Walsall 1 Stevenage 0 - Report
Matt Taylor grabbed his first win in charge of Walsall as Conor Wilkinson's excellent solo strike downed Stevenage at the Banks's Stadium.
Coming at the fifth attempt in League Two, the afternoon got fairly anxious for the Saddlers but Wilkinson's first goal for the club after just five minutes proved decisive.
The attacker displayed top-drawer desire to outwit Ben Coker before unleashing an accurate left-footed effort into the bottom corner.
And while Walsall struggled to create much in the second half and gradually invited pressure from the visitors, they held firm.
It was not always pretty but the importance of the victory cannot be understated.
The first three points, a first clean sheet in the league this campaign and Wilkinson opening his account, Saddlers chief Taylor will be delighted.
He punched the air as the fans clapped them off after the final whistle. Walsall finally have a platform to build on.
They made two changes from the woeful 2-0 defeat at Hartlepool.
Skipper Joss Labadie made a welcome return from a quad issue, coming in for youngster Sam Perry in midfield.
In the other switch, Ash Taylor – having endured a particularly difficult afternoon in County Durham – was replaced by Manny Monthe at centre-half.
Tyrese Shade missed out again through injury along with long-term absentee Rory Holden, who was seen giving his Saddlers team-mates some words of encouragement before kick-off.
An interesting tweak from boss Taylor saw Wilkinson – who had played through the middle in the previous four league games – moved to the right flank for Walsall.
And that decision paid off immediately.
He displayed both determination and flair to put the Saddlers ahead.
Latching onto Monthe's clearance, the summer signing from Leyton Orient beat Coker to the punch before cutting inside and cleverly sweeping the ball beyond Sacha Bastien at his near post.
It was an example of no-nonsense defending and direct forward play combining to great effect.
The Saddlers continued to make a positive impression as well.
Jack Earing dribbled into the area and sent a curling effort narrowly over the bar.
A fizzing cross from Brendan Kiernan was then guided off target on the stretch by Kieran Phillips – playing as the main striker.
The general pace of the game soon slowed but Walsall still looked comfortable.
Labadie was using his nous to break up play and win clever fouls in the middle of the park, while Wilkinson had an inswinging shot deflect out for a corner.
Stevenage, although given several soft free-kicks by referee Andrew Kitchen, struggled to carve out anything of substance in the first period as their unusual 4-2-2-2 system failed to click.
They did give the Saddlers a warning before the break, though, as Jack Smith – having escaped the attention of Hayden White – headed into the arms of Carl Rushworth.
All in all, it was a positive half with Taylor's touchline instructions getting across.
Alex Revell's visitors had a bit of gusto about them after the interval, with Jake Taylor drilling a couple wide.
They continued to have some questionable decisions go in their favour, too, much to the frustration of the home faithful.
Walsall remained largely untroubled as the hour mark passed but with just the one goal, they had to be careful to avoid a repeat of the agonising draw with Scunthorpe.
Stevenage slowly started to knock on the door as Jake Reeves had an attempt from distance sail wide and the atmosphere became increasingly anxious.
The Saddlers lost their attacking impetus and were living pretty dangerously.
Aiming to see things out with as little fuss as possible, or perhaps get a second goal to ease the tension, Emmanuel Osadebe entered the fray in place of Phillips.
Ash Taylor also came on towards the end as Walsall moved to a flat back five and, ultimately, they were able to see it through for a much-welcome three points.
Stevenage substitute Bruno Andrade went close in added time but the Saddlers can now breathe easier having got that first win behind them.
A nervy finish but mission accomplished and a landmark occasion for Taylor.
Teams
Walsall (4-2-3-1): Rushworth; White, Monthe, Menayese, Ward; Kinsella, Labadie (c); Wilkinson, Earing (Taylor, 87), Kiernan; Phillips (Osadebe, 78)
Subs not used: Rose (gk), Mills, Bates, Perry, Willis
Goal: Wilkinson (5)
Stevenage (4-2-2-2): Bastien; James-Wildin, Prosser (c), Vancooten, Coker; Reeves, Taylor; Read (Andrade, 77), J Smith (Lines, 46); Reid (Daly, 77), Norris
Subs not used: T Smith (gk), Cuthbert, Marshall, Townsend-West
Attendance: 4,257 (159 away fans)
Referee: Andrew Kitchen
