Walsall strike early to see off Barnet

Early goals from Connor Barrett and Aaron Pressley helped Walsall secure all three points in a 2-1 win against 10-man Barnet.

The Bees halved the deficit before the break when Anthony Hartigan’s corner was headed home by Ollie Hawkins after goalkeeper Myles Roberts failed to claim it.

The Saddlers made a dream start, opening the scoring inside two minutes through Barrett. A slack pass from Barnet’s Danny Collinge gifted Walsall possession in the final third, allowing Charlie Lakin to deliver a low cross that Barrett slotted past Cieran Slicker.

Barnet’s first real chance came in the 17th minute when Nnamdi Ofoborh’s surging run ended with a powerful strike from the edge of the box, forcing a sharp save from Roberts.

Walsall doubled their lead midway through the first half as Mason Hancock’s superb free-kick was turned into the bottom corner by Pressley. Hawkins’ header brought Barnet back into the game.

Just before the hour mark, Dean Brennan’s side were reduced to 10 men as Ofoborh was shown a second yellow for a poor challenge. Moments later, Walsall almost added a third, but Hancock was denied by a superb Adam Senior tackle.