Walsall 3 Preston North End 1

Romaine Sawyers has Kitts and made up with the Bescot faithful.

Striker Sawyers opened the scoring as Walsall won for the first time this season, but had been jeered by some fans before heading off to help St. Kitts and Nevis beat Dominica in the Caribbean Cup.

Sawyers, 22, even took to Twitter to apologise to fans, but said:

"I didn't play to the standard I'd set for myself. I was disappointed and said that, but now the tweets will be a lot more positive. 

"I can accept when they're not on my side when my performances were like they were, but today's reception when I came off made me feel good about myself."

And Birmingham-born Sawyers believes the visit to St. Kitts helped him relax. He said:

"It's a lot more laid back out there so it was good to refresh myself, but I put personal pressure on myself whether I'm playing for Walsall or St. Kitts."

Joe Garner equalised before the break, but Tom Bradshaw and Paul Downing headed Walsall to a second half victory.

Andy Butler returned to Walsall to make his loan debut - only three months after signing for Sheffield United and was felled by a 69th minute headbutt from Jordan Hugill who was red-carded.

But Butler refused to criticise United boss Nigel Clough for farming him out and said:

"There's been no falling out or anything and a friend sent me a text this week to let me know that Walsall haven't won since November 2010 without me playing, so that's not a bad stat!"

Manager Dean Smith took a friendly swipe at the doom mongers who had already tipped the Saddlers for the drop. He joked: 

"It's nice to get the win. It was a six-pointer in a relegation battle wasn't it?"

Walsall 3 Preston North End 1

Romaine Sawyers silenced the boo-boys as Walsall chalked up a first win against ten-man Preston.

Striker Sawyer had been getting grief from the Bescot faithful before spending the international break with St. Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean, but scored his first goal since January in the seventh minute.

Mal Benning picked out fellow midfielder Adam Chambers on the left side of the box and he cut the ball back to Sawyers who found the back of the net with a deflected side-footed shot from fourteen yards.

Delighted Walsall boss Dean Smith said:

"It was a good result against a team who were unbeaten in the league until today and I was pleased to see Romaine get himself back on the score sheet."

Tom Bradshaw grabbed the Saddlers second four minutes after the break when he nodded in Antony Forde's right wing cross from eight yards to claim his fourth goal since a summer move from Shrewsbury.

And central defender Paul Downing sealed the win in the 76th minute when he nodded in his first goal of the season at the far post from a Forde corner.

Striker Joe Garner had pulled Preston back into the game in the 36th minute with his fourth goal in six starts when he drilled in a low shot from the edge of the box following a pass from substitute Jordan Hugill.

But Hugill gave referee Geoff Eltringham no option other than to dish out his FOURTH red card of the season in the 69th minute when he head-butted loanee defender Andy Butler who returned to the club last week despite a summer move to Sheffield United.

North End manager Simon Grayson fumed:

"Jordan's been foolish to react the way he did, but we were the masters of our own downfall."

Bristol City 2 Scunthorpe United 0

FGreg Cunningham took less than sixty seconds to seal City's unbeaten start to the season.

Substitute Cunningham started the move after coming off the bench in the 82nd minute and then latched on to a pass from midfielder Luke Freeman to drill in his first goal of the campaign from the left side of the box.

City are now second in the table behind Peterborough after winning four of their first six games, but manager Steve Cotterill warned:

"It's early days and nothing to get carried away about, but I'm very pleased with the win.

"I thought Greg's goal was fantastic, but Joe Bryan will tell you that he exhausted their full back before I took him off!"

Freeman also had a hand in City's 52nd minute opener when floated a corner to the far post and 6' 6" central defender Aden Flint nodded in his first goal of the season from two yards.

Posh loanee stopper Bobby Olejnik kept Scunny in the game with an excellent save in the 69th minute.

Striker Kieran Agard had a shot blocked by central defender Niall Canavan on the right side of the box, but curled the rebound towards the far corner only to see Olejnik touch it behind at full stretch.

