Walsall 0 Bury 1

Apr 21 2007 By Brian Halford, Birmingham Mail

WALSALL are up. Never mind this defeat - as we all know, in two weeks' time the Saddlers will leave League Two by the happy route.

With this win, meanwhile, Bury harvested a king-sized and fully deserved boost to their battle to avoid departing League Two by the horrible route. Wildly did the travelling Shakers fans celebrate. And good luck to ’em. Genuine supporters, those, unseduced by huge clubs on their doorstep.

But you couldn't help ending the day feeling that the real losers here were Wrexham.

Right down there with Bury in the relegation struggle, Wrexham lodged a precious win over Torquay on Saturday only to learn, back in the dressing-room, that somehow Bury had become only the third League Two side to win at Walsall this season.

A kick in the guts for the Dragons. But worse might still be round the corner. Because they are the next - and the last  visitors to Bescot Stadium this season. And they might just find themselves reaping a whirlwind.

This mediocre display from Walsall was understandable in many ways. You can say the right things, do the right things and prepare the right way but when, deep down, you know you are over the finishing line - and successfully so - it's almost impossible not to subconsciously ease up.

That's what the Saddlers did, especially in a flaccid first-half.

Understandable, yes. And, after a season through which they have grafted long and hard, forgivable too.

But Richard Money is sure to demand better - much better - next Saturday. Ending the season with two home defeats? And two limp performances? Walsall's manager would hate that. So Wrexham might get unlucky.

If Bury arrived at Bescot at just the right time, however, they also played well enough to take advantage.

It helped them that Walsall spent the first half flapping around like wet hens. Never more so than in the 43rd minute when Anthony Gerrard made a hash of a bouncing ball and Tom Youngs was rewarded for his chasing down when the ball cannoned off him beyond Clayton Ince.

The half-time introduction of Ishmel Demontagnac enlivened Walsall.

Trevor Benjamin skied a sitter from five yards and had a header chested on to the post by Dave Buchanan on the line. But although the Saddlers stepped it up a bit, they could not shake the resolute Shakers.

Bury, dangling precariously over the snapping jaws of the Conference, stayed at maximum tempo throughout.

Wrexham will arrive with the same incentive next Saturday - but are likely to encounter a rather different Walsall.

WALSALL (4-4-2): Ince; Westwood, Gerrard, Fox, Taylor; Harper, Keates, Dobson (Sam 78), Cooper (Demontagnac h/t); Benjamin (Wrack 65), Butler. Subs: Bossu, Smith.
BURY (4-4-2): Warrington; Scott, Parrish, Challinor, Woodthorpe; Mocquet (Adams 76), Kempson, Kennedy, Buchanan; Youngs (Baker 86), Bishop. Subs: Fettis, Fitzgerald, Hurst.