Rochdale 1 Walsall 2 - Report and pictures

If the first four games are anything to go by, this could be quite a season for Walsall.

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Having already won a thriller at Nottingham Forest and impressed at Southend, the Saddlers tonight came out on top again.

It came in a game at Rochdale which was, above all, else a superb advert for League One football.

Manager Dean Smith, having challenged his side to find goals from every area, saw Andy Taylor scored just the sixth of his career.

It put them ahead midway through the second half, before Sam Mantom, thanks to a large deflection, doubled the lead with his second in four days five minutes later.

A Calvin Andrew goal 10 minutes from time to ensure a fitting finish for a game, where the pace rarely dropped below frenetic.

The Saddlers held on to continue their unbeaten start to the season and leapfrog the hosts in the early season table.

Having switched things around successfully at Forest and Southend, Smith again made changes to his line-up.

Milan Lalkovic and Kieron Morris - both dropped to the bench at Roots Hall - returned in place of Romaine Sawyers and Rico Henry.

Bradshaw had taken just eight minutes to break the deadlock on Saturday but here almost did it within 30 seconds.

Rochdale (4-1-4-1): Lillis, Rafferty (Bunney 57), McNulty, Lancashire, Kennedy, Bennett, Vincenti (Andrew 69), Camps (Rose 53), Allen (c), McDermott, Henderson

Subs not used: Eastham, Alessandra, Tanser, Collis (gk).

Saddlers (4-1-4-1): Etheridge, Demetriou, Downing, O'Connor, Taylor (Henry 74), Chambers (c), Morris, Mantom, Flanagan (Forde 67), Lalkovic (Sawyers 67), Bradshaw.

Subs not used: Preston, Baxendale, Cook, MacGillivray (gk).

Att: 2,381.[/breakout]

Rochdale goalkeeper Josh Lillis failed to hold a deflected Lalkovic cross with Morris in close attendance and Bradshaw took possession, only for Lillis to recover and block his close range effort.

It was the precursor for a lively opening spell, which also saw the hosts go close when Ian Henderson was inches from getting on the end of Donal McDermott's diagonal long ball.

Gradually the hosts began to exert some dominance and it appeared the Saddlers had received a huge let-off.

Henderson beat the offside trap and squared for an unmarked Rhys Bennett, who proceeded to blaze over from eight yards out.

An offside flag at least in part spared the Dale man's blushes, though it was not the only close shave for the Saddlers.

Again Bennett was involved, this time seeing the ball cannon off his chest and wide at close range after Etheridge had deflected a Henderson cross right at the midfielder.

Having been on the back foot, the Saddlers began to find their game around the half hour mark and perhaps should have led at the break after going close on three occasions.

First, great work from Lalkovic and Andy Taylor down the left wing saw the latter cross for Kieron Morris to drill a shot wide from the edge of the box.

With the visitors taking on the physical challenge, two excellent Taylor tackles allowed Sam Mantom to race into the Dale half and his deflected shot came close to beating a wrong-footed Lillis.

Another strong challenge then set Morris up for a shot from distance which again whistled just wide of the upright.

The start to the second half was similarly bright from Smith's men with Bradshaw inches away from getting on the end of a Demetriou cross, which flashed across the face of goal.

Morris then headed wide at the far post before the introduction of Joe Bunney brought the hosts back to life.

Peter Vincenti thought he had broken the deadlock, sliding in at the far post after Neil Etheridge had parried the substitute's shot.

The Saddlers goalkeeper then beat Donal McDermott in a foot race to tip the ball behind and avoid calamity.

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It came after a James O'Connor header, intended for the stopper, had gone sailing over his head and toward the goal.

Suddenly on the back foot, the Saddlers responded by going ahead. Taylor burst into the box and then fired home after a quick exchange with Lalkovic.

The hosts might have drawn level immediately had Etheridge not cleaned up his own mess after firing a clearance right to McDermott.

But minutes later the Saddlers had breathing space when Mantom let fly from 25 yards and his shot kicked up off a defender and over the unlucky Lillis.

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Any hopes of a nerve free finish evaporated ten minutes from time when Henderson sent a header clattering off the bar and Andrew bundled the ball home from close range to re-energise the hosts.

Pushed back, the Saddlers had Paul Downing to thank for hacking clear a McDermott cross which threatened to bobble across the six yard box.

It was backs to the wall stuff but Smith's men held out through five minutes of stoppage time.