Walsall 1-2 Oldham Athletic
Stu Vose at the Banks's Stadium

Ryan Brooke slammed home the winner with his very first touch in professional football to hand outgoing boss Joe Royle a first win in his last game in charge.

The 17-year-old youth product was handed his debut as a second-half substitute and responded by hitting the winner courtesy of a cool finish just two minutes after coming on.

Walsall's Troy Deeney fired his side ahead inside the first minute when he headed home from close range, only for Deane Smalley to level things up a minute before the break.

A typical end-of-season first half gave way to some cracking action in the second, and Brooke capped it by writing his own fairytale as he finished well after being teed up by Smalley.

The goal was met by delight on the bench and particularly from Royle, who had endured a long winless run but can reflect on a winning finish to his tenure at Boundary Park.

New manager Dave Penney looked on and will be encouraged by how his side responded to claim maximum points from a goal down.

Athletic suffered an unusual injury blow before kick-off as Paul Black was called off the bench to replace Daniel Jones, who sustained a problem during the warm-up.

Walsall boss Chris Hutchings sportingly agreed to let the visitors change their starting line-up rather than making a substitution.

Pre-match, boss Royle called on his side to concentrate on a clean sheet, but that went out of the window due to a defensive abberation after just 31 seconds.

Fleming came for a long ball into the right-hand channel but didn't get there, allowing Alex Nicholls to cross for the unmarked Deeney to head into an empty net from 10 yards.

Chances were few and far between, although Deeney screwed a shot wide on 22 minutes and struck the bar with a looping effort just after the half hour.

The biggest quota of early entertainment came in the stands, where supporters fully embraced the fancy dress spirit, chanting for Royle and new boss Dave Penney, watching from the stands.

Characters including Ninja Turtles, Smurfs, Buzz Lightyear and a Rubik's Cube conga'd their way up and down the stand to the amusement of the home support.

The final quarter-hour of the first half was more eventful, Kevin Maher shooting wide after Saddlers keeper Clayton Ince flapped at Mark Allott's cross.

Smalley and Kieran Lee both had close-range shots charged down, and Danny Whitaker warmed Ince's gloves with a dipping effort from just outside the box.

And the visitors' brighter approach to the game was rewarded just a minute before the break when Westlake flicked on for Smalley who scythed home from six yards.

It was Smalley who had the visitors' first chance of the second half as he headed Kelvin Lomax's left-wing cross inches wide six minutes after the restart.

Walsall responded when they sprung the offside trap and Richard Taundry's back-post shot was well closed down by Westlake.

Taundry again threatened just before the hour, forcing an acrobatic save from Fleming with a well-struck blast from all of 25 yards.  Reuben Hazell completed the clearance to prevent the lurking Deeney cashing in from close range.

As a much brighter second half picked up pace, the action was soon back at the other end as Westlake cut inside and held off two defenders before forcing Ince to dive right to stop his low shot.

Debutant Brooke was handed his first-ever taste of senior football, coming on for Danny Whitaker with 18 minutes to go - and what a dream start it was from the youngster, who was handed his first-ever professional deal last month.

He had been on the pitch for just two minutes when Smalley set up the perfect script, breaking away down the right and slipping the ball to the second-year apprentice.

Brooke didn't need asking twice as he took the chance brilliantly, hitting the ball first time and directing it beyond the despairing dive of Ince into the bottom corner.

At the other end Fleming got down well to gather Nicholls' effort at the second attempt, while the lively Brooke tested Ince twice in the final seven minutes.

First he deflected Matty Wolfenden's cross into the arms of Ince and then forced the stopper to concede a corner with a well-struck drive from 15 yards.

Athletic had a strong shout for a penalty turned away in stoppage time after Wolfenden went down under a challenge, leaving the visiting coaching staff furious.

But they were celebrating moments later as the full-time whistle blew, meaning boss Royle signs off with a win in his final game in charge.

Att: 4,807 (755 away)