Walsall returned to League Two action on Saturday afternoon as they welcomed Cheltenham Town to the Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium.
With their hopes of securing a place in the Play-Offs now almost impossible, the Saddlers had to make sure they were at least still in the running should some of their rivals slip up over the final few weeks of the campaign.
Both teams took a little time to settle into the contest, seeing spells with the ball without creating anything to trouble their opponents defences. However, nine minutes in, Jack Bickerstaff found himself in behind the Walsall backline, but Connor Barrett recovered well to ensure the Cheltenham man was unable to get a shot away.
Two minutes later, the visitors were able to get a shot in on goal, though George Miller was unable to find the target, as he fired over the crossbar.
Walsall began to grow more into the game after that, and seventeen minutes in, could have taken the lead, as Daniel Kanu crossed the ball to Albert Adomah, who cut inside and curled an effort goal-wards from outside the box, but his strike went narrowly wide of the far post.
The hosts continued to enjoy a brighter spell, and could have taken the lead in the twenty-first minute as Brandon Comley played the ball in behind Adomah, whose cross found Charlie Lakin, but the number eight was unable to find the target as he fired narrowly wide from close range.
Cheltenham won a corner at the other end, in the twenty-fourth minute, as Harrison Burke blocked a shot from Harry Ashfield, but nothing would come of the flag-kick.
The Saddlers probably should have taken the lead in the thirty-third minute, as Kanu turned the ball in, only to see it collide with the crossbar, with referee, Alan Dale deeming it not to have crossed the line as it came down.
Harry Ashfield became the first player to see yellow, as he was cautioned following a foul on Jamie Jellis, in the thirty-fifth minute.
Things settled after that, with both sides seeing spells on the ball, without creating anything to concern their opposition defences, and after one additional minute was played to end the first-half, the sides headed off with the scores unchanged.
The teams returned unchanged after the break, and play resumed. Cheltenham began the second-half brightly, and could have taken the lead in the forty-ninth minute, as Jordan Thomas played Miller through on goal, but he was unable to control his effort, sending the ball well wide of the target.
Cheltenham continued to see plenty of the ball as play continued, and eleven minutes after the restart, took the lead after winning a corner, which was played short to Thomas, who crossed into the box for Ashfield who slotted past Walsall shot-stopper, Myles Roberts with relative ease.
Brandon Comley became the second player to see yellow, in the fifty-seventh minute.
Town sought to add to their tally in the fifty-ninth minute, as Thomas again crossed the ball to Ashfield, but the midfielder had less luck this time, as his effort from outside the box sailed wide of the target.
Cheltenham continued to press, winning another corner in the sixty-first minute as Lakin turned an Ashfield strike from outside the box wide. Nothing would come of that, but the visiting side continued to seek a second goal, which they found just two minutes later, as Bickerstaff played the ball through for former Saddler, Isaac Hutchinson, who drove into space and fired home from distance.
Walsall responded by making a triple substitution, in the sixty-fourth minute, with Aaron Loupalo-Bi, Brandon Comley and Connor Barrett all departing, as Rico Richards, Courtney Clarke and Kacper Łopata joined the fray.
Town continued to press, unabated, winning another flag-kick in the sixty-ninth minute, as Aden Flint put the ball out of play, with the ball in falling to another former Saddler, Miller, who fired home from the centre of the area to all but put the game to bed.
The Saddlers again made a change following the goal, as Albert Adomah made way for Aaron Pressley, twenty minutes from time.
Cheltenham chose to make their first substitutions of the afternoon in the seventy-second minute, with Arkell Jude-Boyd and Harry Ashfield making way for former Saddler, George Nurse and Cole Deeming.
The visitors then chose to make a third change to their line-up four minutes later, as one former Saddler made way for another; George Miller than man to make way, as Mo Faal took to the field.
Walsall enjoyed a brighter spell as we raced towards the end of the match, with Mason Hancock crossing a promising ball into the box in the eighty-second minute, for Richards, who rose well to head goal-wards, but his effort sailed harmlessly over the crossbar.
Cheltenham chose to make their final two available changes in the eighty-fifth minute, with Jake Bickerstaff and Jordan Thomas making way for Ryan Broom and Josh Martin.
Four additional minutes were added to end the match, and three minutes into them, Cheltenham rubbed salt into Walsall wounds, adding a fourth goal, as substitute, Martin fired home from close range after Nurse worked the ball to him.
That would prove to be the final action of note, as the game was brought to its conclusion with Cheltenham winning by four-goals-to-nil.
| ASHFIELD (56') HUTCHINSON (63') MILLER (69') MARTIN (90'+3) |
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| AT | BESCOT STADIUM |
| REFEREE | ALAN DALE |