Walsall 1 Barrow 0: Saddlers stretch their lead at the top to four points

Taylor Allen scored the decisive goal when his low drive from 20 yards out deflected into the far bottom corner. 

Mat Sadler's men registered their third win on the spin in League Two and extended their league unbeaten run to 10 games. 

Walsall had never beaten Barrow at Bescot prior to kick-off but were looking to extend their best unbeaten run in the league since 2013 to 10 matches. 

Sadler made one change from Walsall's 1-0 win over Port Vale last weekend as Jack Earing replaced George Hall who was not involved in the squad. 

Jamie Jellis also started on the bench after missing the past three matches with a calf injury. 

After a scrappy contest in the opening exchanges, Walsall improved midway into the first period. 

Jamille Matt cushioned down Taylor Allen's diagonal ball and drew a low save from Paul Farman before Liam Gordon drove inside to unleash a powerful shot wide from distance with his weaker foot. 

The opener arrived just before the half-hour mark when Allen scored his fifth goal of the season. 

Barrow were unable to clear their lines and Ryan Stirk spotted Allen unmarked just outside the box. Allen took aim from distance and his low effort deflected beyond the reach of Farman and into the far bottom corner. 

Tommy Simkin produced an important save before the break as he sprawled to his right to repel Emile Acquah's half volley with a strong right glove. 

Jamille Matt received his fifth booking of the season eight minutes after the restart and will serve a one-match suspension at Harrogate next week. 

Ryan Stirk also had to be replaced by Jellis shortly after when he went down with an injury. 

Lakin dropped slightly deeper and created a great chance for Nathan Lowe with a high looping ball over the top. Lowe raced down the left and into the penalty area but fired his finish into the side netting from an acute angle. 

Jellis almost doubled Walsall's advantage when he latched on to David Okagbue's inviting long ball into the right channel but Farman emerged to deny him on the half volley.

Simkin preserved his eighth league clean sheet of the campaign after back pedalling to tip Robbie Gotts' looping header over the crossbar.

Next, Walsall travel to Wetherby Road to face Harrogate Town in League Two next Saturday before welcoming Doncaster Rovers to Bescot on Boxing Day.

Teams

Walsall (3-1-4-2): Simkin; Okagbue, Williams, Allen; Stirk (Jellis 56); Barrett, Earing (Adomah 82), Lakin, Gordon; Matt (McEntee 82), Lowe.

Unused: Hornby, Daniels, Weir, Johnson.

Barrow (3-5-2): Farman; Vassell, Canavan, Tiensia; Feeley (Newby 72), Gotts (Mahoney 81), Campbell, Spence, Jackson; Acquah (Dallas 72), Garner (Kirk 62).

Unused: Stanway, Stokes.

Referee: Andrew Humphries 

Attendance: 5,109 (173)