Alfreton Town 0-0 Walsall: non-league side earn FA Cup second-round replay after battling draw

Alfreton Town fought League Two Walsall to a stalemate to earn a FA Cup second-round replay at the Bescot Stadium next week.

The non-league side survived a contentious early refereeing decision as Ryan Stirk’s inswinging corner eluded goalkeeper George Willis to find the top corner, only for official Sam Allison to rule out the ‘goal’ for what seemed to be minimal contact on Willis by Walsall striker Freddie Draper.

Walsall went into the game, rearranged after an icy pitch forced a postponement six minutes before kick-off on Saturday, having lost three of their past four to slip towards the League Two relegation zone, and they failed to make their superior fitness and full-time status count.

Alfreton themselves have hit a rocky patch in their season, with no wins in their past four matches, but with the majority of the bumper 3,000 crowd behind them they gave a good account of themselves.

Willis was in the thick of it again a few minutes after his disallowed goal let-off, this time with a superb save as Draper burst clear and shot across him, aiming for the far corner.

Billy Heath’s Reds, however, matched them blow for blow as Donervon Daniels hooked the ball to safety at the far post after another dangerous Lund throw, and then defender Shaun Brisley stole forward to get on the end of Dwayne Wiley’s cross only to send it straight at Walsall goalkeeper Jackson Smith.

Willis was the home side’s hero again when Stirk met David Okagbue’s cross, the goalkeeper saving at point-blank range before his defence smuggled the ball to safety.

Walsall were expected to make their full-time conditioning tell as the game wore on, but they were wasteful as Isaac Hutchinson landed their best chance in the garden of a house behind the Alfreton goal, Willis produced another fine save to deny the same player, and defender Priestly Farquharson looped a lazy shot wide of the post.

It was increasingly Lund’s booming long throws that looked most likely to break the deadlock, but with the Walsall defence standing firm, the only real chance fell to Harry Perritt at the far post, with Smith getting his body in the way of the Alfreton man’s shot.