Paul Downing has fired Walsall into a 1-0 half-time lead over Leyton Orient at the Bescot Stadium this afternoon.

The Saddlers started much the better of the two sides and would have gone ahead inside 10 minutes if not for the intervention of goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic, who tipped Milan Lalkovic's goal-bound effort on to the woodwork.

However, Dean Smith's men took the lead on 14 minutes through Downing, who capitalised on Orient's failure to clear from a corner to smash a loose ball home from close range.

The visitors twice went close from corners in the dying stages of the first half, but David Mooney spurned both opportunities to restore parity prior to the interval.