Walsall 1 Fleetwood 0 - Report and pictures
Striker Tom Bradshaw's late winner handed Walsall some priceless breathing space in the League One relegation dogfight.
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Bradshaw, making his first appearance since the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final loss to Bristol City at Wembley last month, fired a fine finish into the bottom corner with four minutes to go.
It was his 17th goal of the season and came at just the right time as the misfiring Saddlers had looked set to go a fifth consecutive game without scoring.
Victory lifted them past the 50-point barrier on to 51 with five games to go and gave Walsall a four-point and six-place cushion over the bottom four.
The big news on the Walsall teamsheet was the umpteenth return of top scorer Bradshaw up front from his latest bout of hamstring trouble.
Manchester City loanee Jordy Hiwula was the man to drop to the bench but otherwise the Saddlers were unchanged from the side that played out two stalemates with Notts County and Peterborough over the Easter weekend.
The only other alteration to the Walsall substitutes' bench saw teenager Rico Henry named among the 18 for the first time in six weeks as he steps up his comeback from a dislocated shoulder.
Fleetwood, meanwhile, made just one change from the Easter Monday 4-0 thrashing of doomed basement boys Yeovil as winger Gareth Evans came in for Nick Haughton.
The Saddlers began perhaps unsurprisingly nervily and survived a couple of goalmouth melees in an opening ten minutes in which Jordan Cook was also booked for a poor tackle on Josh Morris.
On the quarter-hour mark an excellent header from Jamie Proctor gave David Ball the chance to run one-on-one at James O'Connor but having got into the area, he curled his effort well over the bar.
It took the Saddlers 24 minutes to register an effort of note and even then Michael Cain's 25-yarder was tame and drifted harmlessly wide across the face of goal.
Evans whipped an effort over from a similar position for the Cod Army, who looked by far the likelier side to break the deadlock.
The Saddlers improved in the final ten minutes of the half but efforts from Adam Chambers, 35 yards out, and Cain, a poorly-executed volley from just inside the box, were well off target.
One of the keepers was finally worked just before the break – and it was Fleetwood stopper Chris Maxwell making a fine save to paw away Kieron Morris' near-post drive after the winger charged into the box.
It was a rare incursion into the area from either side, though, as the deadlock remained unbroken at the break for a fourth consecutive Saddlers game.
Walsall came out on the front foot after the break and, after a Bradshaw shot was blocked for a corner, Andy Taylor should have nodded home Morris' delivery free inside the six-yard box but mistimed his leap and made a hash of the header.
There was a rare moment of concern for the Saddlers on the hour mark, Proctor adamant he was taken out by O'Donnell as he looked to pounce on hesitation between the keeper and James Chambers but referee Andy Haines waved his appeals away.
The lively Bradshaw then tested Maxwell from just inside the area after being released by Sawyers but his shot was straight at the keeper.
An Evans effort from 25 yards was deflected wide for Fleetwood but Walsall were the better side and Bradshaw glanced a difficult near-post header wide from a Taylor cross.
It looked like all their possession and control would again be for nought but with four minutes to go up popped that man Bradshaw to end Walsall's near eight-hour goal drought.
The excellent Adam Chambers set Cain racing down the right and his fine ball back inside found Bradshaw whose first touch was excellent and gave him the room to fire a great finish across goal into Maxwell's bottom corner.
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