Swindon Town’s Carabao Cup adventure was ended by Walsall at the Poundland Bescot Stadium as the hosts scored twice in the last ten minutes to book their place in the second round.
A red card for Harrison Minturn proved the turning point in the game as Town more than matched their opponents for the majority of the tie, and referee Thomas Parsons was forced to consult his linesman before eventually awarding a spot kick to the hosts and sending the youngster off.
Substitute Danny Johnson converted the resulting spot kick before Timmy Abraham added the second just sixty seconds later.
Head Coach Scott Lindsey made nine changes to his starting eleven for the clash, with only Tyrese Shade and striker Tomi Adeloye chosen to feature from last weekend’s hard fought draw at home to Salford City.
Town’s bench included just three familiar faces, with goalkeeper Sol Brynn, forward Oscar Massey and Mo Dabre named among a host of Academy starlets.
In a first half that saw both sides enjoy spells of possession, the 2,800 strong crowd were made to wait until the tenth minute to see the games first clear chance, and it fell to Scott Lindsey’s side.
Adeloye used his power to battle his way past three Saddlers players before sliding the ball to Jonny Williams, who picked the right moment to slot Tyrese Shade in, but his powerful first time strike was acrobatically palmed over by Owen Evans.
Another 15-minutes went by before the next chance of the game was created as Tom Knowles played Timmy Abraham through on goal, but he was unable to generate any power on his angled shot and it sailed wide of Ward’s right hand post.
We then saw two quickfire chances for both sides just after the half hour mark, as a clever dummy by Abraham set Flynn Clarke free in the box, but he was unable to control the ball with the goal at his mercy.
Then at the other end, Tomi Adeloye forced a good save from Evans after cutting inside and striking low at the stoppers goal.
With just a couple of minutes remaining in the first period, Walsall created their clearest opportunity as Luke Bennett’s whipped cross was headed over from a yard out by Douglas James-Taylor.
Into the second period and it was The Saddlers who threatened first from the restart, as Bennett sent in another cross to the far post, only for Tom Knowles to head over the bar.
Jonny Williams’ time was up just past the hour mark as he was replaced by youngster Anton Dworzak, and a long range Jack Earing strike was the only chance sandwiched between two further Town subs, as Mo Dabre and Oscar Massey were introduced.
Then, on 78-minutes, the game would turn on it’s head, as Harrison Minturn clashed with Ronan Maher just inside the box, sending a roar around the Bescot from the home fans.
A couple of minutes passed before referee Parsons consulted his linesman and subsequently awarded a penalty and brandished a straight red card for Minturn.
Danny Johnson stepped up confidently to convert and give the hosts a lead they were able to double just a minute later, as the same player forced a good save from Lewis Ward in the box, but the Town stopper was unable to gather the ball and Timmy Abraham tapped home.
Town reshuffled the pack to manage the personnel deficit and limited Walsall to one further clear chance, as Ward got down low to save a powerful drive from Ronan Maher as stoppage time approached.
The final whistle went after eight minutes of added time and it’s Walsall who progress to the second round of the competition at the expense of Town.
We make the long trip to Carlisle United next as we turn our attentions back to League Two this coming Saturday, 3pm kick off.
MATCH FACTS:
Walsall Line-up:
1. Owen Evans (GK) – 30. Liam Bennett, 2. Hayden White (14. Brandon Comley 51mins), 6. Emmanuel Monthe, 5. Donervon Daniels ©, 23. Isaac Hutchinson, 17. Jack Earing, 20. Flynn Clarke (25. Ronan Maher 70mins), 10. Tom Knowles, 27. Timmy Abraham, 15. Douglas James-Taylor (39. Danny Johnson 61mins).
Subs not used: 31. Adam Przybek (GK) – 26. Peter Clarke, 8. Liam Kinsella, 11. Andy Williams.
Yellow Cards: None
Red Cards: None
Swindon Town Line-up:
12. Lewis Ward (GK) – 26. Cian Harries, 31. Harrison Minturn, 4. Tom Clayton, 10. Ronan Darcy, 32. George Cowmeadow (30. Mo Dabre 69mins), 28. Tyrese Shade, 17. Ricky Aguiar, 8. Jonny Williams (35. Anton Dworzak 62mins), 29. Harry Parsons, 9. Tomi Adeloye (14. Oscar Massey 76mins).
Subs not used: 1. Sol Brynn (GK) – 37. Harvey Fox, 38. Abu Kanu, 36. Sonny Hart.
Yellow Cards: 26. Harries 85mins, 10. Darcy 90+5mins, 9. Adeloye 81mins.
Red Cards: 31. Minturn 78mins.
Referee: Thomas Parsons
Assistant Referees: Kevin Morris and Steven Plane
Fourth Official: Aaron Jackson
Attendance: 2,889
