Reuben Reid refound his goalscoring form and fired Walsall into the second round of the FA Cup.
A rejuvenated Walsall side saw Lancashire and Nicholls earn starts as Gray dropped to the bench.
The game started shakily as the Saddlers found their stride, but Walsall soon got a grip of the game. On 13 minutes, Matthew Richards picked up the ball and put the ball neatly to Reuben Reid but Fleetwood managed to clear the danger.
Darryl Westlake continued his decent form on 21 minutes, as he defended well at the far post, keeping the home side from their penchant for letting in sloppy goals. Walsall gave their supporters a fright as a flurry of strong Cod Army attempts came in mid way through the first 45 mins, but they held out for a deserved 0-0 at half time.
The second half started quietly for the Saddlers, as Dickinson found the net, but offside flag was up. They took the lead for real on 57 minutes as Alex Nicholls linked up with Reuben Reid, who fired it into the net. 1-0.
Walsall were buoyed on by their lead and saw attempts by Liam Dickinson and Alex Nicholls fall short of the target. Fleetwood were shell shocked and struggled to get back into the game.
Reid sealed the deal with his second with seconds on the clock. He took a stunning run, beating several of the Fleetwood defence before tucking the shot past Scott Davies.2-0
That was it, job done and Saddlers win through to the second round. They will now face Torquay United away on November 27th.
A dark cloud has been getting greyer week upon week, but now a chink of light is shining through ahead of Saturday’s league one home game against Carlisle. Reid has found the net after being challenged to improve by Hutchings, after not finding the net since the home win against Exeter City on October 9th. It will be music to Hutchings ears, as he desperately needs more striking power as Byfield is still struggling with injury.
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