CITY 1 WALSALL 1

THE commentator was in no doubt as he raved about City’s dominant Valley Parade display.

“Walsall are taking a real beating today” he purred as the goals kept flying in for the unstoppable home side.

Unfortunately, the game in question was from 2016 and being broadcast on the big screen before kick-off.

Having been out for a butcher’s at the immaculate City playing surface, a few of the Walsall players hung around to look up and watch the highlights from the meeting between the two sides five years earlier.

Maybe the roots of their defensive resolve that would follow, holding out for the entire second half despite being a man down, could be traced to catching that glimpse of a previous Saddlers team folding at the first sign of trouble.

James Hanson had destroyed Walsall that day with a first senior hat-trick. The present City certainly had the chances to emulate that goal rush.

Derek Adams might have been stretching it a tad to claim they should have scored anything up to seven or eight.

But with the big chances that went begging, this was a huge opportunity wasted to maintain their push towards the League Two summit.

The first half, especially, was a joy to watch at times with the fluent, fast-passing play pulling Walsall all over and threatening to run riot.

A cracking goal in keeping with the quality and attacking intent should have paved the way for a handsome home win.

Joss Labadie’s reckless follow-through into Gareth Evans’ right shin within a minute of Walsall’s unexpected equaliser should have eased the concerns at being pegged back out of nothing.

But City’s performance after the break could not find the same heights against 10 immovable men in green who dug in to protect what they had.

Openings still came and went but there was not enough composure in the areas where it really mattered.

City may have controlled the bulk of the game and dominated all the stats – bar fouls - but you could also argue that Walsall were worthy of their share for pure belligerence.

“From 10 minutes in, there was only one team that looked like they were going to win it,” said Adams.

“We’ve created so many good opportunities, you’re not going to score every goal but we’re still one of the highest scorers in the league.

“But that’s life, you’ve got to take your chances.”

It’s a popular football cliché that it is never easy playing against 10 men. But it has often proved the case, especially when the depleted side don’t have to chase the game.

The insurance of Jack Earing’s first senior goal barely 60 seconds before their skipper Labadie dived in dangerously on Evans provided Walsall with the incentive to battle on.

They could sit deeper and deeper and finish the game with an extra centre half and nobody up front.

Not that one-time City loanee George Miller had done anything to suggest he would ruffle any feathers at the ground he called home in the best-forgotten relegation season.

But then Walsall themselves, after a bright first 10 minutes, had not demonstrated any real inclination to commit men forward.

Their goal was smartly set up by Brendan Kiernan but City sat off and gave the winger too much space to pick out Earing.

That was really the sum of their efforts in City’s box – most of the afternoon’s action centred on their own.

Viewing the fluffed chances again on the highlights programme showed how Walsall had been let off the hook.

Charles Vernam was one of City’s liveliest players once again, always looking for the ball to take on the defenders.

But he will be haunted by the skewed header wide that should have doubled the advantage given them by Elliot Watt’s wonder strike.

City had already conjured up three decent openings before the midfielder’s 15th-minute thunderbolt as Vernam’s cross from a short corner was half-cleared into his path.

Only one thing was on his mind as the ball sat up invitingly on the edge of the D and an emphatic thud of his weaker left foot sent it rushing beyond keeper Carl Rushworth.

The promotion songs broke out in the north-west corner as Valley Parade bounced merrily in anticipation of a goal feast.

Then came the pivotal miss.

More free-flowing, incisive play carved Walsall open as Callum Cooke’s cross sought the unmarked Vernam in front of goal.

Six yards out with the net at his mercy … and Vernam pinged his header wide to the right.

The winger held the offending part of the body in his hands in disbelief; his feelings matched by everyone in the stadium.

We have all watched football long enough to spot a potential turning point as a relieved Rushworth composed himself to take the goal kick.

Inevitably, 2-0 became 1-1 three minutes before half-time.

Kiernan, who was part of the winning Harrogate side against City in April, teased Oscar Threlkeld and Watt before whipping in a low ball that Earing flicked past the two centre halves to convert.

But City were then given a helping hand off the floor when ref Ben Toner red-carded Labadie.

Evans had been preferred to Yann Songo’o and Levi Sutton, who did not even make the bench, in City’s centre midfield and his performance had justified his manager’s confidence.

An acrobatic early effort was tipped over the bar and he had used the ball intelligently to keep the team ticking.

But then he came off second best in a challenge with the Walsall captain, whose lunge initially got to the ball first but the momentum took his foot through into Evans’ shin.

Down in numbers for the entire second half, the punishment seemed to galvanise Matt Taylor’s visitors.

Central defenders Manny Monthe and Rollin Menayese, especially, won most things chucked at them in the air from that point.

Andy Cook had enthusiastically celebrated City’s opener towards the 400-strong away contingent intent on giving their old boy some stick.

But he could not find the goal he usually gets against former clubs, although one blast rustling the side-netting had some in the main stand off their seats prematurely.

Another header flew over before Rushworth pulled off a point-blank block from Ollie Crankshaw after he had been played in by fellow sub Caolan Lavery.

And there was no dream start for Theo Robinson, thrown on for the final 10 minutes as Adams went all in with three strikers. He skied a chance that fell his way on the edge of the box.

Frustration seeped from every pore at the final whistle. What should have been another “real beating” had gone to waste.