THE SADDLERS let a half-time lead slip to go down by two goals to one at Millwall.

There were just eight minutes on the clock when a Peter Till corner found its way to Manny Smith in space and he applied an neat finish to give David Forde in the home goal no chance.

Chris Hutchings' side were working hard to frustrate The Lions in the opening exchanges, although skipper, Mark Hughes had to be alert to defend well with a timely block as Marc Laird made room for a shooting opportunity.

Some excellent battling play by Rhys Weston saw him win two strong challenges before feeding one-time Millwall man, Darren Byfield who turned his marker before seeing his shot well blocked by Forde.

A 37th minute free-kick on the right for the home side was cleared only as far as Danny Schofield just outside the area and his powerful drive was gathered at the second attempt by Clayton Ince.

Some hesitation by Ince shortly afterwards almost let in Ashley Grimes, but The Saddlers were able to scramble away the danger.

After Nadjim Abdou fired wide for the home side, Marc Laird lashed over the crossbar from close range as Millwall attacked in numbers right at the end of the opening period.

With 50 minutes on the clock, Mark Bradley did well to pull the ball back from the by-line, only for Paul Robinson to clear ahead of the awaiting Byfield and Sam Parkin.

Skipper, Mark Hughes was booked for a clumsy challenge on Abdou as The Lions started to build up a head of steam. Alan Dunne fired inches wide from distance, but it wasn't long before the home side got back on level terms as Steve Morison broke through the middle before firing home.

There was a change for Walsall as Jamie Vincent replaced Netan Sansara and moments later, Morison broke the offside trap to find himself through on goal and he stayed cool to fire beyond an exposed Ince and give his side the lead.

Alex Nicholls was introduced into the action in place of Peter Till, but he failed to give The Saddlers the spark that we were desperately searching for in the second half.

As the clock ticked down, Weston arrowed in a shot that was on target, but easy for Forde to gather, whilst at the other end, Millwall had the ball in the net but the effort was ruled out for offside.

The last action saw Lewis Grabban cut inside and fire a low effort wide as Millwall clinched three points.

PHOTOS: Kevin Grice.