Rochdale 4 Walsall 0

But any euphoria and hope generated by that result was emphatically blown away in just 37 first-half minutes.

They were thumped by a ravenous Rochdale outfit at Spotland. Goals from Matt Done, Ashley Eastham and Ian Henderson effectively ended the game as a contest before the break.

The only positive for the Saddlers were they were not trailing by more tonight.

Stephen Dawson, via a deflection off Andy Butler, did grab a fourth 19 minutes from time to complete the torture.

If you were being very kind, you might point to the absence from the visiting line-up of skipper Adam Chambers and Tom Bradshaw, who both missed out through injury.

The Saddlers missed the industry and threat of top scorer Bradshaw in attack, as Mathieu Manset struggled to make an impact.

The composure of Chambers was missing in a midfield where youngsters Reece Flanagan and Billy Clifford were too hasty to move the ball.

But there could be no disguising the discomforting fact they were beaten by a team who seemed to simply want it more.

From the moment the brilliant Done broke the deadlock inside the opening five minutes, there only looked one winner.

The hosts were yet to taste victory and had scored only once at home in the league beforehand.

But you did wonder how and it was impossible not to be impressed with the play of Done, Henderson and Peter Vincenti who tormented the visiting back-line all night.

Romaine Sawyers had put the Saddlers ahead inside seven minutes on Saturday and almost went three minutes better, when he sent a 25 yard drive just a couple of feet over the bar.

But instead it was the hosts who grabbed the lead and an initiative which they never relinquished just moments later, as Done grabbed his sixth of the season.

Dawson put the Saddlers defence under pressure and when they failed to clear the ball eventually found itself way through to Done, who slid his shot smartly under goalkeeper Richard O'Donnell.

Walsall seemed second to everything at that point as they struggled to deal with the movement of Dale's front three.

Their malaise was highlighted in a 30 second period by passes from Butler and Mal Benning which both flew out of play.

Vincenti hooked wide at the far post after meeting a Henderson cross before the latter should have doubled the lead, only to lift his effort wide after Done's cross had been missed by the visiting defence.

Sadly, the visitors failed to heed the warning on the half-hour Eastham got the home side's deserved second.

He glanced home Scott Tanser's free-kick – though there were about three other Dale players lining up to oblige, had he missed the header.

Butler then headed wide from an Anthony Forde corner as the Saddlers put some rare pressure on their hosts, but Dale did not have to wait long for the third.

It was almost handed to them on a plate when Sawyers inexplicably fired a back-pass right into the path of Done, who was denied by O'Donnell.

Just seconds later, the keeper was given no chance as the visiting defence was again split by a few ball and Henderson finished smartly into the corner.

Done then hit the side-netting with a drive from the corner of the box, as the hosts threatened to make things embarrassing before half-time.

Sawyers did, at least, brining a smart save out of Conrad Logan in the home goal, as a desperate half for the visitors drew to close.

Yet any notion the hosts might lose a bit of hunger during the break was quickly dispelled when Henderson brought down a long ball and, in his next movement, sent a volley crashing off the inside of O'Donnell's post.

The captain then missed a one-on-one with the Saddlers goalkeeper when he shot wide before Dawson did make it four – the Dale man claiming the goal after his shot deflected wickedly off Butler and looped in.

Reece Flanagan and Sawyers then did at least force fine saves from Logan as the visitors hunted a consolation, but normal service was soon resumed, when Done drilled over after a slip by Andy Taylor.