WALSALL reached the fourth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 2003 with a routine victory against a Barnsley team who seemed to have settled for a defeat from the kick-off last night.
Eight years ago, Barnsley were in the Premiership and about to celebrate a famous FA Cup fourth-round victory against Manchester United, but these days a Coca-Cola League One play-off place is the sum total of their ambitions.
The passage of time has not been much kinder to Paul Merson. The Walsall manager may have a 1993 FA Cup winners’ medal, but the former Arsenal forward has little to show for his efforts as a manager so far. His reign at the Bescott Stadium began with relegation to the third tier two years ago and little has gone right since.
Merson’s devotion to the Harry Redknapp school of management, however, may be about to buy him more time.Since the turn of the year, he has brought in five players on loan and it was Kevin James and Mads Timm, the forwards signed on loan from Nottingham Forest and Manchester United respectively, who were at the heart of their team’s best moves in the first half.
Nicky Colgan, the Barnsley goalkeeper, did well to block James’s right-foot shot after 19 minutes and Matt Carbon cleared off the line when James lobbed Colgan soon after.
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Timm created the breakthrough that Walsall deserved when he released Michael Leary with a clever pass midway through the second half. The midfield player, who is on loan from Luton Town, evaded Colgan’s challenge before scoring from a tight angle, and ten minutes later James added the second from close range.
WALSALL (4-4-2): A Oakes — C Pead, A Gerrard, I Roper (sub: C Westwood, 46min), D Fox — M Wright, M Leary, S Osborn (sub: M Standing, 46), I Demontagnac — K James, M Timm. Substitutes not used: M Kinsella, R Dario Larrosa, R Gilmartin.
BARNSLEY (4-4-2): N Colgan — B Hassell, P Reid, M Carbon, N Austin (sub: D Nardiello, 74) — C Shuker, R Kell (sub: J Burns, 68), B Howard, M Devaney (sub: M Richards, 78) — P Hayes, T Wright. Substitutes not used: S Flinders, S McPhail.
Referee: L Mason.