Wycombe Wanderers took a huge stride towards League One football on Monday afternoon as they defeated Walsall 1-0 at Adams Park. In a tight and tense match, it was a rare moment of quality that settled a game that looks to be another nail in the coffin of the Saddler’s campaign.

The two teams suffered contrasting fortunes on Good Friday with Wycombe punished late on by Rochdale having failed to take their chances, while Walsall salvaged a controversial last-minute point at home to Southend.

Gareth Ainsworth named an unchanged line-up for the third game running while Richard O’Connor brought in Cameron Norman, Josh Gordon, Isaiah Osbourne, Scott Laird and Aramide Oteh for a game that Walsall had to win to stay within touching distance of safety.

Walsall enjoyed the better of the possession early on with Luke Leahy’s long throws being their primary weapon to get the ball into the box, and it was after eleven minutes that they first got a glimpse of goal when Joe Edwards fired tamely wide. A minute later and Wycombe created an opening when Adebayo Akinenfenwa looped the ball over the bar from close range from Jason McCarthy’s free-kick. Akinenwfa then stung the palms of Walsall goalkeeper Chris Dunn when on 28 minutes, he brought the ball down and fired goalwards from eight yards out. The effort had power, but placement was what was perhaps needed. Akinfenwa was involved again just after the half-hour he headed straight at Dunn. The big striker, and most of the crowd, felt he was being held, but the protests fell on deaf ears.

That was the last moment of note as half-time arrived with there being little to write home about. Wycombe had created most of the few chances with Walsall enjoying a bit more of the ball, without doing too much with it.

The visitors came out with a bit more purpose after the break and a good spell of pressure ended with Leahy heading over when well placed. Wycombe responded and on 51 minutes, Akinfenwa was again involved, putting the ball across the six-yard box but there was no-one in blue to tap home. Four minutes later, and the pivotal breakthrough came. Akinfenwa was upended on the edge of the box and up stepped McCarthy. The former Walsall man lifted the ball over the wall and into the net, leaving Dunn rooted to the spot.

The next 35 minutes constituted just one moment that this reporter felt worthy of noting down when, with 13 minutes to go, Scott Kashket failed to get a shot off following a defensive slip and a Walsall break ended with Ryan Allsop making a very routine stop. In truth, Wycombe were content to grind the result out with Walsall failing to give the Wanderers defence anything to really think about.

It wasn’t the prettiest game, but relegation scraps rarely are and having created multiple chances in recent matches without getting anything by way of return, Wycombe will be grateful of a scrappy win, their first at home since January. They have played in far more entertaining games recently, but ones without a happy ending for the Chairboy faithful.

They have now hit the magical 50 points tally, traditionally enough to ensure survival in this division. One more win will guarantee it and they will be looking to do just that on Saturday at Wimbledon, 364 days after clinching promotion in the first place. If it happens, it will mark the first time Wycombe have avoided relegation from League One since 2004 as Gareth Ainsworth aims to be the first man since Martin O’Neil to get Wycombe into the third tier and keep them there.

For Walsall, they will probably have to win their final two games against Peterborough and Shrewsbury or at the very least, pick up four points from those games. In either of those scenarios, they will still be hoping for at least three of the five teams above them to drop points and given they have lost seven and drawn one of their last eight games, even the most optimistic Saddlers fan will find it hard to make a case for them playing League One football next season.

WYCOMBE WANDERERS 1 (McCarthy 55) WALSALL 0

ATT: 5,595 (Walsall 547)

words Phil Slatter, D3D4 Wycombe Wanderers correspondent