The Saddlers secured their place in the second round of the Carabao Cup with a comfortable win over League Two side Tranmere Rovers, thanks to goals from Morgan Ferrier, Josh Ginnelly and Zeli Ismail.

Early in the first half it was the hosts who went close with Ollie Banks skimming the top of the bar with an effort from 25-yards out. 

But it was the Saddlers who were rewarded for their considerable effort as Ferrier opened the scoring, and rightly so, with the striker having gone close on a couple of occasions. 

After a dink over the top from Liam Kinsella, Ferrier turned his man and finished cooly past Shamal George in the Rovers net. 

But the Saddlers weren’t completely out of trouble as once again Banks picked the ball up on the edge of the box only to see another one of his efforts come back off the woodwork, this time off the post.

Shortly after Ferrier’s opener, the Saddlers went close again, this time through Ismail. 

Following a corner from George Dobson, the ball fell to him on the edge of the box and after striking it on the half-volley, his effort took several deflections and trickled just wide of the right post.

In the second half Dean Keates’ side went through the gears to try and kill the game off and they successfully did that as Ginnelly and Ismail added a second and a third to the tally.

Following a long throw from Leahy, the ball fell to Ginnelly on the edge of the box and the unmarked winger finished emphatically on the half-volley.

And in the 68th minute the game was all but won following a superb individual effort from Ismail, his second goal in as many games. 

After picking the ball up in his own half, the tricky winger opted to ignore the options around him, advancing past four Rovers players into the box before finishing well across the keeper. 

Twelve minutes before the end of the game, Rovers pulled a consolation goal back through Larnell Cole, with the winger lashing the ball into the roof of the net.