Half-time: Brentford 0 Walsall 1

Brentford boss Dean Smith faced an FA Cup exit at the hands of his former club after Sam Mantom gave the visitors the lead at the break.

Mantom was given too much space as he bore down on the Brentford penalty area and the Walsall midfielder clipped a left-footed shot beyond home keeper David Button.

That sparked ironic chants of “sacked in the morning” from the Saddlers fans, aimed at their old manager, and in truth the League One side looked at home against their Championship opponents.

Neither goalkeeper had been tested until the goal, however, with Brentford’s Harlee Dean heading a corner wide and at the other end Mantom scuffing a shot when well-placed.

But he made amends by putting Walsall in front and former Chelsea youngster Milan Lalkovic went close to a second with a curling effort which dropped just wide of the far post.

Alan McCormack had Brentford’s only shot on goal just before half-time, but it was comfortably gathered by ex-Fulham keeper Neil Etheridge.

Brentford: Button; Yennaris, Dean, O’Connell, Bidwell; McCormack, McEachran; Canos, Woods, Swift; Hofmann.
Subs: Bonham, Barbet, Kerschbaumer, Gogia, Saunders, Judge, Djuricin.

Walsall: Etheridge; O’Connor, Downing, Evans, Henry; Sawyers, Chambers, Mantom, Kinsella; Lalkovic, Bradshaw.
Subs: MacGillivray, Taylor, Forde, Preston, Flanagan, Morris, Cook.