00:00Sadlers fans, welcome to ExpressTheStar.com, my name is Jonny Dre, I'm here with George
00:11Bennett. After a season has ended in heartbreak today for the Sadlers 1-0 loss to AFC Rimbledon
00:19in the play-off final. George, the game isn't one that's going to go down in the memory,
00:23Sadlers fans, I want to forget this pretty quickly, but call it what you want, anti-climatic,
00:28you know, also just didn't turn up today, did they? No, they didn't, I think that's the
00:32best way to summarise it, really. We looked at each other a number of times and said it
00:37just doesn't feel like they're going to swap, and I know there were a couple of chances,
00:42you know, Matt had that finish cleared off the line after some really good work by Nathan
00:48Simway, obviously Levi Manchi, I mean, you know, way from goal and it was far too tight. Great
00:54opportunity, squandered, and I guess the other one was David Akagwai, but I mean, yeah,
00:59David Akagwai's chance would really be regarded as much as the first half. Yeah, it's not even
01:06the fact that, I mean, the first half, you're not looking at, well, we didn't get a shot at
01:10the target, but you know, I think the 10th particular, that tells a story, I mean, it
01:14rumbled it on to them, just too passive, I mean, you know, it talks about him being disciplined,
01:20doubt and possession, and they were offering nothing on the ball, and I think that had come
01:23back as hard as well, yeah. Yeah, it certainly did haunt them, you know, there was nothing in
01:27that first half, you know, a goal kind of added nothing, poor closing down from also,
01:31probably got it funny. It's the most disappointing thing today, George, is that Walsall had the two best
01:36chances of the game, with Jamil Matt off the line, and Levi Manchi there at the far end,
01:41you know, when they go away and ready to their side today, is that the most disappointing thing,
01:46that, you know, they haven't had to, I'm not saying they haven't had to do a lot, you know,
01:49they've come to a final today, they've held out well in that second half, haven't they, but,
01:53there wasn't a stark difference between the two sides, but one side's going out happy today,
01:58the other one's going out happy today. It was hardly a dominant display, but, I mean,
02:01they did what was needed, to the goal well, I thought it applied, but again, you know,
02:07you look at the defending from the 7th East, I mean, defending the 7th East is something
02:12we've also had several wins this season, a lot of the time in the long throw in particular,
02:16and we had a conversation not so long ago on the pod about how many times will they leave
02:22a spare man on the edge of the pod completely apart. I mean, you know, firstly, to get to that ball
02:28the lolly that was blocked, left unmarked and then for him to pick up and run onto that second ball
02:34and score, really disappointing there. And, yeah, I just feel like the nerds got to a lot of them,
02:41maybe inexperience showed, you know, I don't really want to highlight players too much,
02:46but, you know, it was a rough afternoon for someone like David Kabue,
02:51he just kind of spoke about that too. Yeah.
02:53Oscar McKenney had a difficult afternoon after what was a difficult task having to replace Williams,
02:58and that felt like a big moment, losing Williams.
03:01Defensively, you know, Walsall had stayed relatively solid,
03:05and I think that was a big miss to lose him, being one of Walsall's stand-up players this season.
03:09But, yeah, just, you know, all well, frustrating, disappointing.
03:13But the damage had been done a long time ago, you know, we're looking at this now, and...
03:18It shouldn't have got to this, should it really?
03:19It's a strange one though, because if Sadler Windruss, he is still deemed a hero.
03:24Yes, there are going to be the reservations, and if Walsall had won the playoffs today,
03:28it would have come with the caveat of, I mean, we'll look at the second half of the season.
03:32But, he is still a playoffs winner.
03:34But, you lose that game, and I mean, the pressure's on now.
03:38Erm, is it quite make or break, I guess, a reaction,
03:43sort of, over the coming days and weeks,
03:46we'll realise just how impactful this will feel likely.
03:50You've been down to speak to him, I know you've spoke to a couple of players,
03:53Sadler's fans can see it, you know, the next few hours and the next few days,
03:56but some interesting, kind of, stark words on the January transfer window,
04:02when you reflected on, you know, what's gone wrong in the last few months.
04:05Yeah, well, I mean, in the pre-match press conference, he talked about, you know,
04:10losing George Hall, Jack Earing to it, Jack Earing to injury,
04:14and obviously, Nathan Lowe being the most notable one.
04:18And, you know, they struggled to replace him, didn't replace him.
04:22He said, you know, at first, they kind of added the first half of the transfer window,
04:25the difficulty of strikers not wanting to join the club,
04:28because they thought they were struggling to get him, because Nathan Lowe wasn't playing so well.
04:33And then it was a case of having too many options.
04:36I mean, you know, I don't know, January clearly was a sticking point for Walsall, really.
04:42I mean, you know, we've spoken about the Loneys, and Alfie Chan came good eventually.
04:47But, I mean, we're having to kind of wait an eternity to see him in Walsall colours.
04:52Obviously, it's not Darius Lipsick, hasn't even been in a match for his squad.
04:56Ellis Harrison's tailed off since his injury towards the end of the season.
04:59Levi Amanchi, I mean, you know, whether he comes good or not,
05:03it wasn't going to be one that gave him an immediate impact,
05:06and he's at his moments.
05:08So, yeah, you know, January was this one, even really, you know, struggle for minutes,
05:13not quite worked out in that respect.
05:15In terms of the contracts, again, you know, you said some will stay, some won't.
05:21I mean, that's something we'll learn again over the coming days,
05:25just what sort of job, either Matt Sadler or however,
05:28whatever direction the club decided to go in,
05:30but how much of a job Matt Sadler has on his hands in terms of what happens next?
05:36Yeah, it certainly does.
05:38The disappointment of today will sting for a little while,
05:40but it will soon be moving on and a potential rebuild.
05:43And I know some fans will be questioning Sadler's future,
05:45but it's one to watch out for the coming days and weeks.
05:49So, George, fan of Scoria, 1-0 to Wimbledon, a disappointed end.
05:53But as a Walsall fan said to me, actually, I'd go again next season.
05:57For our Scoria coverage, head over to expressionstar.com.
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