Bury 2 - 3 Walsall: Saddlers hold on to move back into the automatic promotion places

Posted Sunday, January 17, 2016 by PA

Walsall held on for a 3-2 win at Bury to climb back into the automatic promotion places in Sky Bet League One.

The Saddlers threatened to blow Bury away in the first half as a Chris Hussey own goal was followed by strikes from Tom Bradshaw and Anthony Forde.

Leon Clarke then gave the hosts hope of an unlikely fightback with a two-minute brace in the second-half snow.

But Walsall held on to make it just one defeat from their last 11 matches.

The Gigg Lane pitch passed two pitch inspections and Walsall made a fine start as Andy Taylor's left-wing cross was turned into his own net by Hussey after 17 minutes.

Bury replied with Reece Brown and Andrew Tutte testing goalkeeper Neil Etheridge but Walsall broke from a Bury corner, with Romaine Sawyers laying off for Bradshaw to fire home on the half-hour mark.

Forde cut inside from the right wing to fire in Walsall's third after 42 minutes, but Bury pulled one back when substitute John O'Sullivan's low cross was turned in by Clarke in the 65th minute.

Within 85 seconds it was 3-2 as Danny Mayor's low strike was parried and Clarke tapped in the rebound.

And Clarke almost equalised with seven minutes left as he poked against the post, with Mayor blazing over from the rebound.