- Date:15 Oct 2011
- Kick-off:15:00:00
- Venue:Banks's Stadium
- Alex Nicholls (9:59)
Live Commentary
- 93mins
Danny Mayor takes a inswinging corner to the near post.
- 92mins
Claude Gnakpa replaces Kevan Hurst.
- 91mins
Foul by Andy Butler on Clarke Carlisle, free kick awarded. Free kick taken by Paul Coutts.
- 87mins
Anton Peterlin fouled by Barry Nicholson, the ref awards a free kick. Barry Nicholson is cautioned. Jimmy Walker restarts play with the free kick.
- 87mins
Corner taken by Paul Parry played to the near post, Andy Butler makes a clearance.
- 86mins
Unfair challenge on Brian McLean by Anton Peterlin results in a free kick. Keammar Daley takes the free kick.
- 85mins
Brian McLean challenges Anton Peterlin unfairly and gives away a free kick. Anton Peterlin restarts play with the free kick.
- 84mins
Effort on goal by Jamie Proctor from long range goes over the crossbar.
- 83mins
Adam Chambers takes a shot. Save by Iain Turner.
- 81mins
Clarke Carlisle gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Andy Butler. Jimmy Walker takes the free kick.
- 80mins
Keammar Daley takes a shot. Save by Jimmy Walker.
- 80mins
The assistant referee signals for offside against Alex Nicholls. Iain Turner takes the free kick.
- 79mins
Jamie Proctor challenges Mat Sadler unfairly and gives away a free kick. Andy Butler restarts play with the free kick.
- 79mins
Anton Peterlin crosses the ball, Clarke Carlisle manages to make a clearance.
- 77mins
Conor McLaughlin sends in a cross, clearance made by Emmanuele Smith.
- 76mins
Corner taken by Kevan Hurst, clearance made by Conor McLaughlin.
- 30mins
David Martin goes into the referee's book.
- 73mins
The ball is crossed by Kevan Hurst, clearance by Clarke Carlisle.
- 71mins
Free kick awarded for a foul by Darryl Westlake on Barry Nicholson. Will Grigg goes off and Richard Taundry comes on. David Gray on for Graham Alexander. Barry Nicholson takes the direct free kick.
- 70mins
Paul Coutts fouled by David Martin, the ref awards a free kick. David Martin receives a red card. Graham Alexander takes the direct free kick.
- 67mins
Corner taken right-footed by Kevan Hurst to the near post, clearance made by Graham Alexander.
- 66mins
Kevan Hurst takes a shot. Paul Parry gets a block in.
- 65mins
Short corner taken by Kevan Hurst from the left by-line.
- 64mins
Foul by Alex Nicholls on Graham Alexander, free kick awarded. Indirect free kick taken by Iain Turner.
- 63mins
Keammar Daley sends in a cross, clearance made by Andy Butler.
- 62mins
Shot from outside the area by Jamie Proctor misses to the left of the target.
- 61mins
The assistant referee flags for offside against Paul Parry. Indirect free kick taken by Jimmy Walker.
- 61mins
A cross is delivered by Paul Parry, Emmanuele Smith makes a clearance.
- 59mins
Inswinging corner taken by Paul Parry, Mat Sadler manages to make a clearance.
- 58mins
Barry Nicholson decides to take the corner short.
- 57mins
The ball is swung over by David Martin, clearance made by Clarke Carlisle.
- 56mins
Will Grigg fouled by Graham Alexander, the ref awards a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Jimmy Walker.
- 55mins
Alex Nicholls is flagged offside by the assistant referee. Direct free kick taken by Iain Turner.
- 55mins
David Martin challenges Conor McLaughlin unfairly and gives away a free kick. Graham Alexander restarts play with the free kick.
- 54mins
Alex Nicholls is ruled offside. Free kick taken by Conor McLaughlin.
- 54mins
Keammar Daley crosses the ball, save made by Jimmy Walker.
- 51mins
Alex Nicholls produces a left-footed shot from just outside the area that goes harmlessly over the target.
- 50mins
Jamie Proctor is ruled offside. Jimmy Walker takes the free kick.
