Three steps to Wembley Way

IN THE THICK OF THE ACTION . . . Athletic winger Ryan McLaughlin has a battle on his hands as he tries to charge forward

THE DREAM of strolling down Wembley Way, past vendors offering Reading under-21s friendship scarves, is alive.

Thanks to this impressive dissection of talented opposition, Athletic are only three wins away from a major date at the iconic venue. Farcical revamp or not, few supporters would be too dismissive of a chance to step off a club coach and take in the heady whiff of the burger merchants come April 2, 2017.

The bandwagon now rolls on to Mansfield in the last 16, with £20,000 in prize money burning a hole in an unpaid bill. The value of the competition is very, very real for a club with never-ending cash-flow worries.

It's a deeply unpopular pursuit for many - there was another sub-1,000 crowd here - but as the wins pile up, so the prize on the horizon gets that bit closer. If it's a final against an academy side from Leicester, Southampton or Swansea? Well, it's still a day out after all.

Athletic boss Stephen Robinson was under no illusions as to the importance of progressing into the next knock-out stage. From his players, there was no downing of tools in favour of battles ahead, even when 1-0 down in familiar circumstances.

The visitors were marginally the better side in the first half, but could not turn opportunities into tangible returns.

The hook came for weary-legged pair Ryan Flynn and Ryan McLaughlin at half-time, with Lee Croft and Carl Winchester introduced.

And from being a goal behind to Amadou Bakayoko's searing strike shortly before the interval, Athletic moved to 11 goals for the season in the Checkatrade Trophy alone thanks to neat efforts from Croft, Cameron Burgess and one at the death from Lee Erwin.

It was job done. Now onto the next one: Southend at home.

With Paul Green rested in order to give him a breather, Robinson went with a midfield pairing of Ousmane Fane - who is suspended for the next two league outings - and Ollie Banks, while fit-again Freddie Ladapo came in up front as a partner for Billy Mckay.

PINGING

Athletic started brightly, pinging the ball around well in the middle third, and would have gone ahead but for a brilliant piece of goalkeeping by Craig MacGillivray in the sixth minute.

McLaughlin ran purposefully at his man down the right channel and, electing to shoot from just outside the box, hit an effort destined for the Walsall shot-stopper's top-right corner. The save, with the fingertips of the 23-year-old's left hand. pushed the ball onto the crossbar and away to safety.

Banks then hit a shot from 20 yards out that deflected a foot wide wide after a neat free-kick routine was worked to the elegant midfield man.

If MacGillivray's earlier save was a highlight for the hosts, then the miss on 18 minutes by Florent Cuvelier was a lowlight. All the hosts' best counter-attacks came down Athletic's left side, where Flynn was left chasing back at spring-heeled Jason McCarthy.

This one ended with Bakayoko crossing and Cuvelier getting way under his first-time shot, from 12 yards out and with virtually as whole goal to aim at. It was a terrible miss.

Athletic were still the side with control and had the ball in the net in the 32nd minute. Burgess's header from a Banks free-kick bent in from the right was low and accurate, pushed out by MacGillivray for Mckay to stab home only to see a rather late offside flag raised.

Ladapo couldn't hit the target after whizzing past his marker Matt Preston, but Athletic couldn't make it count again and paid the price a minute before the break.

The Saddlers nicked possession in midfield, again in their profitable right channel. Bakayoko spun and let fly from 25 yards out with his left foot, hitting a shot that arrowed beyond Connor Ripley's failing left hand. The shot simply had too much pace on it and Athletic found themselves playing catch-up.

After the double-change, Walsall had a chance to double their lead in the 52nd minute, but centre-back Kevin Toner couldn't quite extend a left leg far to steer home a Cuvelier free-kick no more than three yards out.

Winchester almost connected with Charles Dunne's cross well enough to level in the 56th minute.

Next, one substitute failed to make it 2-0 and another made it 1-1. Walsall's Franck Moussa was a whisker away after 68 minutes, shaping a left-foot effort wastefully over after Athletic had given up the ball cheaply.

At the other end, up stepped Croft, lashing an accurate shot into the right-hand corner of MacGillivray's goal to offer him little chance of effecting a save.

Athletic pushed on. Four minutes later, when a poor Banks corner was headed back to the taker, he bent in a speedy and accurate delivery that Burgess connected with perfectly to turn in with the aid of the underside of the crossbar.

The visitors had to ride their luck still. Scott Laird's 80th-minute shot was very well saved, low to his left by Ripley, with the rebound travelling between Simeon Jackson's legs.

At the other end, the determined Fane drove forward to release substitute Erwin, who chopped inside his marker and shaped a neat left-footed finish home to put the tie beyond doubt.

IN A NUTSHELL: Athletic bounced back and showed character.