Match ends, Walsall 1, MK Dons 1.
WalsallWalsall1MK DonsMilton Keynes Dons1
Walsall old boy Will Grigg denied his former club victory with MK Dons' equaliser at the Banks's Stadium.
Walsall took an eighth-minute lead when Jordy Hiwula combined with Andy Taylor down the left for Tom Bradshaw to head his 16th goal of the season.
But the visitors levelled on 32 minutes when the on-rushing Grigg latched on to Dean Bowditch's low cross to tap home.
Walsall skipper Adam Chambers almost earned three points but was unlucky to see his header cleared off the line.
A week ahead of their Johnstone's Paint Trophy final against Bristol City, Walsall had fit-again midfielder Sam Mantom making his first start of the season.
Walsall manager Dean Smith told BBC Sport:
"Both teams tried to play the right way in tough conditions. We started well and took the lead with a really good goal from Tom Bradshaw.
"They are a good side and, as the first half went on, they got stronger. But, for much of the second period, I felt we were the better team. We created some decent chances and had one cleared off the line.
"There were plenty of positives to come out of the game. We were a little unfortunate not to win and now we look to take these into Tuesday night's clash with another top five team,Sheffield United."
MK Dons manager Karl Robinson told BBC Three Counties Radio:
"When you see that penalty for yourself you can see it's a really poor decision. To be fair to the referee, he said "If I got it wrong, I'm sorry.".
"But how many times have we heard that in the last month? There were elements of that game that I was really happy with. There were 10 minutes in the first half and second half where we were shaky and nervy but for the rest of the game we were really good.
"The players deserve a lot of credit because it's hard. It's really hard. We accept the criticism because we've done so well. We have lacked confidence recently, and to perform like that was a tick in the box towards the right direction."
Line-ups
Walsall
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1O'Donnell
- 2Purkiss
- 4O'Connor
- 6Downing
- 3Taylor
- 8Mantom
- 7ChambersBooked at 65mins
- 21CookSubstituted forMurphyat 88'minutes
- 10Sawyers
- 30Hiwula-MayifuilaSubstituted forFordeat 73'minutes
- 9Bradshaw
Substitutes
- 11Baxendale
- 13MacGillivray
- 15Chambers
- 17Flanagan
- 24Grimes
- 27Forde
- 29Murphy
MK Dons
Formation 4-4-2
- 1Martin
- 12Spence
- 5McFadzeanBooked at 73mins
- 6Kay
- 3Lewington
- 13Baker
- 8PotterBooked at 26mins
- 22Carruthers
- 9BowditchSubstituted forPowellat 69'minutes
- 11GriggSubstituted forColeat 89'minutes
- 10ReevesSubstituted forBakerat 77'minutes
Substitutes
- 2Hodson
- 7Green
- 17Powell
- 19Hitchcock
- 28Cole
- 29Burns
- 34Baker
- Referee:
- Seb Stockbridge
- Attendance:
- 3,887
Match Stats
Home TeamWalsallAway TeamMK Dons
- Possession
- Home49%
- Away51%
- Shots
- Home10
- Away10
- Shots on Target
- Home5
- Away4
- Corners
- Home6
- Away6
- Fouls
- Home8
- Away13
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Walsall 1, MK Dons 1.
Post update
Sam Mantom (Walsall) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Foul by Kyle McFadzean (MK Dons).
Post update
Corner, MK Dons. Conceded by Richard O'Donnell.
Substitution
Substitution, MK Dons. Devante Cole replaces William Grigg.
Substitution
Substitution, Walsall. Jordan Murphy replaces Jordan Cook.
Post update
Corner, Walsall. Conceded by David Martin.
Post update
Attempt saved. Sam Mantom (Walsall) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Post update
Attempt saved. Tom Bradshaw (Walsall) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Post update
Romaine Sawyers (Walsall) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Jordan Spence (MK Dons).
Post update
Attempt missed. Daniel Powell (MK Dons) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.
Post update
Attempt saved. Anthony Forde (Walsall) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Post update
Attempt saved. Lewis Baker (MK Dons) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Substitution
Substitution, MK Dons. Lewis Baker replaces Ben Reeves.
Post update
Attempt missed. Antony Kay (MK Dons) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
Post update
Corner, MK Dons. Conceded by Sam Mantom.
Post update
Samir Carruthers (MK Dons) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Adam Chambers (Walsall).
