc’s apologised to the players for the penalty.”