Walsall 3 Tranmere 1 - match analysis and pictures

Three goals, the first of which came after less than two minutes, three points and most importantly a performance which hinted any pre-season optimism at the Banks's does not look misplaced. Even the sun shone.

Dean Smith's side were given the run-around by Villa less than 72 hours before the start of their League One campaign but here it was they who were the tormentors.

Tranmere simply couldn't find a solution to Walsall's powerful forward play.

The big question heading into the campaign was how the Saddlers would cope with the loss of three key forward players in Jamie Paterson, Will Grigg and Febian Brandy.

On this evidence, they're going to cope just fine and, what is more, their replacements may have been at the Banks's the whole time. While much of the focus will fall on to the performance of Craig Westcarr and Milan Lalkovic, the brilliance of Ashley Hemmings was something to admire.

The former Wolves man showed he has the ability to fill Paterson's boots with a non-stop showing which oozed class.

With James Baxendale on the other flank, Walsall stretched the visitors to breaking point at times, while Westcarr put in a superb display to bag two goals.

He also set up his strike partner for his first senior goal. Lalkovic, a summer arrival on loan from Chelsea, rarely gave the visiting defence a moment's peace with his energetic running. Smith even had the opportunity to give Romaine Sawyers game-time with the match won and he too looked impressive in his cameo.

It wasn't a perfect showing by any means. Andy Robinson's stunning free-kick five minutes before half-time after Westcarr and Lalkovic had set the Saddlers on their way brought the visitors back into the game.

At times in the second half the hosts struggled to find any rhythm but any doubt over the result was ended 20 minutes from time,when Westcarr added the third following a sublime move.

Tougher tests and far less brighter days than these will, of course, await and only fools make bold predictions based on the opening day of the season.

But so far, so good.

Smith opted to include Lalkovic ahead of fellow summer arrivals Sawyers and Troy Hewitt, with the only notable first-team news being the inclusion of Mal Benning at left-back in place of the injured Andy Taylor. Tranmere couldn't cope with the Saddlers movement in the opening half-hour and, but for keeper Owain Fon Williams, the game would have been over quickly.

As it was, he could do nothing about the opening goal which arrived with less than two minutes on the clock.

Hemmings won a corner on the left and while Andy Butler couldn't make much of his header from Baxendale's delivery, the ball ran to Adam Chambers who swept it back into the danger zone for Westcarr to sweep home a first-time finish.

With opposite number Richard O'Donnell probably wishing he'd brought his deckchair, Fon Williams found himself in the thick of the action, saving from Baxendale and twice from Sam Mantom.

But he stood no chance with Lalkovic's effort from the edge of the box as the Saddlers increased their lead. The Slovakian picked up the ball and though his exchange of passes with Westcarr was somewhat clumsy, there was nothing wrong with the finish as he drilled a first-time shot low past Fon Williams and into the bottom corner.

Though the Saddlers were still the brighter, the visitors finally began to exert some influence on proceedings and it took a spectacular effort to get them back into the game.

James Chambers' foul on Evan Horwood on the edge of the box was clumsy at best and duly punished by Robinson, who fired a pinpoint curling shot beyond O'Donnell and into the net.

Tranmere could even have gone in level pegging were it not for the reflexes of O'Donnell, who tipped a Ryan Lowe snapshot over the bar.

Compared to the first half, the second period appeared to begin at a snail's pace and it was near to the hour mark when Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro wasted an opening by slicing his shot wide of the near post after being set up by Rowe.

In the end it needed the move of the game to regain momentum and put the result beyond doubt.

Paul Downing began it deep in his own half and the ball passed the boots of several Saddlers before arriving at those of Westcarr. He raced into the Tranmere half before exchanging passes with Lalkovic, the latter sending through an excellent dinked ball for his strike partner to finish.

Former Albion midfielder Jason Koumas almost reduced the deficit in stoppage time but his free-kick clattered the bar, while Akpo Sodje saw claims for a spot-kick waved away after he was felled by Butler.

But, let's be clear, Saddlers deserved the points and the plaudits for a stunning start.

By Matt Maher