Scunthorpe came close to scoring twice in two minutes.

In the 22nd minute Gary McSheffrey rattled the upright with a shot from the left side of the area and then co-striker Paddy Madden raced onto a defence splitting pass from midfielder Neal Bishop, but Frank Fielding saved his twenty yard shot.

Iron boss Russ Wilcox groaned:

"It's always disappointing when you lose a football match, but we showed what we're about and created three or four golden opportunities. We did well for an hour, but have to do better in both boxes."

Cheltenham Town 1 Hartlepool United 0

Koby Arthur dedicated his late, late winner to his forgiving team mates.

Ghanaian striker Arthur, 18, stunned Hartlepool with a header in the 90th minute before revealing:

"In the last home game against Carlisle I was selfish and took a shot and missed when I should have passed it. I felt bad and apologised to the lads afterwards. They told me not to worry about it and said that sometimes they go for you and sometimes they don't. I think I've made them happy now though."

Arthur is on a six month youth loan deal from Birmingham City and is quite happy with the super-sub tag after netting three times from the bench in Cheltenham's unbeaten start to the campaign. He said:

"I'm a young player and I'm sure that the time will come in my career when I start games regularly, but if you look at our squad there are plenty of guys with lots of experience so why should I start ahead of them? 

"The manager knows what he's doing and it's not my place to pick the team, but we all have a role to play whether we start or not."

Fellow substitute John Marquis was unlucky not to score a brace on his debut following a one month loan move from Millwall last week and said:

"The first one that hit the post was from a difficult angle, but I did everything right for my header and their keeper just made an excellent save."

Robins First Team Coach Shaun North deputised for manager Mark Yates and said:

"Everyone did their bit. It's nice to be unbeaten, it means that we're doing things right."

Hartlepool boss Colin Cooper admitted:

"I don’t think we did enough to win the game but we did enough not to lose."

Cheltenham Town 1 Hartlepool United 0

Super-sub Koby Arthur broke Pool hearts to seal the win at the death.

Striker Arthur nodded in the winner in the 90th minute from close range after skipper Matt Taylor had flicked on Troy Brown's long throw in.

Arthur has now scored three goals from the bench in Cheltenham's five game unbeaten start to the season and First Team Coach Shaun North said:

"It took a little while to come, but we kept knocking at the door and our reward came in the end.

"We've not done a lot of work on long throws, but maybe we should because Koby timed his run to perfection."

Hartlepool thought they had done enough to earn a draw thanks to a superb save from keeper Scott Flinders with seven minutes left.

Flinders beat the odds to acrobatically dive backwards and push substitute John Marquis's point blank header onto the bar with his his finger tips.

Cheltenham dominated the game and before the break Flinders was forced to beat away a stinging shot from Craig Braham-Barrett after the wing-back darted into the box from the left.

And Cheltenham should have found the net twice in the space of one minute.

Striker Terry Gornell fluffed a chance in the 55th minute and blasted his shot over the bar from ten yards before player-coach Steve Elliott headed straight at Flinders with the goal begging.

Millwall loanee striker Marquis almost had an immediate impact on his debut in the 65th minute.

Marquis raced into the box from the right, but his angled shot hit the foot of the post with Flinders beaten.

Disappointed Pool boss Colin Cooper groaned:

"With all due respect, it's the smallest player on the pitch who heads in the winner. It feels like we've been kicked where it hurts."

Swindon Town 2 Crewe Alexandra 0

Yaser Kasim left Swindon fans smiling before his thoughts returned to the bloody insurgency at home.

Baghdad-born midfielder Kasim, 23, ran the show and fired in a stunning 34th minute free kick to see off Crewe, but the suffering in Iraq caused by Islamic State terrorists is never far from his thoughts. He said:

"A few fanatics are causing problems in a country that has so much to offer. The people deserve better. It's supposed to be our job as footballers to try and make people happy, but the situation is tough on everyone there.

