The game had the feel of a pre-season tussle about it until Brentford striker Jake Reeves's assassination attempt on Adam Chambers near the half way line, but Dean Smith's lack of excitement at the prospect of another game in the competition was matched only by Uwe Rosler's indifference at Brentford's exit. Still, it was nice to brush off the cobwebs and sample my first KFC of the season on the was to the Bescot!
Ashley Hemmings sealed his Black Country switch with a winning super strike.
Winger Hemmings, 21, was released by Wolves in the summer and scored in only the 8th minute of his Walsall debut.
Striker Will Grigg's low shot from 14 yards was blocked by defender Kevin O'Connor, but Hemmings pounced to drill a low shot home from the left.
In the 25th minute midfielder Jake Reeves was shown a straight red card for a lunge on opposite number Adam Chambers to make life even more difficult for the Bees.
But Saddlers keeper David Grof was still forced to pull off a string of super second half saves as ten-man Brentford fought to stay in the Capital One Cup.
Walsall boss Dean Smith said:
"It's all about getting through to the next round and we did that."
Smith also jokingly revealed that David Grof - who made three top drawer saves in the second period - got the number one shirt ahead of veteran James Walker because: "His new haircut counted against him when he arrived at the ground this morning. He was trying to look like a teenager!"
Whatever Smith's reasons, Grof was delighted and proud to have been handed the number one shirt when I had a brief chat with him in the car park after the game and the young Hungarian certainly looked up to the job when I saw him play last season. With Walker as his back-up, they seem to have some quality between the sticks this season.
Brentford manager Uwe Rosler said:
"We were always in the game and gave them a run for their money. I'd like to focus on the reaction we had in the decond half. We always looked like we were in the game."
My 'award winning' piece from Sunday's paper. The Olympic coverage was - for some strange reason - deemed to be more important than a League Cup clash between two Division One outfits and consequently space in the paper was tight!
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