Walsall 2 Coventry 1 - Report and pictures

Walsall are up to second in League One after beating Coventry City in a scintillating Midlands derby.

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Goals either side of half-time from Anthony Forde and Tom Bradshaw looked to have the Saddlers in command at the Banks's Stadium.

But a brilliant 25-yard effort from Jacob Murphy brought the Sky Blues right back into it and set-up a breathtaking final half-hour.

The hosts held their nerve to collect a fourth straight win and end the visitors 100 per cent record.

Dean Smith's side actually created the better chances in the closing stages and could have won by more.

Regardless, they once again showed impressive mental strength to keep their cool after Murphy's thunderbolt brought the visitors racing back into an often breathtaking game.

For the fourth game running, Smith made two changes to the side, with Forde handed a first start of the season.

Romaine Sawyers also returned to the starting line-up, with Kieron Morris and Reece Flanagan dropping to the bench.

Mantom, with two goals in the last two games and clearly brimming with confidence, had the first shot of the game but visiting goalkeeper Lee Burge proved equal to his dipping 25 yard effort.

The visitors were forced into an early change as James Maddison was replaced by Murphy and the latter came close to breaking the deadlock just past the quarter hour mark.

He exchanged passes with Jim O'Brien and curled a shot toward to bottom corner which Saddlers shot-stopper Neil Etheridge kept out one-handed, diving to his left.

Saddlers: Etheridge, Demetriou, Downing, O'Connor, Taylor, Chambers, Lalkovic (Cook 73), Sawyers, Mantom, Forde (Morris 65), Bradshaw.

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

Coventry (4-2-3-1): Burge, Willis (Phillips 53), Ricketts (c), Johnson, Stokes, Fleck, Vincelot, Lameiras, Maddison (Murphy 7), O'Brien (Morris HT), Armstrong.

Subs not used: Tudgay, Martin, Thomas, Charles-Cook (gk).[/breakout]

Walsall then went even closer to opening the scoring when Jason Demetriou showed great desire to win the ball and get to the byline.

Lalkovic met his pull-back at the far post but saw his shot cleared off the line by Jordan Willis.

There was no end of promising moments for both teams but the final finish at first proved elusive.

Adam Armstrong saw a low shot blocked by Paul Downing after a neat pass from Murphy found him in space.

At the other end, Forde was unable to correct his feet in time to guide home an Andy Taylor cross which had taken the merest brush off Reda Johnson's head.

Forde had been popping up space regularly and did so again to put the Saddlers five minutes before the break, latching on to Sam Mantom's superb through ball and placing a cool finish past Burge.

Another fine Mantom pass gave Bradshaw the chance to make it two in the opening minutes of the second period.

But the Saddlers top scorer waited a little too long and, under pressure from Johnson, his left-footed effort was blocked by Burge at the near post.

But the striker would not have to wait long for his fifth of the season.

Burge could only parry a Lalkovic drive back into the centre of the box and Bradshaw, with an instinctive right-footed finish, fired it home.

Coventry were far from dead and buried, however. Armstrong fired warning the game was still very much alive when he sent a 25-yard free-kick clattering off the bar.

Minutes later, the visitors were firmly back in it thanks to Murphy's sensational strike. The forward collected a short corner and blasted a shot in off the post from 25 yards out.

With nearly 2,800 supporters roaring them on, Coventry pushed forward in search of a quick leveller and Johnson should have done better with a header from a corner.

The Saddlers still carried plenty of threat themselves however and, after weathering the storm, finished the stronger.

Substitute Kieron Morris drilled a shot just over from the edge of the box, Milan Lalkovic sent a free-kick inches wide of the post.

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And Taylor came close to getting his second goal of the week, with a long-range shot which clipped the outside of the post.

Morris then squandered a chance to end any nerves in the final minute when he scampered clear, only to poke wide.

It mattered not as the Saddlers held on to secure four straight wins for only the second time in eight years.

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