Carlisle 2 Walsall 1

Feb 4 2008 By Brian Halford, Birmingham Mail

WALSALL fans who did not travel to Cumbria no doubt noted that their team's long unbeaten run ended in the first match after the sale of Scott Dann.

But the absence of Dann, who joined Coventry on transfer deadline day, was not the reason for this defeat.

Yes, if the 20-year-old had stayed, Carlisle's winning goal, from an unmarked close-range header 15 minutes from time, would probably not have happened.

But Walsall should have been out of sight by then.

That 17-game unbeaten league run perished because they squandered a string of excellent chances.

Carlisle, who had won their previous eight home games, were unpicked time and again with Lee Holmes in mesmerising form on the left wing and Tommy Mooney playing a lone role up front to perfection.

A win, taking the Saddlers clear third in League One, was there for the taking. But they lacked that killer instinct Ð most of all in the game's third quarter when three golden chances were spurned.

The teams were level at half-time after Holmes' first goal for Walsall, a smart far-post turn and shot, was cancelled out by a controversial penalty.

Marc Bridge-Wilkinson's ferocious shot struck Paul Boertien on the arm but the former Carlisle defender was turning away. Referee Eddie Ilderton was harsh to deem it deliberate handball but 'Bridge-Wilko' took full advantage.

Walsall were unperturbed and, not for the first time away from home this season, they emerged from the break with a fusillade of fast, fluent football.

Chances came Ð and, sadly, went. From Mooney's knock-down, Eddie Sonko blazed over the bar. A brilliant run and cross by Holmes teed up Kevin Betsy but the debutant headed wide.

Then, the most agonising miss. Mooney's chip released Betsy whose pull-back cut the goalkeeper out of the game. Troy Deeney just had to miss defender Peter Murphy on the line. He hit him.

Heavy punishment followed when Carlisle finally mounted their first attack of the half, on 75 minutes.

Bridge-Wilkinson's cross found substitute Danny Graham in space as Walsall's central defenders got too close together. Even then, Graham's header was the sort which Clayton Ince would save 97 times out of 100.

This was one of the three, however, as the ball slithered underneath him to trigger Walsall's first league defeat since October 20.

s=6f=XFrutiger-Roman CARLISLE (4-4-2): Westwood; Arnison, Livesey, Murphy Horwood; Taylor (Graham, 67), Bridge-Wilkinson, Lumsdon, Hackney; Dobie (Carlton, 86), Garner. Not used: Howarth, Raven, Joyce.

WALSALL (4-5-1): Ince 5; Weston 7, Gerrard 7, Roper 7, Boertien 7; Betsy 6 (McDermott, 83), Sonko 7, Bradley 6 (Taundry 24, 7), Wrack 5 (Deeney 54, 7), HOLMES 9; Mooney 7. Not used: Bossu, Demontagnac.

Referee: E Ilderton (Tyne and Wear).