Saturday 26 February 2022 18:17, UK
Walsall marked Michael Flynn’s first home game as Saddlers manager with an entertaining 3-1 win over Hartlepool.
George Miller’s brace and a Conor Wilkinson strike ended an eight-game unbeaten run for Pools, who replied through Omar Bogle.
Walsall led on 13 minutes as Emmanuel Osadebe ended a superb solo run by slipping in Miller and he took a touch before wrong-footing Pools keeper Ben Killip with a clever near-post finish.
The Saddlers doubled their advantage on 26 minutes as Wilkinson drilled a fine finish into Killip’s bottom far corner from 20 yards.
Hartlepool improved after the break but Luke Molyneux prodded wide from Jamie Sterry’s measured ball over the top.
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They halved their deficit on 63 minutes, Bogle slotting in from six yards after Carl Rushworth saved Isaac Fletcher’s deflected shot.
But Miller sealed the points by pouncing on Gary Liddle’s under-hit backpass and rounding Killip four minutes later.
New signing Lee Tomlin almost added a fourth but his shot was deflected wide as Walsall, in 17th, moved eight points clear of the bottom two.