Wrexham 4 Walsall 2 - Report
It was a disappointing night on the road as Wrexham condemned Walsall to a 4-2 defeat at the Racecourse Ground.
Will Boyle headed Wrexham into the lead in the 8th minute, before Ollie Palmer doubled their advantage inside 20 minutes.
Chris Hussey reduced the deficit four minutes later, but Wrexham restored their two-goal lead through Jake Bickerstaff after the break.
Elliot Lee added a fourth for the Red Dragons in the 85th minute, although Aramide Oteh scored a late consolidation for the Saddlers at the death.
REPORT
Mat Sadler named the same line-up which defeated Stockport on Saturday, but Walsall found themselves two goals down inside the opening 20 minutes.
Wrexham bombarded Evans' goal in the opening exchanges as Walsall struggled to deal with the aerial threat coming from the hosts.
Anthony Forde hung a teasing cross to the back stick but Evans was on his toes to turn Elliot Lee's header over the crossbar.
The onslaught continued with Boyle becoming the next Red Dragons player to test Evans. His header was flicked away but his effort moments later would ultimately find the top corner.
Ben Tozer launched a long throw into the box and Evans was alert once again to claw away Eoghan O'Connell's header. But Wrexham kept the attack alive and Boyle ghosted in at the back post to head Luke Young's cross into the far top corner.
Walsall responded with Freddie Draper catching Ben Foster off guard with a swerving long-range volley. The former England international was able to adjust and beat the ball away, and also got down low to deny Isaac Hutchinson shortly after.
It looked as if the Saddlers would creep back into the game until Palmer produced an audacious lob over Evans.
Hussey attempted to head clear but could only find the Wrexham forward. Palmer spotted Evans off his line and guided an impressive looping effort from 30 yards into the back of the net.
Walsall quickly pulled one back after a cleverly worked corner routine teed up Hussey at the midway point of the first half.
Hutchinson found Draper at the near post with a low driven corner, and the Walsall forward registered his second assist in as many games by flicking the ball onto Hussey to find the bottom corner.
Evans was forced into action twice before the break to prevent both Bickerstaff and O'Connell as Wrexham went in at the break with a slender one-goal advantage.
Walsall started the second half strongly and had two chances in quick succession to equalise.
Ryan Stirk came within a lick of paint away from scoring a sensational long-range volley as Foster watched his strike loop onto the post. Foster then reacted to the follow-up by foiling Donervon Daniels with his feet.
But as soon as Walsall began to look promising, Wrexham restored their two-goal cushion 11 minutes after the interval through Bickerstaff.
James Jones had Evans stretching with a smashing strike from range but the Walsall goalkeeper was unable to keep out Bickerstaff moments later.
Jacob Mendy broke down the left and delivered a low cross, which Bickerstaff converted with a tidy finish under Evans.
Daniels sent a zipping effort just wide from the left edge of the penalty box, while Johnson flashed a low strike wide.
Sadler introduced triple reinforcements with Ross Tierney, Jamille Matt and Oteh coming on with 20 minutes remaining.
Lee compounded Walsall's misery when he swept a low finish into the bottom corner to kill the game off.
Oteh pulled one back in the 90th minute when he beat his marker to a cross to nudge the ball past Foster at his near post.
Walsall pushed for a third with Tierney weaving his way into the box to square for Hutchinson, but Foster made an impressive save with his feet.
The Saddlers ultimately fell to a 4-2 defeat, which will serve as a lesson for Sadler.
TEAMS
Wrexham (5-3-2): B Foster; A Forde, E O'Connell, B Tozer, W Boyle, J Mendy; J Jones, L Young, E Lee; J Bickerstaff, O Palmer.
Subs: M Howard, B Waters, B Hosannah, S Dalby, A Cannon, T O'Connor, R Barnett.
Walsall (3-4-1-2): O Evans; H Williams, D Daniels, C Hussey (A Oteh 69); J Foulkes, O McEntee, R Stirk (R Tierney 69), L Gordon; I Hutchinson; F Draper (J Matt 69), D Johnson.
Subs: J Smith, J Riley, D James-Taylor, T Allen.
Referee: Simon Mather
Attendance: 10,188 (1,146)
