Walsall 2 Doncaster 1 - Report

It also only Walsall's second win in 23 league games in what has been a disappointing second half of the season which at least finished on a high.

The Saddlers took the game to their South Yorkshire opponents in a way not seen in recent months and didn't panic when the goals didn't immediately come.

Instead they kept the pressure going against a team in poor fun and only just above them in the table.

They took a 2-0 second half lead and although Doncaster got a goal back with only five minutes left on the clock, it would have been harsh on the Saddlers had they noy got all three points.

When Walsall beat Doncaster 2-0 away in the corresponding fixture in early December they were on a high, having been unbeaten in nine games and in the third round of the FA Cup.

Before the home fixture they were on a slump of one win in 22 games since January, with manager Michael Flynn having paid for the poor results with his job.

Flynn is back in work at Swindon, with Walsall yet to appoint a successor to him and all focus after the Doncaster game will be on who that might be.

But against Doncaster it was a chance for Mat Sadler to stake his claim for the permanent position, with him having a defeat and a draw from the previous two games in the caretaker role.

Walsall started well in the first 15 minutes and Matty Stevens could have opened the scoring on seven minutes when Tom Knowles set him up in the box but the ball angled wide of the post.

Knowles had a shot himself three minutes later when receiving a pass from Conor Wilkinson and slipping his marker, but Doncaster goalkeeper Louis Jones did well to save it.

Jones again made a good save on 14 minutes, again from Stevens who was full of running in the early stages of the game.

Doncaster tried to come into the game and on 20 minutes Kyle Hurst ran through on goal but shot poorly wide when he could have done better.

Two minutes before half time Isaac Hutchinson shook off the attentions of his markers to get to the edge of the box and shoot but it went wide.

And Knowles should have put Walsall one up almost immediately after when Liam Gordon chipped a cross onto his head but it went wide.

It was uninspiring stuff to match the story of Walsall's season since the end of January, when they have had nobody to put the ball in the net.

The chances continued after the break as Walsall looked to achieve their first double of the season, Tom Knowles bringing the ball down but shooting wide and Stevens putting one into the side netting after being set up by Hutchinson.

Stevens was unlucky on 54 minutes when he got on the end of a slightly wayward shot by Hutchinson but his header deflected wide.

The goal the pressure deserved though came on 57 minutes when Gordon got to the by-line and crossed, with the ball falling to Wilkinson who made no mistake from the edge of the area

Isaac Hutchinson got the second on 73 minutes when Stevens held the ball up well in the area and unselfishly released it for him to make no mistake.

The two were combining well and shortly after Hutchinson played Stevens in but the play was held up for offside as Walsall continued to press and attempt to give their fans the home performance they deserved.

There was a warning for Walsall when Doncaster pulled one back on 84 minutes. Jackson Smith, deputising for Owen Evans, had made a good save from a shot by Tommy Rowe and from the resulting corner the ball came out to Bobby Faulkner whose crisp shot found its way into the net.

But that was the end of the scoring and chances and Walsall fans' thoughts will now turn to who is going to get the manager's job and lead them into what will hopefully be a better campaign in August.

Teams

Walsall (3-4-1-2): Smith, Gordon, Monthe, Riley, Wilkinson (Kinsella 84), Knowles (Maher 87), Comley, McEntee (c) (Daniels 87), Stevens (Matt 79), Hutchinson, Low

Subs not used: Barrett (GK), Onabirekhanlen

Doncaster (3-4-3) Jones, Rowe (c), Biggins, Long (Olowu 78), Barlow, Seaman, Miller (Goodman 65), Hurst, Westbrooke, Faulkner, Degruchy (Maxwell 68)

Subs not used: Mitchell (GK), Maxwell, Olowu, Kuleya.

Attendance: 7,176