Walsall suffered their first defeat of the season after a slow start proved to be costly away at Barrow.
The Bluebirds raced into a 2-0 lead after just 12 minutes with goals from Tyrell Warren and Sam McClelland.
Danny Johnson pulled one back with his sixth of the campaign early in the second half but the Saddlers couldn’t find a leveller against a determined Barrow outfit.
Michael Flynn made two changes to the team that started Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Stevenage.
Liam Bennett and Timmy Abraham came in for their first league starts of the season in place of Taylor Allen and Andy Williams.
The Saddlers got off to a slow start and fell behind after just eight minutes when Patrick Brough’s corner was met by Warren who was left unmarked at the back post and nodded the ball into the net.
It got worse for Walsall just four minutes later when they were undone from another corner as McCelland powered in a header to double Barrow’s lead.
After withstanding further pressure from the hosts, the Saddlers slowly settled into the game and had their first chance on 18 minutes when Isaac Hutchinson arrowed in a low shot but his attempt trickled wide.
Johnson also had a chance from 20-yards on 33 minutes after Hutchinson slipped the ball into his path and his powerful strike just whistled over the crossbar. It looked to have taken a deflection and the referee originally signalled for a corner but changed his mind and awarded a goal kick.
Barrow continued to cause Walsall problems and almost extended their lead further when Ben Whitfield was played in and rifled in a low shot towards the near post but Owen Evans got down well to push the ball behind.
Flynn made two changes four minutes before the break as he introduced Tom Knowles and Ronan Maher in place of Donervon Daniels and Hutchinson, switching from a 3-5-2 to a 4-3-3 and that proved to be the last of the action in the first half.
The Saddlers needed to make a positive start to the second half and they did just that when Knowles whipped in a teasing cross that Johnson got on the end of to bundle over the line just two minutes in to the second half for his first away goal for the Club.
The game started to open up and Barrow still carried a threat. Former Walsall striker Josh Gordon was played through and looked like he was going to restore the Bluebirds’ two goal advantage when he fizzed in a shot towards the bottom corner from close range but Evans pulled off a fantastic save low to his left to deny him.
Walsall were dealt a blow when Hayden White was forced off with an injury and subsequently replaced by Taylor Allen.
Barrow enjoyed the majority of the possession in the second half as the Saddlers looked to hit the hosts on the break in search of an equaliser.
The hosts looked the more likely of the two teams as the game reached the closing stages.
There were five minutes of injury time indicated and the Saddlers managed to create an opening as Knowles’ long ball was helped on by substitute Andy Williams to Abraham who burst down the right channel and cut the ball back towards goal but it was caught by Paul Farman.
The big moment came in the 95th minute when the ball fell to Peter Clarke on the edge of the box and he fired in a shot that missed the target by a matter of inches.
That proved to be the last kick of the game and Walsall’s unbeaten start came to an end.
Evans; White (Allen 61’), Daniels (Knowles 41’), P.Clarke, Monthé, Bennett (Williams 79’); Comley, Kinsella, Hutchinson (Maher 41’), Johnson, Abraham
Subs: Przybek (GK), Williams, James-Taylor, Earing, Allen
Attendance: 3435 (268 away)