Boss' praise for Walsall debutant Jordy Hiwula

The 20-year-old Manchester City striker netted just four minutes after coming on as a substitute to put the Saddlers on their way to a 2-0 win at the Keepmoat Stadium.

And Smith was delighted with his impact, saying: "His first three touches were outstanding. "

He has banged one in the air round the corner for Romaine, he's flicked one round the corner for Andy Taylor and the third one was the header for the goal.

"I'm really pleased for him. He looked bright."

Jordan Cook had earlier put the Saddlers ahead in just the third minute.

Anthony Forde also hit the bar in the first half with a deflected effort, but Smith's men were also forced to do plenty of defending as the hosts went close to a leveller on several occasions.

Uche Ikpeazu saw his shot tipped onto the post by goalkeeper Richard O'Donnell, who also denied former Walsall skipper Andy Butler.

And Smith added: "We are doing very well on the road and it was a good performance today.

"It was a tough performance because they are a decent team and we needed to be strong.

"Our goalkeeper had to make saves when he was called into action and we had to defend a lot of corners and balls into the box.

"If you give free-kicks away and a lot corners they are big and strong. To keep a clean sheet with the power they have got in the box was a great performance.

"The lads put an awful lot of hard work in and got their rewards."