WALSALL 1

(Fitzwater, 45)

ROVERS 2

(Graham, 17, 26)

A FIRST half double from Danny Graham was enough to maintain Rovers’ lead at the top of League One courtesy of a 2-1 win at Walsall.

Rovers were forced to hang on in the second half after the Saddlers were handed a lifeline just before the break when Jack Fitzwater reduced to the arrears.

It had been comfortable up to that point, with Graham scoring twice in the opening 26 minutes with close range finishes to take him to 15 for the season which included his 150th career league game.

Tony Mowbray made two changes for the Banks’ Stadium trip, Jack Payne and Ryan Nyambe, with Bradley Dack missing out through illness.

The game started at quite a pace, Rovers winning a corner within 30 seconds after a flying run down the right by Elliott Bennett

But it was Walsall who had the first shot goalwards, Joe Edwards, a scorer at Ewood Park last month, dragging an effort wide of the target after pouncing on a Ryan Nyambe slip.

Bennett had s shot blocked by Jon Guthrie, while David Raya had to be alert to pounce on the loose ball as Kieran Morris tried to break away from Derrick Williams

That all happened within a frantic opening five minutes but the game started to get a little scrappy.

But Rovers seized the initiative to take the lead in the 17th minute as Graham grabbed his 14th of the season and 150th of his career. Richie Smallwood pounced on a loose ball in midfield, with the move ending with Armstrong crossing in for Graham to tap home from close-range.

Walsall tried to respond immediately and had a good opening within a minute as Nicky Devlin broke forward from right-back. His cross was cleared only as far as George Dobson’s whose effort from the edge of the box was blocked by the well positioned Darragh Lenihan.

But Graham was to repeat the double he scored in the previous meeting with Walsall as he doubled his and Rovers’ lead nine minutes later. Payne spread the ball out wide to Bennett and got his head to the forthcoming cross which guided the ball in to the path of Graham who couldn’t miss from six yards out.

Bennett was getting acres of space down the Rovers right and he and Graham were to link up in the 33rd minute, only for the striker to flash an effort wide of the near post.

Armstrong went close to a third for Rovers eight minutes before the break when Rovers launched a quick counter. He made the run from just inside his own half and was picked out by a terrific pass from Payne, only to be denied by the crossbar as he tried to lift the ball over Roberts.

But the hosts, just as they did at Ewood Park, were handed a lifeline on the stroke of half-time. Raya could only half clear a left-wing corner, with Dobson firing the ball across goal for Jack Fitzwater to turn in at the far post.

The second half started with a host of long balls, from both sides, being headed clear.

The first shot after the break came seven minutes after the re-start, Joe Edwards trying his luck from 25 yards after cutting in from the left, only for Raya to save under his crossbar.

Walsall were starting to come in to the game for the first time though, a Devlin break down the right in the 55th minute saw him pull the ball back for Dobson but he couldn’t get the right contact on his shot which bounced easily through to Raya.

Things had gone a little flat from a Rovers perspective though, with Mowbray sending on Dominic Samuel for Graham just after the hour mark before Marcus Antonsson replaced Corry Evans.

The two subs then linked up to good effect, Antonsson crossing from the left, with Samuel heading down and in to the ground, only for the ball to loop over the bar.

The crowd held their breath with 16 minutes to go when Oztumer stood over a free-kick just outside the box. He bent it up and over the wall, with Raya forced to tip it over.

And the Spaniard came to the rescue moments later, dashing off his line to get to the ball before Julien Ngoy as the striker looked set to have a free shot on goal.

Rovers were very much hanging on, struggling to keep a hold of the ball, as they moved to a back three for the final 10 minutes as Amari’i Bell was sent on.

A rare Rovers attempt in the second half saw Lenihan head a Mulgrew free-kick straight in to the arms of Roberts.

The move to five at the back helped ease the pressure somewhat as they recorded a 20th league victory of the season.

Walsall: L Roberts; Devlin, Fitzwater, Guthrie, Leahy; Chambers, Dobson, Edwards (Kouhyar, 67), Morris, Oztumer, Shaibu (Ngoy, 64)

Substitutes: Gillespie; Kinsella, K Roberts Cuvelier, Flanagan Kouhyar

Rovers: Raya, Nyambe, Lenihan, Mulgrew, Williams, Smallwood, Evans (Antonsson, 67), Bennett, Payne (Bell, 79), Armstrong, Graham (Samuel, 62)

Substitutes: Leutwiler, Caddis, Downing, Nuttall