REPORT | Walsall Wood 1-3 Quorn
Quorn responded to back-to-back defeats with a resounding triumph away from home. A first half blitz blew Walsall Wood away, as the Reds ran riot with three goals in the first 30 minutes. Tyree Wilson opened the scoring in the 8th minute, before Paddy Webb added his ninth brace of the season.
It was clear from the start that Quorn were the hungrier side, playing with tempo and ferocious energy, relentlessly pressing their hosts and forcing constant errors. It didn’t take the Reds long to capitalise as Ryan Beswick collected the ball in midfield and charged forward, playing a defence splitting pass that Wilson slotted past Dale Eve, into the bottom corner for an early advantage.
Webb added the second seven minutes later, as Wilson broke down the right and picked out Jack Samples in the box. The returning midfielder, making his first start in several months, drew several defenders and then laid the ball off to Webb, whose powerful effort from a tight angle found the far corner, despite Eve getting a hand to it.
The visitors were displaying total dominance at this stage of the match, piling forward at every opportunity, creating numerous chances as Wilson and Cain Noble went close to finding a third goal. Walsall had their first effort on goal as the half hour approached, but Charlie Woods was equal to the effort, pushing the shot on to the post.
Beswick and Wilson were involved in the third goal, the experienced midfielder, who played a starring role, set Wilson away on the wing, who found Webb unmarked in the middle to face Eve one-on-one. The Wood keeper got something on the shot, once again, but was unable to stop Webb scoring his 28th goal of the season.
There was almost a fourth before the break as Wilson had an effort cleared off the line. Webb picked up the loose ball and fired in another effort, but Eve gathered it before it crossed the line. Webb was in behind again, in first half stoppage time, but his effort hit the side-netting.
Quorn’s onslaught continued after the break as Webb’s headed effort was deflected wide. Noble forced another good save from Eve from the resulting corner. The same two did battle again on the hour mark as Noble’s determination saw him win possession on the edge of the box, but once again unable to beat Eve, who was single-handedly keeping the scoreline down.
Woods was occasionally called in to action, but was proving equal to the scant opportunities that the Wood were able to carve out. Quorn were immediately back on the front foot, as Webb was millimetres away from his first hat-trick of the season, his 63rd minute headed effort came back off the crossbar, and was cleared to relative safety.
The only blot, on an otherwise stellar night for Quorn, came in the 76th minute when some casual defending gifted Walsall possession on the edge of the box, and Charlie Manners smashed an excellent effort in for what proved to be a consolation goal.
Samples and Noble both had good efforts saved by Eve in the final fifteen minutes as Quorn continued to dominate possession. The frustration of being soundly beaten proved too much for Walsall Wood Captain Joshua Mansell, as a petulant shove on the excellent Reece Fyfe saw him booked with 10 minutes to play, and subsequently sent off in stoppage time for something he said to the Referee. Woods, who put on a masterclass between the sticks for the Reds, had one last save to make in stoppage time, to see out the win.
It was an outstanding performance from Quorn, probably their best of the season, as every single player played their part in thoroughly dominating their opponents on a night where the pressure was on. The victory lifted the Reds up to fifth in the league, leap-frogging Loughborough Dynamo for the final playoff place. There’s still of work to be done though, with two games remaining. Quorn could seal a playoff place in their final home game of the season on Saturday. Victory over Lye Town at Farley Way (3pm KO) would be enough if Loughborough fail to beat Corby Town.