Report and pics of Walsall v Chesterfield
Tom Bradshaw showed Walsall what they had been missing as he returned from injury to bag the winner against Chesterfield and lift them out of the bottom four.
The Saddlers' top scorer notched his sixth goal of the season just after the hour mark to end a run of three defeats on the spin for Walsall and move them up four places to 19th.
Bradshaw could have had more than the one, missing a sitter in the first half, and Walsall had a couple of stoppage-time escapes, as Sam Clucas and Gary Roberts came close to earning Chesterfield a point.
Bradshaw's return from a hamstring injury was Walsall's one and only change from Tuesday night's unfortunate smash-and-grab defeat at Crawley with Anthony Forde the man to make way.
And Bradshaw should have put the Saddlers ahead on 21 minutes, left unmarked to meet an Andy Taylor cross only to direct his header far too near to grateful Chesterfield goalkeeper Tommy Lee.
Prior to that Chesterfield had started slightly the brighter, although a deflected effort from Sam Morsy was the only thing to trouble Saddlers goalkeeper Richard O'Donnell unduly.
After Bradshaw's miss, the visitors came close to going ahead as Sam Clucas met Dan Jones' pull-back with a bullet header that flashed back across goal and just wide with O'Donnell a spectator.
But Walsall arguably created the better chances of the half and Romaine Sawyers was unlucky with a classy effort that floated just over the angle of post and bar from 20 yards.
A Sawyers back-heel set up Jordan Cook soon afterwards but with the goal gaping, Spireites defender Tendayi Darikwa came from out of nowhere to launch himself into a goal-saving block.
Two instinctive efforts from Sam Clucas either side of the interval forced reaction saves from O'Donnell, before his counterpart Lee almost hit the self-destruct button.
The Spireites goalkeeper wandered needlessly out of his area and shanked a clearance to Bradshaw, but the ball was just behind him and his improvised hooked effort from 30 yards was well wide with the goal gaping.
However, Bradshaw did not have to wait long for his goal, the 61st minute to be precise, lifting an ultra-cool finish over Lee after clever link-up between sub Anthony Forde and loanee Michael Cain.
Walsall sat back after going ahead but always looked comfortable until stoppage time, when Chesterfield had two big chances to steal a point.
Clucas was unlucky to see a bullet header fly wide from a Gary Roberts cross before the latter wasted a golden opportunity to equalise, shanking well wide with just O'Donnell to beat from 15 yards.
