Walsall 1 Crawley 0 - Report and pictures

A much-changed Saddlers team had a steady start to the clash as the Red Devils entered the game in good form.

An early Liam Roberts mistake almost handed them the lead, while Jordan Tunnicliffe diverted onto his own post at the other end - as both teams chased the opening goal.

Tyler Frost also hit the post for Crawley in a relatively even first half.

Crawley started the second half much brighter but some solid defending kept them at bay and eventually Walsall took the lead. Sadler was the first to reach a loose ball in the box following a corner.

Walsall hung on in the closing stages of the game to take all three points, despite Crawley’s efforts to push them back as Tom Nichols hit the post late on.

Darrell Clarke made five changes to the team that drew with Mansfield at the weekend, starting in a 4-4-2 formation.

Hayden White, George Nurse, Danny Guthrie, Stuart Sinclair and Emmanuel Osadebe dropped out. Guthrie was not involved at all after picking up a knock on Saturday, but Nurse was surprisingly also not involved in the squad.

Cameron Norman, Sadler, Liam Kinsella, Alfie Bates and Caolan Lavery came into the starting XI. It was Sadler’s first League Two showing of the season.

Callum Cockerill-Mollett returned to the squad for the first time since picking up a hamstring strain on the opening day of the League Two campaign.

John Yems also started in a 4-4-2 formation, making three changes to his team.

Frost, Sam Ashford and Archie Davies all came into the team as Jake Hesketh, George Francomb and Samuel Matthews all failed to make the squad.

The visitors almost had an early gift of a goal when a long-range shot from Josh Doherty was fumbled by goalkeeper Roberts. With two Crawley players lurking for a tap-in, Roberts recovered and pounced on the loose ball.

Walsall began to get a foothold in the game and almost inadvertently scored themselves. Lavery did superbly well to beat his man down the right and cross low, in search of Elijah Adebayo, but Tunnicliffe slid in to deny him. However, the defender directed the ball towards his own goal and with goalkeeper Glenn Morris beaten the ball clipped the post.

In a back-and-forth clash it was Crawley who then hit the woodwork. A cross fell to Frost at the back post and from close-range he smashed his effort off the post, before Jack Powell smashed his follow-up over the bar with the goal gaping.

Some nice build-up play saw Adebayo touch down a Rory Holden cross for Lavery, but the striker could only direct his shot over the bar.

After a half that Walsall arguably edged, both sides entered the break drawing 0-0.

Crawley started the second half the brighter of the teams and put the Saddlers defence under pressure early on. Some scrabbles in the box called for some last-ditch Walsall defending.

Less than 10 minutes into the half Red Devils goalkeeper Morris picked up an injury and had to be replaced by 20-year-old Tom McGill.

Captain Tony Craig narrowly cleared the crossbar with his header from a Powell corner.

Wes McDonald turned on the style on the edge of the box when he was twisting and turning between defenders and his eventual shot flashed just wide of the post.

Walsall attempted to get the first goal with a double substitution after 67 minutes. Osadebe and Jake Scrimshaw entered the fray for Bates and Lavery. It meant Holden moved into midfield alongside Kinsella while Osadebe took over the left wing and McDonald moved to the right.

The hosts began to mount some pressure of their own and as a Holden cross was met by Dan Scarr - Adebayo almost reached his flick-on.

But from the resulting corner, Walsall took the lead. Holden’s delivery was met by Scarr and his goal-bound header was saved brilliantly by McGill. But Sadler stepped up from close-range to put the Saddlers in the lead.

Adebayo then curled a long-range effort just over the bar as Walsall took control of the game.

Cockerill-Mollett entered the game in the closing stages as Walsall changed to a 5-3-2 formation. However, within minutes Nichols hit the post with a header that was then cleared by Sadler. A Walsall counter-attack then almost resulted in a goal by Scrimshaw.

After five minutes of added time, and some heart in mouth moments for the hosts, the Saddlers clung onto their advantage and took all three points.

It is Walsall’s first win after a run of four draws and one defeat in the last five games.

Teams

Walsall: Roberts, Norman, Scarr, Sadler, Jules, Holden, Kinsella, Bates (Osadebe, 67), McDonald (Cockerill-Mollett, 87), Adebayo, Lavery (Scrimshaw, 67).

Subs not used: Rose, White, Sinclair, George.

Crawley: Morris (McGill, 54), Davies, Craig, Tunnicliffe, Doherty, Powell, Hessenthaler, Frost (Allarakhia, 78), Ashford (Nadesan, 78), Watters, Nichols.

Subs not used: McNerney, Sesay, Bulman, Galach.