Mat Sadler proud of how Walsall battled with 10 men

Mat Sadler was proud of his Walsall team for the way they reacted to going a man down in their 2-2 League Two draw at Grimsby.

Priestley Farquharson had given the Saddlers what their head coach felt was a deserved lead in the first half at Blundell Park, before a straight red card for goalkeeper Myles Roberts in injury time before the break changed the course of the contest.

An Andy Cook brace flipped the game in the hosts’ favour past the hour mark, but Aaron Pressley quickly fired back for Walsall to level the scores again, with the visitors standing firm from that point to secure the draw.

Sadler said: “Before the sending off, I felt there was only one team in the game, and that was us.

“We moved it well on a tough pitch and got into good areas in the first half, which deservedly brought us the first goal.

“The team showed who they are [after the red] in that they fight for each other and believe in each other to do their jobs.

“We grafted hard and threw bodies on the line when needed. Sam [Hornby] made an incredible save soon after we got back level, and we held on well from that point.

“I’m pleased for everyone to show the togetherness we have in the group to get something from this game, considering the circumstances.

“I think we would’ve gone on to win the game [without the red] given the way we were playing, so from that perspective it’s disappointing, but ultimately I’m proud of what the team showed.”

For Grimsby, there was a sense of frustration at not winning the game, despite extending their unbeaten run, given that they had the numerical advantage for the entire second half.

Mariners boss David Artell said: “They were the better team for the first 30 minutes, so we got some instructions onto the pitch, and we were better after that.

“That led to the red card, which obviously helped us, and then we were good in the second half, considering the state of the pitch, which makes it very tricky to play on.

“The ground staff deserve massive credit for getting the game on, given the week we’ve had, but we’ve got to learn to play on it and throwing in a stiff breeze makes it even more challenging.

“We gave away a soft goal to go behind, and then we repeated that from another set-piece for their second, which is really frustrating because we limited them to very little from open play.

“We’ve only come away with a point because we haven’t defended two corners, but one is a foul on Jacko [Jackson Smith] and the other isn’t even a corner.”