"Fortunately my family are here with me, but you can't help but think of friends back at home."

Former Spurs youth product Kasim should win his second international cap in a 'home' friendly against Peru in Dubai on September 5th and is hoping to make the squad for the Asian Cup in Australia in January. He revealed:

"In 2007 we won the competition for the first time and the streets were deserted. Everyone was inside the cafés or their homes watching the team on the TV. When Iraq won it lifted everyone's spirits. Hopefully we can do that again."

Meanwhile Louis Thompson and boss Mark Cooper disagreed about Kasim's free-kick prowess.

Midfielder Thompson claimed:

"He takes fifteen to twenty every day in training and hits the back of the net with most of them."

But Cooper joked:

"I heard what Louis said and don't know what he's on about. I get rashes on my legs from nettles and thorns every day after training while I'm searching through the bushes for the balls Yaser has lost."

Andy Williams sealed a comfortable win after slotting in the second in the 77th minute and Crewe manager Steve Davis admitted:

"I was disappointed with our attacking play and we have made those little errors that have cost us. Saying that it was a great free kick."

Swindon Town 2 Crewe Alexandra 0

Yaser Kasim scored a stunner for Swindon to help see off awful Alex.

Kasim opened his account for the season in the 34th minute after fellow midfielder Louis Thompson was up-ended by Jamie Ness.

Iraq international Kasim then left keeper Ben Garratt flat-footed with a 22 yard free kick that flew into the top of the net.

Robins manager Mark Cooper was delighted with the win and said:

"I thought we were very comfortable. We had to be patient and Crewe gave us respect so we had to wait for the right moment.

"I didn't think we were ever in any trouble. We dominated and deserved to win. The league table makes decent reading."

Striker Andy Williams added a second goal in two games in the 77th minute when he stole the ball off midfielder Lee Molyneux 35 yards out before racing into the area and sliding the ball past the helpless Garratt.

But if it had not been for Garratt Crewe would have been severely embarrassed.

Garratt pulled some excellent saves as his team mates seemed void of ideas or desire.

In the first thirty minutes the Crewe stopper dived low to save a twelve yard shot from Kasim before diving to pluck a cross off Williams's toes and blocking close range efforts from Thompson and Brad Smith.

Five minutes after the break Garratt needed to be alert again to claim Michael Smith's eight yard flick-on from under his bar following a cross from right wing-back Nathan Byrne.

And in the 77th minute Garratt needed to be at his very best to tip over another superb Kasim free-kick from 30 yards.

Crewe boss Steve Davis admitted:

"A lot of the work we did was about defending - trying to frustrate them and falter their play."

Bristol City 0 Leyton Orient 0

Frank Fielding pulled off three good saves to keep City's unbeaten start to the season going.

In the 52nd minute midfielder Lloyd James let fly from 30 yards and Fielding had to scramble across his line to palm the ball behind.

Three minutes later Darius Henderson out jumped the defence to meet Dean Cox's cross, but Fielding did well to get down and save on his line.

And with two minutes left Fielding beat away another James long range effort as Orient pressed for the three points.

Substitute Henderson should have scored with five minutes left, but nodded Dean Cox's floated free-kick inches wide with Fielding beaten.

In injury time City cranked up some late pressure.

Substitute Luke Freeman fired just over the bar and defender Luke Ayling nodded wide with the goal begging.

Henderson replaced Kevin Lisbie who injured his shoulder and now joins Shaun Batt and Chris Dagnall on the treatment table as manager Russell Slade's striker problems mount after only three league games.

Romain Vincelot nearly gifted City the winner in the 77th minute when he lost he ball to Aaron Wilbraham as he tried to dribble across the face of goal, but keeper Adam Legzdins pounced to beat the surprised striker to the ball.