- 50mins
Inswinging corner taken by Paul Parry, Darryl Westlake manages to make a clearance.
- 50mins
Keammar Daley sends in a cross, Andy Butler manages to make a clearance.
- 47mins
The referee blows for offside against Jamie Proctor. Jimmy Walker restarts play with the free kick.
- 47mins
Danny Mayor takes a shot. Andy Butler gets a block in.
- 46mins
The ball is crossed by Darryl Westlake, Paul Parry makes a clearance.
- 46mins
A cross is delivered by Adam Chambers, clearance by Clarke Carlisle.
- 45mins
Adam Chambers sends in a cross, Brian McLean manages to make a clearance.
- 45mins
Ian Ashbee leaves the field to be replaced by Danny Mayor.
- 45mins
Keammar Daley replaces Neil Mellor.
- 47mins
Foul by Alex Nicholls on Conor McLaughlin, free kick awarded. Free kick taken by Iain Turner.
- 43mins
Adam Chambers challenges Neil Mellor unfairly and gives away a free kick. Booking for Adam Chambers. Graham Alexander takes the free kick.
- 43mins
Inswinging corner taken right-footed by Kevan Hurst played to the near post, Graham Alexander manages to make a clearance.
- 42mins
Mat Sadler receives a caution.
- 41mins
The ball is sent over by Kevan Hurst, clearance made by Conor McLaughlin.
- 41mins
Centre by Jamie Proctor, clearance made by Andy Butler.
- 39mins
Clarke Carlisle sends in a cross.
- 38mins
Short corner worked by Paul Parry.
- 37mins
Neil Mellor produces a cross, Emmanuele Smith makes a clearance.
- 35mins
Andy Butler fouled by Neil Mellor, the ref awards a free kick. Jimmy Walker restarts play with the free kick.
- 34mins
Shot by Kevan Hurst from deep inside the penalty area misses to the left of the goal.
- 34mins
Anton Peterlin produces a left-footed shot from deep inside the area which goes wide of the left-hand post.
- 33mins
Inswinging corner taken by Kevan Hurst from the left by-line played to the near post, Iain Turner makes a save.
- 32mins
The ball is sent over by Darryl Westlake, clearance by Conor McLaughlin.
- 30mins
Centre by Barry Nicholson, clearance by Andy Butler.
- 29mins
Kevan Hurst gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Paul Parry. Direct free kick taken by Iain Turner.
- 29mins
The ball is crossed by Paul Coutts, Neil Mellor produces a header from inside the six-yard box that clears the bar.
- 25mins
The referee blows for offside against Neil Mellor. Indirect free kick taken by Andy Butler.
- 23mins
The ball is crossed by Paul Parry, clearance made by Andy Butler.
- 22mins
A cross is delivered by Jamie Proctor, Header from deep inside the area by Neil Mellor goes over the bar.
- 19mins
Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Andy Butler by Jamie Proctor. Andy Butler takes the free kick.
- 18mins
Kevan Hurst decides to take the corner short. Darryl Westlake crosses the ball, Brian McLean makes a clearance.
- 17mins
Jamie Proctor challenges Andy Butler unfairly and gives away a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Andy Butler.
- 16mins
The ball is sent over by Darryl Westlake, blocked by Barry Nicholson.
- 16mins
Jamie Proctor challenges Emmanuele Smith unfairly and gives away a free kick. Andy Butler takes the direct free kick.
- 15mins
The official flags Alex Nicholls offside. Free kick taken by Clarke Carlisle.
- 13mins
Paul Parry is ruled offside. Jimmy Walker restarts play with the free kick.
- 13mins
Barry Nicholson takes the inswinging corner, clearance by Emmanuele Smith.
- 12mins
Adam Chambers challenges Barry Nicholson unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick taken by Graham Alexander.
- 12mins
Will Grigg crosses the ball, Clarke Carlisle manages to make a clearance.
- 9mins
Alex Nicholls scores a goal from inside the box to the top left corner of the goal. Walsall 1-0 Preston.The offside flag is raised against Jamie Proctor. Direct free kick taken by Jimmy Walker. The assist for the goal came from Kevan Hurst.
