Walsall 3 Notts County 2: Report as Walsall win to see off rivals in thriller

Goals from Taylor Allen, straight from a corner kick, George Hall and Nathan Lowe sealed a thrilling win with five second-half goals as second battled fifth.

Mat Sadler's men led both 2-0 and 3-1 at Bescot and were pegged back to just a single-goal lead each time but deservedly held on for a key victory.

They were moments from climbing to the top of the table but for Port Vale's late equaliser at Cheltenham ahead of a top-of-the-table humdinger at Vale Park on Saturday lunchtime.

Unsurprisingly Stuart Maynard's Magpies saw plenty of the ball in the opening 10 minutes but it was Sadler's men who threatened the goal with two efforts from the edge of the box.

Ryan Stirk fired narrowly wide with a sweet left-footed strike of the bouncing ball from a half-cleared cross before Charlie Lakin struck a rising drive at goalkeeper Alex Bass after pressure from skipper Jamille Matt to win the ball.

Striker Nathan Lowe was a few inches from connecting to another Stirk effort from range as Walsall tried to turn the screw.

Connor Barrett was a threat down the right and he hung up a cross to the back post for Lowe, who climbed well but could only head at Bass.

Walsall were on well on top and went closest yet just after half hour. Sustained pressure kept Notts under the pump and Taylor Allen eventually cushioned a nice pass for Liam Gordon. The left wing-back powered into the box to the left and fired a low strike a few inches wide across goal with Bass at full stretch.

Harry Williams was switched-on to clear a looped header in the Saddlers' box before wily old forward David McGoldrick slipped prior to firing well off-target.

Lowe was just unable to connect to a Gordon cross with five minutes of the half left before Barrett fired well wide from range.

Notts forced their best chance of the half as McGoldrick fed Alassana Jatta in the box and the forward's low delivery across the face of goal led to some excellent defending by Gordon. 

The visitors did next to nothing in the final third in the first half but shots out the traps after the break and threatened the Saddlers.

David Okagbue misjudged a header and allowed Jatta a strike at goal kept out low by Simkin, but McGoldrick was at the heart of it all for the Pies.

He struck a wonderful effort narrowly over from range before another drifted a fraction wide of the far post. An injury to Simkin allowed Sadler to deliver instructions to his troops and it paid off moments later.

Just before the hour the hosts won a corner and Allen's inswinger did the rest. His delivery lofted over keeper Bass, who was in no man's land, and nestled into the far corner.

Williams blocked well to deny away skipper Matt Palmer before the hosts struck again.

Lowe turned smartly in the box and fed Hall to his right. The Blues loanee intelligently shot low on the turn and his effort caught Bass off guard as it rolled into the left corner for the man of the match's first league goal.

The Saddlers were flying but Notts earned a penalty to halve the deficit as Williams needlessly bundled over defender Lewis Macari. McGoldrick stroked the penalty home with 15 minutes left.

The Saddlers responded with Stirk's sweet volley saved by Bass before substitute Earing skied a clear opening with five tense minutes left.

Walsall put nerves to bed with a killer third, though. Earing released fellow sub Albert Adomah. He beat Bass to the ball and his low effort was met by poacher Lowe in the six-yard box, who converted for his 12th of the season to spark wild scenes at the Bescot.

It looked over and Jack Hinchy's low strike in added time was enough for more nerves, especially as Nick Tsaroulla drew an outstanding last-gasp flying save from Simkin as Sadler's hosts saw it out for a big win.

Walsall (3-5-2): Simkin; Williams, Okagbue, Allen; Barrett, Lakin, Hall (Earing, 84), Stirk, Gordon; Matt (c) (Adomah, 75), Lowe.

Subs not used: Hornby, McEntee, Daniels, Weir, Johnson.  

Notts County (3-4-3): Bass; Macari, Ness, Bedeau; Tsaroulla, Hinchy, Palmer, Cisse (Gordon, 55); Jatta, Austin (Scott, 68), McGoldrick.

Subs not used: Slocombe, McDonald, Brown, Martin, Robertson.

Attendance: 5,720

Referee: David Rock