Walsall 1 Chesterfield 0 - Report and pictures

Scott Laird’s fourth goal of the season was enough to earn Jon Whitney’s side a much deserved three points in a match they dominated from the off.

The last time the Saddlers won six straight games on home turf came back in the 2006/07 season when they were promoted under Richard Money.

But they comfortably swept aside the relegation threatened Spireites to move up to eighth in League One.

Analysis

In naming his starting line-up, boss Whitney kept faith with the team that secured victory over Oldham on Saturday.

It meant Scott Laird retained his place at centre-back with Matt Preston having to make do with a place amongst the substitutes after recovering from a back problem.

Up front Erhun Oztumer was named in the number 10 role just behind Simeon Jackson in Walsall’s favoured 3-5-1-1 formation.

Chesterfield lined up in a similar 3-5-2 system with ex-Wolves striker Sylvan Ebanks-Blake partnering Kristian Dennis up front.

The Spireites entered the clash having secured a first win in eight attempts under the management of Gary Caldwell at Swindon on Saturday.

At a quiet Banks’s Stadium, it was Whitney’s men who started on the front foot with the Saddlers enjoying long spells of possession and doing well to win the ball back quickly whenever they lost it.

But as the clock ticked past the 20 minute mark, neither side had created a chance of note with the visitor’s content to sit back and try hit Walsall on the counter.

That all changed midway through the half though when Whitney’s men came a whisker away from breaking the deadlock.

A rasping Kieron Morris drive from 25-yards cannoned off Ian Evatt with the deflection falling kindly for Isaiah Osbourne who looked to be in on goal.

But Spireites keeper Thorsten Stuckmann bravely threw himself at the midfielder’s feet to keep the scores level.

Walsall had dominated possession but Chesterfield showed they still carried a threat on the half-hour when Dennis turned on the edge of the box before firing straight at Neil Etheridge.

It was the Saddlers though who were on top and they came close again when Morris brilliantly danced past his man before curling a strike which Stuckmann kept out with a fine one-handed stop.

Undeterred, Whitney’s men continued to press and they should have taken the lead just before half-time when Osbourne did brilliantly to steal possession and drive at goal before slipping in Jackson.

The Canadian international burst into the box and looked to arrow a low drive past Stuckmann but the German keeper again got down well to push the ball away.

Just minutes later Walsall were at it again with Jackson and Jason McCarthy combining well in the box before the Southampton loanee flashed a cross-come-shot along the six-yard box.

And that miss meant Walsall made their way off at the break having been the better side but with Whitney’s men unable to breakthrough a resolute Spireites defence.

The second half continued in a similar vain to the first with the game appearing like an attack versus defence exercise as the Saddlers camped deep in Chesterfield territory.

And the Saddlers finally got the goal their performance had deserved in the 54th minute when Oztumer's corner was flicked on by James O'Connor and turned home by Laird at the far post.

Caldwell responded by making a double change with Angel Martinez and Dan Jones making way for Dan Gardner and Reece Mitchell. For Walsall, Amadou Bakayoko replaced Jackson.

Despite the changes, it was Walsall who continued to pile forward with Osbourne almost making it two when he fired inches wide from 20-yards. Morris then saw another fine long distance strike well saved by Stuckmann.

The pattern of the game wasn’t changing despite Chesterfield needing to be more adventurous.

And Walsall should have doubled their advantage with a little over 20 minutes remaining when Oztumer jinked his way into the box before firing wide with the entire goal to aim at.

Oztumer came close again when he curled a free-kick up and over the wall only to be denied by a diving stop from Stuckmann. The Walsall talisman was then replaced by Andreas Makris with a little over five minutes remaining.

Chesterfield finally started to show some ambition in the closing stages with Sam Hird heading a fine left-wing cross straight at Etheridge.

The Saddlers then should have wrapped it up at the start of five minutes stoppage time when a swift counter saw Makris play in substitute George Dobson.

The West Ham loanee produced an outragous piece of skill to work himself some space just six-yards from goal. But with only Struckmann to beat the midfielder somehow curled his strike wide.

Chesterfield went long in the dying stages but Walsall held on to secure a deserved win – albeit one that should have been by a greater margin.

Teams

Walsall: Etheridge, Laird, O'Connor, O'Connell, McCarthy, Edwards, Chambers, Osbourne, Morris (Dobson 76), Oztumer (Makris 83), Jackson (Bakayoko 57).

Subs not used: MacGillivray, Preston, Randall, Makris, Moussa

Chesterfield: Stuckmann, Anderson, Evatt, Donohue, Kakay, Grimshaw, Martínez (Gardener 57), Hird, Jones (Mitchell 57) Dennis (Faupala 80), Ebanks-Blake.

Subs not used: Fulton, Simons, Humphreys, El-Fitouri.