Chris Hutchings: There's time to halt the slide

Walsall chief Chris Hutchings today brushed off the Saddlers' drop fears and insisted he isn't worried by the growing gap to safety.

The boss takes his rock-bottom side to Charlton tomorrow knowing results today could leave the Saddlers further from League One survival.

They desperately need to arrest their slide after just three wins in the last 19 games left Walsall seven points adrift of safety. But Hutchings dismissed worries about the gap.

He said: "I'm not interested about it, we can't have an effect on others. We can only do what we do. If everyone loses then that's a bonus and if we lose the gap still stays the same.

"It would be a disappointment if other teams win and we get beaten but it doesn't decide anything."

The Saddlers are huge underdogs with Charlton second, unbeaten in 11 games and Phil Parkinson having won November's League One Manager of the Month award. Walsall need a win from somewhere but Hutchings insisted The Valley showdown isn't do-or-die.

"The game won't send us down, that's a fact, and you have time to put things right. It's only three points but three points are big at the moment," he said. "It's not a must-win game.

We're not going down or going up. It's the next game, which is the most important. We want to get back to winning ways."

Hutchings watched the Addicks' 3-1 FA Cup replay win at Luton on Thursday and knows they are fallible but also hopes Parkinson falls foul of the manager of the month curse.

"I get on well with Phil but hopefully that's the case," he joked.

"Charlton are big in stature but they are in our league, let's not forget that. You respect them but don't fear them.

"I watched them on Thursday and for 45 minutes Luton were fantastic. When it was 1-1 at half-time Parky must have felt really relieved and they got they goals they needed in the second half."