Walsall ended a 14-game win drought with a vital 2-1 victory that dealt a further blow to Forest Green’s fading automatic promotion hopes.

Goals from Rory Holden and skipper James Clarke gave interim boss Brian Dutton his first win and moved the Saddlers nine points clear of the bottom two.

Walsall took just six minutes to take the lead as Emmanuel Osadebe exchanged passes with Josh Gordon before slipping an unmarked Holden clear to slot past Luke McGee.

Neither keeper was threatened for the rest of the half but Walsall could have doubled their lead soon after the interval, Gordon steering Max Melbourne’s cross over from 10 yards.

But Walsall sealed their long-awaited victory on 65 minutes as Osadebe cushioned a cross into the path of Clarke, who scuffed a volley past McGee from six yards.

Jordan Moore-Taylor pulled one back with a near-post header from a corner on 72 minutes but could not prevent a fifth defeat in six matches for Rovers, who slip five points off the top three.