Swindon 3 Walsall 2 - analysis

Playing well for 15 minutes is unlikely to win you football games and, not surprisingly, Walsall discovered that last night.

Two goals in two second-half minutes from Jabo Ibehre and Troy Deeney set up a grandstand finish the Saddlers barely deserved after being outdone by a side who had slipped into cruise control after Billy Paynter's 49th-minute strike made it 3-0 Swindon.

Danny Wilson's side were already two ahead, courtesy of Kevin Amankwaah's opener and Simon Cox's sublime lob as Walsall toiled.

A first defeat for Saddlers boss Chris Hutchings, in his second game, gives him further food for thought – the defence afforded Swindon the freedom of the town, leaving the manager confirming he was in the market for a centre back.

It doesn't get any easier with the visit of in-form Leeds on Saturday and League One leaders Leicester next Tuesday. The loss will have some looking anxiously over their shoulders.

The record still shows four wins in 17 league games and victory last night would have put much-needed distance between the Saddlers and the bottom to expel any lingering relegation fears.

As it stands, 15th place and a seven-point cushion is comfortable for now but with a strenuous February approaching, it could evaporate. And, with a limited squad, Hutchings' skills will be tested. He named an unchanged line-up from Saturday's 1-1 draw with Hereford.

Michael Ricketts failed to recover from

a hamstring injury and Rhys Weston, Stephen Hughes and Stephen Roberts were still on the sidelines.

It meant Chris Palmer started, despite handing in a transfer request this week, at left back.

A low-key start saw Anthony Gerrard shoot speculatively wide, ditto Billy Paynter, as the sides touched gloves – but the hosts took the lead with their first

meaningful sight of goal after eight minutes.

Richard Taundry felled Hal Robson-Kanu on the right, Jon-Paul McGovern swung in a deep cross, debutant Gordon Greer headed it back and Amankwaah was left unmarked to volley in from 12 yards.

Textbook defending it was not. Stephen Roberts might have his critics but, boy, do Walsall miss him.

He and Gerrard are at least robust, but with two midfielder as full backs here and a nervous Manny Smith in the centre, the defence looks as solid as the British motor industry.

The hosts took full advantage as they played with verve, compared to the visitors' nerves, as Taundry handed possession to Robson-Kanu, but the winger's driven cross just evaded the on-rushing Cox.

Sofiene Zaaboub, heckled by the home crowd on his Swindon return, then won and executed a free-kick which flew wide after 25 minutes as the Saddlers tried to recover but they were hit by a blow on the half hour by a goal of pure class from Cox.

Lilian Nalis pumped a ball high to the striker who took a fabulous touch to control it and another stunning one to lob Ince from 20 yards.

It was dazzling, and the problem was there was little to suggest the Saddlers were capable of the same quality.

Workrate and effort Walsall may have in abundance, but it is moments of magic which make the difference and, so far, they had struggled to conjure anything Harry Potter would have been remotely proud of.

They had also demonstrated their defensive frailties, presenting Swindon with the opener and being dissected by one long ball for the Robins' second.

If Hutchings didn't know the task ahead before, he did now.

The makeshift full backs of Taundry and Palmer will have easier nights as Robson-Kanu and McGovern probed down the flanks, although they lacked an end product.

The midfield of Dwayne Mattis and Mark Bradley were getting passed by as the wise old head of Nalis dictated from the centre.

Walsall lacked bite and drive and their lacklustre first half spilled over into the second as the Robins netted a third four minutes after the re-start. Jerel Ifil launched a long ball from the back to Paynter who was afforded far too much space by Taundry on the right.

The striker turned and, although his effort was weak, Ince allowed the shot to go under his body – and his protestations that Cox was offside fell on deaf ears.

At that time, there was no coming back, not the way the Saddlers had played in the opening 50 minutes.

A minute later Palmer did his best to reduce the arrears when he cracked a 25-yard effort off the bar, but it said something of Saddlers' attacking prowess that it had been their best effort so far.

It was no surprise when debutant Richard Davies replaced Bradley with the hope of injecting some impetus into the midfield.

Swindon were cruising and the Saddlers doing little to show they were about to embark on a belated comeback. It took a Swindon error to spark it.

Ifil failed to control Taundry's pass and Ibehre, who turns 26 today, outpaced the centre back and drilled past Brezovan at an angle to make it 3-1.

It was the striker's sixth of the season, and first since October, but seemed a mere consolation until 90 seconds later Walsall made it interesting.

Zaaboub slipped in Deeney on the left and the striker took one touch before coolly clipping over Peter Brezovan.

From nothing, the Saddlers were somehow in with a shout and now there was a spark about them.

A flurry of late corners gave them hope and Alex Nicholls' 18-yard effort deflected agonisingly wide in the last minute.

By Nick Mashiter.