Walsall 0 MK Dons 3 - analysis

A wry smile passed Jimmy Mullen's lips as he fielded questions from the media after this mauling.

Whether it was a smile of frustration at a poor display, regret at another three home points spurned or a "watch this space" one, only he knew.

The Saddlers boss smiled at the question of whether he would be making a few calls on Monday to bolster his squad.

With the loan deadline looming on Thursday, signings are needed quickly to allay the muted calls for his head which surfaced midway through the second half.

By that point the hosts were 2-0 behind after Jemal Johnson's impressive opener and Ali Gerba's close-range header. Former Walsall trainee Mark Wright completed a comfortable afternoon for the Dons with a third.

The hosts made it easy for them as they lined up with just Michael Ricketts up front on his own after Jabo Ibehre had been ruled out with a knee injury just an hour before kick off.

Mullen admitted he had considered thrusting Troy Deeney forward from the beginning but opted for the same formation that had served him well at Colchester in their previous outing.

That move alone proved the Saddlers need more bodies. One of their first-choice frontline was down and, in Mullen's eyes, there was no one there to replace him.

Marco Reich, Alex Nicholls and Deeney can all be touted as pretenders to the strikers' throne but they have done little to prove they can provide the spark in the final third.

The Saddlers need another frontman to share the burden – and now. Ricketts, on his day, is better than most at this level, but what he was crying out for here was a partner who would chase down loose balls and hustle the defenders.

Walsall are lacking the "fox in the box" who is going to snap at defenders when they haven't got the ball and cause problems in the area when they do.

Mullen will now be sweating on the fitness of Stephen Roberts, Clayton Ince, Jabo Ibehre and Stephen Hughes, who are all major doubts ahead of the trip to Oldham.

With the rate of knots the Saddlers are falling, do not be surprised to see Mullen pull a rabbit or two out of the hat before Thursday's loan deadline. The manager refused to rule anything in or out, but bodies are definitely needed.

The Saddlers can ill afford to travel to Oldham without four certain starters, because their squad simply isn't strong enough or good enough.

Manny Smith replaced Roberts at the Banks's on Saturday for his first start since the 2-1 defeat at Crewe in August and did little to inspire confidence. In fact, after six minutes he presented the Dons with their chance to open the scoring.

His weak header found only Johnson lurking 25 yards out and, two touches and one rasping drive later, the visitors were ahead. Johnson still had much to do, so the quality of his effort left much to be admired. It certainly tore the game-plan apart.

Following two previous home defeats, falling behind was not welcome, but the Saddlers did little to rectify the situation. Chris Palmer's free-kick which flew straight at Willy Gueret was their only meaningful effort of the opening half.

The five-man midfield was designed to give Walsall more solidity but they ended up being as solid as Danny Cipriani's right foot.

Hughes stumbled off the pitch like a Saturday-night reveller following Gerba's high challenge. Yet his loss did little to upset the tone of the game, because the Saddlers were already chasing it.

They moved forward with all the blind hope of Eddie the Eagle, as Ricketts lumbered around like a geriatric on Prozac. The Dons defence merely knocked the ball around the back at their leisure as Mullen's formation began to unwind.

Not once were the visitors forced to hurry their clearance. The first half was so devoid of cohesion from the Saddlers it was a surprise when they returned to the field after the break to exert a small amount of pressure on their opponents.

Deeney had moved up front and was putting himself about but there was no cutting edge – something the Dons demonstrated after 59 minutes.

Johnson received the ball out wide and his superb first touch was matched by an inch-perfect cross which drifted over Smith for Gerba to beat Ince to the ball for 2-0.

The duo collided as the MK Dons man netted and Ince would limp off 10 minutes later – but not before almost conceding a horror goal after he punched a centre against his own bar.

When your stalwart goalkeeper is having an off day, you know it is not your day. Gilmartin easily claimed a deflected Wright effort before the beleaguered

Saddlers finally created some chances.

Dwayne Mattis fired straight at Gueret after Deeney's knockdown and substitute Sofiene Zaaboub should have made an immediate impact but instead volleyed wide with his first touch.

It proved there was a little life left in Walsall, but the chances came more from the visitors switching off rather than any incisive play by the hosts.

Zaaboub squandered another presentable opportunity, when he shot too close to Gueret before Wright showed him how to finish at the death.

Alan Navarro's wicked drive cannoned off the post and Wright tapped into a gaping net.

By Nick Mashiter