Walsall 0 Barrow 1

Barrow moved within four points of the League Two play-off places as Billy Waters’ ninth goal of the season earned the injury-hit Bluebirds a deserved victory at Walsall.

Waters fired home his first goal in almost two months midway through the first half as Barrow recorded a third 1-0 win in four games.

They wasted chances to double their lead and almost paid the price in injury time only for Paul Farman to make an excellent stop to prevent Isaac Hutchinson levelling for Walsall.

With Josh Kay and Elliot Newby joining top scorer – and former Walsall striker – Josh Gordon on the injury list this week, the Bluebirds were short of attacking options for the trip to the West Midlands.

Both Kay and Newby suffered knocks in the midweek draw with Salford – and their absences accounted for two of five changes made by Pete Wild.

Tom White, Harrison Neal and club record signing Ged Garner dropped to the bench, with Sam Foley, Rory Feely, Ben Whitfield, Jake Young and Waters the five players to come in.

Barrow were out of the blocks quickly and could have been ahead inside three minutes as Young came close to netting his first Bluebirds goal since his January loan move from Bradford.

Young surged into the Walsall box from the right, leaving defenders in his wake but saw his shot from an acute angle well saved by Saddlers keeper Owen Evans.

Barrow then had a spell on the back foot with Paul Farman producing a superb reflex stop to keep out Matty Stevens’ close-range header, although the flag was up for offside.

A pair of Walsall free-kicks then yielded headers from Manny Monthe and Donervon Daniels, the former dropping just wide and the latter straight at Farman.

But Barrow stunned the hosts by going ahead on 22 minutes, Waters showing quick reactions to control Ben Whitfield’s deflected shot before taking a touch to lash into the roof of the net from 12 yards.

Young could have doubled the lead, robbing Liam Kinsella in the centre circle and embarking on another fine solo run, beating both Walsall centre-halves, only to fire wide from the edge of the box.

Then, just before half-time, Waters went close to a second when a long throw was flicked on but his sliding, first-time effort at full stretch flew over.

The visitors began the second half just as brightly as Sam McClelland’s downward header from a free-kick beat Evans but was acrobatically hooked off the line by Tom Knowles.

Rory Feely was inches away with a glancing header from the resulting corner before Barrow’s first real scare saw an unmarked Robbie Willmott volley Liam Gordon’s cross wastefully wide.

Farman saved comfortably from a glancing header by Andy Williams and a deflected Knowles shot while Barrow sub Ged Garner’s free-kick at the other end was easy for Evans.

Barrow were sitting deep by this stage but Walsall could not break them down and a Hutchinson 20-yarder was straight at Farman.

The keeper also had to tip over a Knowles cross-shot late on but saved his best until last with a superb save from Hutchinson’s volley to preserve the points deep into stoppage time.