Walsall 3 Preston 1
Romaine Sawyers scored his first Walsall goal since January to set the Saddlers on their way to their first win of the League One season against Preston.
The forward fired Dean Smith's men ahead after only seven minutes when he drilled home through a crowded penalty box.
Joe Garner brought Preston level before the break but Tom Bradshaw restored the Saddlers advantage early in the second half with a header.
The visitors then saw Jordan Hugill dismissed for head-butting the returning Andy Butler, before Paul Downing sealed the win.
Downing's goal capped a frenetic period of play which began with Hugill's sending-off and also saw both home keeper Richard O'Donnell and substitute Mathieu Manset booked as tempers threatened to boil over.
After a season which has provided so many negatives to date, there were plenty of positives for manager Smith to take from this performance and it was a cracking game to boot.
But it wasn't all good news, as both skipper Adam Chambers and scorer Bradshaw exited with injuries, though the boss will be delighted with the way his team responded.
The return of former skipper Butler was one of four changes to the Saddlers starting line-up, with recalls for Sawyers, Mal Benning and Anthony Forde.
Manset, Billy Clifford, Kieron Morris and Liam Kinsella all dropped to the bench, where there was also a place for Ashley Grimes who had shaken off a calf injury quicker than expected.
Smith had described Sawyers as "refreshed" following his exploits in the Caribbean Cup with St Kitts and Nevis and it took the forward just seven minutes to show by how much as he handed the Saddlers an early lead.
A corner was cleared only as far as Andy Taylor and he played in skipper Chambers on the left-hand side of the box, who squared for Sawyers to stab home through a crowd of players ten yards out.
It was the only attempt on goal of an opening half hour in which the visitors probed without any penetration and it is was actually Sawyers who had the next attempt past the half hour mark, with a shot from distance straight at visiting keeper Jamie Jones.
Yet it was Preston making most of the running and after Bailey Wright had headed over from a corner, Garner levelled with his side's first attempt on target, a low bullet of a strike from 20 yards out which flew into the bottom corner. Hugill also took the plaudits for his part in the build-up.
Garner then came close to an audacious second when he spotted O'Donnell off his line but his first-time half-volley from just inside the Walsall half drifted a few feet wide of the goal.
Jack King flashed an effort from distance wide and Calum Woods fired straight at O'Donnell as the visitors ended the opening half on top.
The Saddlers lost skipper Chambers at half-time to injury but were back ahead just four minutes into the second period.
Anthony Forde was given the freedom of the right wing and ran about 40 yards before delivering a superb cross which Bradshaw directed past Jones and into the net.
Benning headed wide at the far post soon after before the Saddlers were forced into another change as Bradshaw was forced off, to be replaced by Manset.
Butler's return had been fairly quiet to that point but exploded into life midway through the half. Hugill took umbrage with the former Saddlers skipper as the two got up following a challenge and promptly stuck his head into Butler's face. Referee Geoff Eltringham had little option but to produce the straight red, with O'Donnell booked for pushing Hugill over in the brief melee which followed the Preston man's rush of blood to the head.
With the temperature at boiling point, Manset was booked and then Chris Humphrey fired over at the far post for Preston with the goal gaping.
Downing handed the Saddlers a two goal cushion 14 minutes from time when he nodded Forde's corner into the bottom corner.
That rather took the sting out of things and Billy Clifford almost added a fourth but his shot just went wide of the far post, while Benning also went close as the hosts closed out a much-needed and much-deserved victory.