- 7mins
Alex Nicholls takes a shot. Clarke Carlisle gets a block in.
- 4mins
The ball is delivered by Darryl Westlake, save by Iain Turner.
- 3mins
Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on David Martin by Conor McLaughlin. Emmanuele Smith takes the direct free kick.
- 3mins
Ian Ashbee crosses the ball, Andy Butler makes a clearance.
- 2mins
Free kick awarded for a foul by Kevan Hurst on Paul Parry. Free kick taken by Barry Nicholson.
- 2mins
Paul Parry produces a cross, Darryl Westlake gets a block in.
The ball is sent over by Darryl Westlake, save by Iain Turner.
Match Preview
Macken missing for Saddlers Jon Macken's hamstring injury will keep him sidelined for the visit of former employers Preston as Walsall aim to end their eight-match winless run. The veteran striker has missed the Saddlers' last three games with the problem and will again have to watch from the stands against North End, whom he represented for five years between 1997 and 2002 before earning a big-money move to Manchester City. Macken remains the only absentee for manager Dean Smith, who continues to search for the right formula to end Walsall's current struggles. Forward Alex Nicholls is pushing for a starting berth having come off the bench to bag the equaliser in last weekend's 1-1 draw at Wycombe. The Saddlers go into the game having not won a league match on home soil since the opening day of the season, while high-flying Preston's seven-game winning run ended last weekend as they suffered a shock 2-1 defeat away to then bottom club Leyton Orient. Iain Turner could return for Preston. The 27-year-old goalkeeper has been out of action since North End's 4-3 win over Yeovil in early September with a toe injury but he has returned to training and manager Phil Brown must now decide whether to recall him or stick with Andreas Arestidou. Iain Hume, Conor McLaughlin and Adam Barton have all been on international duty - which saw last week's League One clash with Sheffield United postponed - and they will be assessed for injury. Striker Hume suffered a hamstring problem which saw him withdrawn after 34 minutes of Canada's 0-0 draw with Puerto Rico on Tuesday, and with a lengthy return flight back to the UK, Brown may be cautious about risking the former Barnsley forward. North End will take to the field aiming to get back to winning ways after a seven-game victory spree ended in defeat at Leyton Orient a fortnight ago.
Walsall
Preston
- Jimmy Walker
- Darryl Westlake
- Andy Butler
- Emmanuele Smith
- Mat Sadler
- Kevan Hurst
- Anton Peterlin
- Adam Chambers
- David Martin
- Alex Nicholls
- Will Grigg
- SUBS
- Oliver Lancashire
- Ryan Jarvis
- Richard Taundry
- Jamie Paterson
- Claude Gnakpa
Home
Away
- Iain Turner
- Conor McLaughlin
- Clarke Carlisle
- Brian McLean
- Paul Parry
- Graham Alexander
- Barry Nicholson
- Ian Ashbee
- Paul Coutts
- Neil Mellor
- Jamie Proctor
- SUBS
- Andreas Arestidou
- David Gray
- Steven Smith
- Danny Mayor
- Keammar Daley
Match Report
Saddlers stun Preston to end winless streak Ten-man Walsall pulled off a shock win over promotion hopefuls Preston thanks to a terrific first-half goal from Alex Nicholls at the Banks's Stadium. It was their first victory in eight league games and looked unlikely when on-loan Derby winger Dave Martin was sent off in the 70th minute for a second bookable offence. But despite desperate Preston pressure late on, the Saddlers hung on bravely to clinch all three points while Preston - after winning seven games on the bounce - fell to their second successive league defeat. Walsall raced ahead in the 11th minute after starting brightly, Kevin Hurst crossing low to Nicholls, who held off a challenge from Connor McLaughlin before lashing a right-footed drive high into the net from the edge of the box. Preston tried hard to get back in the game but Neil Mellor headed over from Jamie Proctor's cross after 23 minutes, then did the same from a Paul Coots centre. Mellor had to go off just before half-time following a tackle from Saddlers midfielder Adam Chambers who was booked. Walsall almost added to their lead when Hurst saw his 66th-minute drive cleared off the line by Barry Nicholson.
