FA Cup First Round Replay:
Walsall 0 Macclesfield Town 1

Paul Ince enjoyed some happy times in the four years he spent seeing out his illustrious playing career with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

So it was fitting that, on his first return to the Black Country since being passed over for the Wolves job this summer, the new Macclesfield Town boss should record his first win in football management.

Not that it left sorry Walsall feeling too happy. On a night when tempers were strained at times by the ferocity of the Macc lads' tackling, the table-topping Saddlers did not match fire with fire. And they had only themselves to blame for limply bowing out of this year's FA Cup.

Walsall's league form — especially at home — is already legendary. Eight wins out of nine, two points dropped out of a possible 27 at Bescot, not a single goal conceded. But they've not had much fun in the knockouts.

And, just as Bolton Wanderers won here to put the Saddlers out of the Carling Cup, and Swansea City's penalty shootout victory ended their interest in the Johnstones Paints Trophy, so this season's FA Cup hopes also ended on home soil.

It seemed unlikely. The League Two pacesetters, after all, were fully 35 points clear of the league's 92nd club. But Ince did have one crafty ace up his sleeve, having brought in fellow former England star Ian Wright to help coach his strikers.

And, although it was visiting left-back Jimmy McNulty who netted the winner eight minutes from time, that did not lessen the achievement of Macclesfield's first win in 21 games in any competition this season.

Walsall manager Richard Money had made three changes to the team who stretched their lead to six points with Saturday's 1-0 win at play-off hopefuls Hereford.

One was enforced, thanks to Darren Wrack's hamstring injury, but player-coach Mark Kinsella and Saturday's matchwinner Chris Westwood were rested, ensuring recalls for Tony Bedeau, Kris Taylor and Mark Wright. And the changes perhaps were the reason for such an ineffectual performance.

With an attendance barely half this season's average league gate, it was hardly surprising that the evening should so lack in atmosphere. But then the home fans did not have much to keep them warm.

Neither side managed an effort on target in as poor a 45 minutes as the Bescot has surely have ever staged. But at least, after the welcome relief of the half-time whistle, it got a bit better after the interval.

Within a minute of the restart, Bedeau showed the sort of enterprise missing in the first half by making an encouraging break down the left. And, at the other end, Scott Dann steamed in with a great block to thwart Colin Heath.

But, although their first real sniff of goal came when keeper Jonathan Brain and Danny Swailes got in a muddle trying to block Wright's corner, Walsall finally started to show more the sort of stuff expected of league leaders.

In quick succession, Daniel Fox had a shot blocked, Bedeau planted a free header wide and Wright's thundering volley was deflected over. But it was not nearly enough and, from Kevin McIntyre's right-wing free-kick, Danny Swailes headed against the bar, and McNulty was there to slam in the rebound.

Even then the home side nearly saved it when Ishmel Demontagnac crossed from the left and Dean Keates arrowed in a goalbound header. But visiting keeper Brain was sharp enough to turn it aside.

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WALSALL (4-4-2): Ince; Wright, Roper, Dann, Taylor; Bedeau, Dobson, Keates, Fox; Sam (Demontagnac, 57), Butler. Subs: Bossu (gk), Constable, Bradley, Smith.
MACCLESFIELD TOWN (4-4-2): Brain; Regan, Teague, Swailes, McNulty; Wiles, Tolley (Hadfield, 64), Navarro, McIntyre; Heath (McNeil, 76), Bullock. Subs: Miles, Reid, Jennings.
Referee: Andy D'Urso (Essex).
Booking: Macclesfield — Regan (foul).
Attendance: 3,114.