Sean Geddes gave Walsall a 1-0  victory but Bloxwich was the winner on a night when non-league football returned to the town after three years.

Substitute Geddes netted the winner 14 minutes from time after being played through by George Bowerman.

It looked as if he had taken too long to get his shot away and allowed a defender to recover but Geddes coolly placed a right-footed shot into the bottom corner.

It was tough on Bloxwich who created the majority of opportunities on a night when clear-cut chances were at a premium.

Their best came 13 minutes into the second half when Daniel Battison’s shot took a deflection and looped over Tom Cox before coming back off the post.

The ball bounced off Cox and fell to Carl Morris but his follow-up effort also came back off the woodwork.

It was the hosts who started the match better and inside the first minute Craig Bannister almost capatalised on hesitancy in the visiting defence but the ball was bundled behind for a corner.

Soon after Jamie Simkiss tried his luck from all of 40 yards but Cox was able to save comfortably.

It wasn’t until the 14th minute that the visitors seriously threatened but when they did Jon Patrick came within a whisker of firing them in front with a curling drive from outside the box that clipped the angle of post and bar.

The hosts continued to press and on 32 minutes Bannister outjumped  Rory Wood at the far post to meet an Aaran Archer centre but was unable to keep his header down. Archer then latched on to a long ball and drilled a shot from a tight angle that Cox parried away.

Half-time brought a flurry of substitutions and understandably the game lost its way in the second period.

Jamie Vaughan tried his luck for Bloxwich but his long-range shot was dragged harmlessly wide.

With 14 minutes remaining Geddes gave notice of what was to come with a low drive that Lee Holliday palmed  away.

It looked as if that would keep the game goalless but Geddes popped up again soon after to grab the win.

Starting XIs: Bloxwich: Holliday, Tolley, Welsh, Bent, Clarke, Simkiss, Morris, Battison, Archer, Bannister, Vaughan.

Walsall: Cox, Wood, Patrick, Gunnarsson, Cartwright, Vickmann, Lowe,  Adkins, Travis, Grigg, McCourt.