Southend 0-0 Walsall. Saturday, 25 February 2006. "Kevan Broadhurst's Barmy Army!" His appointment on Wednesday disillusioned many, but after 'talking the talk' and bringing glimmers of optimism to the strongest of doubters, hopes were cautiously high ahead of our daunting trip to League One leaders Southend. We returned with a point, a point to be proud of. The Saddlers set out their stall, performed courageously and deservedly earned a share of the spoils at Roots Hall. Andy Oakes likes Essex; he was magnificent against Colchester, and today was no different, pulling off a number of superb saves to keep The Shrimpers at bay. And to cap a wonderful afternoon, the teams around us were awfully kind – Swindon were spanked by a rejuvenated Forest, Yeovil surrendered to Blackpool and poor old Rotherham, facing further uncertainty about their future as each minute passes by, were trounced at home to Chesterfield! What a difference a manager makes... Walsall 0-2 Oldham. Saturday 18 February 2006. Two quick-fire strikes from Oldham front pair Luke Beckett and Paul Warne truly turned nightmares of a potential relegation scrap into a frightening reality. In a match that was tiresome viewing for both sets of supporters, it was hard to distinguish which team was staring League Two football in the face until the opener on 72 minutes.  | | Ben at Bescot Stadium |
Beckett, who seems to always get himself on the score sheet whenever he lines up against The Saddlers, nipped past an exposed Andy Oakes to register his eight goal of the campaign and spark wild celebrations amongst the away contingent. Then a rare panic clearance by Anthony Gerrard crashed off Warne and rebounded kindly into the back of the net to double the visitor’s advantage. The game was over in a flash. Chants of ‘Bonser out’ were heard from a disgruntled minority of supporters as Yorkshire referee Jonathan Moss blew the final whistle to put us out of our misery. There was one particular incident that brought a beaming smile to my face; an incident so bizarre, so inconceivably funny, that everyone inside Bescot will never forget what quite happened. Midway through a monotonous second half, the distinctive sound of guitar notes bellowed out over the stadium tannoy! Extraordinary stuff! Colchester 0-0 Walsall. Tuesday, 14 February 2006. With Colchester having recorded victories in their previous twelve fixtures at Layer Road, many pundits within the game would have tipped Phil Parkinson’s side to brush aside their manager-less opponents with ease; but as we all know, football’s a funny old game! Mick Halsall promised supporters that his men would be “positive without being silly” and kept to his word as we somewhat surprisingly dominated proceedings in the first half. The Saddlers were disciplined in defence, constructive in attack and were unfortunate not to be ahead at the break when Dean Keates struck the crossbar moments before the half-time whistle. Pablo Mills, on loan from Championship strugglers Derby until the end of the season, caught the eye of the adoring travelling faithful with another impressive display. Mills demonstrated his versatility by playing further up the park in an unfamiliar holding role, a few yards in front of our resolute back line. The hosts, who take on Premiership leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup this Saturday, improved immensely in the second half but failed to beat the outstanding Andy Oakes. We held on to earn a richly deserved point against one of the favourites for promotion in League One. I wonder whether Chris Nicholl was watching... Walsall 2-2 Scunthorpe. Saturday, 11 February 2006. Life after Paul Merson began with a spirited draw against fellow relegation candidates Scunthorpe United. Experienced winger Paul Devlin, Scottish front man Andrew Barrowman, defensive powerhouse Pablo Mills and the returning Dean Keates all made their Bescot bows in what was an entertaining contest between two teams looking to pull away from the lower reaches of the League One table. The Saddlers fought back twice courtesy of two wonderful goals from debutants Keates and Barrowman, caretaker boss Mick Halsall said: “I thought that we showed spirit and every player made a contribution." Although it was a home debut to forget for the generally ineffective Devlin who needlessly got himself sent off, and rightly so, for a deliberate elbow on Iron defender Steve Foster. We make the long trip to promotion-hungry Colchester on Tuesday night; let's hope we fall in love with the result... | 
