Manager John Sheridan made interesting changes to the Chesterfield side for the visit to Walsall. Dwayne Mattis, skippering the side of his return to his former club, took the central defensive position of Ian Breckin. Derek Niven and Jordan Bowery started in place of Whitaker and Lester.

Reid and Macken floated, rather than allowing defenders to sit tight on them, and this caused Chesterfield early problems. Lee was called on to save from Reid on 6 and Ford had to be quick to deny the same player on 10.

Chesterfield drew first blood on 13. Davies had a chance to cross into the danger area but he wasted it. The ball came instead to Talbot on the other side; he put over a high, hanging cross that JORDAN BOWERY got to first, giving Chesterfield the lead with a neat header that clipped a post and beat the defender on the line.

Chesterfield enjoyed a decent five minutes after the goal but Reid rocketed an equaliser home on 18, after being first to a loose ball from a cross that wasn't properly dealt with.

Niven's shot from distance was deflected for a corner on 23, but the kick was headed clear. Hunt returned and Bowery set up Davies for a shot that took a thick deflection off a defender, for a corner that was poor in its execution. Chesterfield settled down after conceding the equaliser and it was hard at this point to appreciate a division's difference between the sides.

Mattis was harshly penalised some 22 yards out on 26 for a challenge on Richards. Richards took it himself, and yahooed his shot well over the bar. Mattis wasn't unsettled, and somehow stretched to deny a cross from reaching Reid, at the expense of a corner, which Talbot cleared.

Davies was fouled on 29 by Westlake, who received a yellow card for the offence. Morgan's free kick was meat and drink to Brain in the Walsall goal. Davies worked well to find a shooting opportunity from Allott's pass on 32. DEAN MORGAN came up next on 33 and brought the ball with him, firing firmly past Brain to restore Chesterfield's lead - and deservedly so.

Griffiths got forward well and worked the ball from right foot to left before firing dangerously close to the Saddlers' goal. Macken dropped off his man again and found Gray; Reid got the ball and fired a shot that, thankfully, curled away from Lee in the Chesterfield goal.

Chesterfield won another corner on 39 and Morgan, who was causing problems for the Walsall rearguard, forced his man to commit before rolling a cross across the box which Fords very nearly converted, but a corner resulted as the ball was cleared.

Talbot won another corner for the visitors on 42, as Lescott got back to stop him. The kick came towards Talbot, central now, who attacked the ball well but saw his effort kicked off the line for a corner, that Brain dealt with well.

A Walsall shot on 44 struck Macken on its way towards the goal and this accident took the sting out of it. Reid latched on to the ball but Lee dealt well with his effort. A few muted boos from the home fans met the halftime whistle, reflecting the broad superiority that the visitors enjoyed in the first 45.

Halftime: Walsall 1 Chesterfield 2. Attendance: 1793 (212 from Chesterfield.)

Walsall replaced Taundry with Patterson before the second half started. Davis beat Lancashire easily on 50 and the defender resorted to foul play to stop him, being punished with a yellow card.

A quieter start to the second half reflected the fact that Chesterfield were still in control, and the Saddlers were unable to work opportunities to strike back. Macken had an effort at goal miss on 57 while Lancashire's header from a corner went wide a minute later.

Bowery picked up a short pass from a Walsall man but lost a bit of pace as he tried to control, and a defender was able to get back at him. Davies curled an effort from distance towards goal and narrowly wide on 68.

Davies got goalside of the defence on 70 to get onto a Niven pass but shot wide. Bowery was replaced by Whitaker on 71; allowing Morgan to move up front to work alongside Davies. Whitaker's first involvement allowed Talbot the chance of a shot. Ex-Spireite Clayton McDonald came on for Lancashire on 73. Talbot penalised on 74 allowing Walsall a chance to put in a cross but the ball was headed away and Whitaker got the ball working for the visitors further up the field.

Whitaker shot powerfully on 77 and Brain could only palm the ball out; it came to Morgan but composure deserted him and he blasted over from a few yards out. The home side very nearly punished Chesterfield but Lee turned a shot away for a corner, which Talbot cleared.

Walsall began to press with more purpose in the last ten minutes and Walsall's Richards struck the ball against the post on 82. Dean Morgan went into the book on 85 for preventing a quick free kick. Talbot covered a lot of ground as the half wore on, getting back on 87 to cover his fullback and concede a corner, which Lee claimed with ease.

Chesterfield brought Boden on for Morgan in the first minute of stoppage time. Talbot challenged McDonald for a ball in the air and unsurprisingly came off worst, but was quickly up to contribute. Davies gave away a poor free kick on halfway and Walsall pumped it in, but Lee came to the rescue.