Walsall need away-day boost

Walsall need to take home form away Winning away from home is easier said than done - but it is crucial to Walsall's promotion hopes after another impressive performance at Delves Road showed there is enough quality in the side to beat anyone in the league.

A young, spirited and previously unbeaten Solihull outfit had no answers to the home side's total rugby.

Coach Gez Tillott's outfit will now turn their attention towards Burton in their quest to escape Midlands Two West at the first time of asking and they are expecting a tough game following their surprise defeat at the hands of struggling Stratford.

But Tillott is not too worried about what other sides are doing. He praised his team's effort against Solihull by saying the performance 'set a standard' and that his side 'played the way we want to play'.

All areas of Walsall's improving game will be required to see off a Burton side which has finished near the top of the division in the past two seasons.

Tillott said: "If we can get some momentum going then we will go places. But we have to be able to win away from home.

"Burton are going to be well up for us but we have now set the standard that we want to play at and if we drop below that then we will start losing again."

Tillott reckons his side can only afford to lose one more game this season if they are to feature in the closing stages of the campaign - so their away form has become key.

Of the 99 points they have scored this season, 71 have come at Delves Road.

The club was disappointed to learn that captain Pierre Barneix will be out until January, but that was partially offset by the return to action of the fit again centre Dan Thompson, who marked his comeback with the winning try on Saturday.

Steve Halbert will take over in Barneix's absence. Two tries from Chris Mould, 18 points from Matt Wood, a haul that included a try, and Thompson's effort did the damage in the 35-26 victory against Solihull.