Keeper Adam Legzdins punched a Marlon Pack corner into his own net in the 37th minute under pressure from Sam Baldock, but the City skipper was adjudged to have committed a foul.

Robins manager Steve Cotterill was furious that referee Simon Hooper chalked off what he felt was the winner for his side and said:

"We scored a perfectly good goal. The keeper lost the flight of Marlon Pack's fantastic corner and punched it into his own net. I've seen it half a dozen times. When the referee watches that back he'll have to say it was a goal. We did enough to win that game.

"The dressing room was a little sombre afterwards, but that's great as they expected to win it and that shows how far we have come."

Orient chief Russell Slade said:

"I think before a ball was kicked I would've taken a point and certainly a clean sheet, but in the end we just lacked the killer touch to win it. We could've been more ruthless.

"There were times when Bristol couldn't get close to us. We moved the ball around well.

"We have an improving side that will just get better."

Cheltenham Town 2 Accrington Stanley 1

Koby Arthur ripped up his L-plates and showed he has a licence to thrill.

Rookie Ghanaian striker Arthur, 18, was no pedestrian when he outpaced the Stanley defence to score a superb 84th minute solo effort after coming on as substitute in his home debut. He said:

"I'm buzzing, I'm so happy. I passed my driving test first time on Friday, but scoring my first professional goal is better. It's been a great two days."

Birmingham loanee Arthur has signed a deal to keep him at Whaddon Road until January and he revealed:

"I came over from Ghana when I was sixteen because my Dad, who has an estate agency in London, wanted me to go to college. He supported me though and told me just to work hard. I started playing for Woodford United near Northampton and scored some goals before Birmingham signed me."

Strike partner Byron Harrison shrugged off a dead leg to grab the opener in the 34th minute and boss Mark Yates revealed:

"He got a smash on his thigh and it was nice that he scored as I was going to take him off. He wanted to stay on for the corner so it was great to see him score."

Kal Naismith cancelled out Harrison's opener in the 77th minute, but the midfielder blew an extra-time chance to grab a point from the spot when he fired over the bar.

And Accrington manager James Beattie revealed:

"They’re dejected in there but I’ve said to them that they need to pick themselves up. There’s a great opportunity for them to put it right on Tuesday against Shrewsbury. A few lads let their heads drop, which I’m not particularly happy about because you have to keep going to the final whistle, irrespective of what situation arises."

Cheltenham Town 2 Accrington Stanley 1

Kal Naismith went from hero to zero, but James Beattie was furious with some of his other players.

It looked as though the Robins had blown the win when Naismith pulled Stanley back into the game against the run of play in the 77th minute by slotting in striker James Gray's pass from eight yards.

But in the 93rd minute the midfielder blasted a penalty high over the bar after Lee Vaughan had up-ended substitute Piero Mingoia and manager Beattie fumed:

"Kal's the penalty taker, but there was some interference with that from some of our players and it's something we'll be studying when we look at the video."

But Koby Arthur became an instant hit with the Cheltenham faithful after scoring the winner on his home debut.

Birmingham City loanee Arthur out-paced and out-muscled defender Jordan Mustoe to collect a long punt forward from keeper Trevor Carson and slot in his first senior goal from a tight angle.

Striker Byron Harrison opened the scoring in the 34th minute and then promptly retired hurt.

Joe Hanks's corner was nodded against the foot of the post by central defender Troy Brown and Harrison was the first to react to tap in the rebound from two feet despite carrying a dead leg.

Cheltenham had come close to opening the scoring twice in sixty seconds.

In the sixteenth minute former Accrington striker Terry Gornell's curling shot took a deflection and flew just wide of the far post and Matt Taylor's downward header from the resulting corner was hacked off the line by defender Rob Atkinson. 

And Gray was forced to nod a Matt Taylor effort from under the bar as Cheltenham dominated.

Robins boss Mark Yates admitted:

"At the end it probably was a penalty, but fortune was on our side."