Midlands | Ten-man Walsall claim a fourth successive win

Walsall 1 - 0 Chesterfield Town

Ten-man Walsall claimed a fourth successive win in all competitions as Daniel Kanu’s first-half strike earned a victory over Chesterfield in League Two.

Author | Peter Grainger

Stadium | Bescot Stadium

Walsall corner

The Saddlers were forced to withstand sustained pressure from the away side after Charlie Lakin was dismissed midway through the second half, the midfielder collecting a second yellow card in contentious fashion.

Before the red card, Walsall had carved out the better openings. Harrison Burke went close after 21 minutes with a header from Evan Weir’s cross, while Lakin nodded wide from a Weir corner shortly after. At the other end, Ronan Darcy’s free-kick failed to trouble the home goal.

The breakthrough arrived two minutes before the interval when Kanu surged forward from the halfway line, evaded two challenges and steered his finish past Zach Hemming.

Chesterfield pressed hard in the closing stages with Tom Naylor and Chey Dunkley heading off target deep into stoppage time, but Walsall held firm to secure the points.

A closer look at what happened

Mat Sadler made one change to the side that beat MK Dons in their previous league outing. Jamie Jellis missed out through a minor injury and was replaced by Ryan Finnigan, while new signing Jid Okeke took a place on the bench alongside Rico Browne.

Pre-match scenes

The first half was evenly contested, with both sides creating opportunities. Walsall had an early penalty appeal turned down when Aden Flint looked to have been pulled down inside the box. Harrison Burke then went close in the 21st minute, meeting Evan Weir’s long throw with a header that dipped narrowly over the bar.

Ten minutes later Charlie Lakin threatened from a corner, rising at the back post to meet Weir’s delivery but directing his header wide.

The breakthrough arrived just before the interval. Daniel Kanu escaped his marker in the 43rd minute and finished neatly into the bottom corner past Zach Hemming.

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Walsall carried that momentum into the second half and almost doubled their lead three minutes after the restart. Aaron Pressley found Lakin in space on the left and his low effort drew a sharp save from Hemming.

The home side’s task was made harder after the hour when Lakin was dismissed for a second yellow card following a foul on Tom Naylor.

Despite the setback, Sadler’s side held their shape and restricted Chesterfield to few clear chances, closing out a third successive victory at WS1.