Analysis of Walsall 0 Middlesboro 3

Disappointing, perhaps inevitable but certainly not a useless Walsall performance.

Walsall lead the way in Carling Cup woe having now failed to make it past the first round for the last five years, after defeat last night to Middlesbrough.

But while previous exits at the hands of Darlington, Accrington and Tranmere have caused consternation, this one can at least be touted as a decent exercise.

Adam Chambers' 12th minute red card ended the Saddlers' hopes as soon as they had begun, but they can take more than just defeat from another early exit.

Rookie manager Dean Smith, who we sometimes forget he still is a novice, is on a steep learning curve.

It was his team's first competitive game against a side from a higher level and, while they cracked, they didn't disgrace themselves.

The much-vaunted character was evident as they refused to capitulate to a Boro side who smelled goals.

Marvin Emnes' hat-trick may have exposed them but Walsall weren't overawed, they just weren't as good and they won't face a team who pass and move so swiftly as Boro in League One.

From defeat, like in victory, a little perspective is needed. There won't be any outcry of anger, just one of disappointment as another shot at a cup run disappears.

Defeat is a hit and it leaves another gaping hole in the Saddlers' calendar and finances, but not a surprising one.

That Smith's team failed to capitulate after Chambers walked will be of some comfort, as will the debuts of George Bowerman and Anton Peterlin.

Midfielder Peterlin showed enough willing to suggest he can replace Chambers, even if the Saddlers' central three worked overtime, while striker Bowerman was lively.

But while they give the manager options, Smith is still restricted and there are gnawing doubts over Walsall's goalscoring abilities.

The team lacks a serious 'string-puller' in the middle, a man who can add both dynamism and continuity, and they are still a striker light.

It is too much to pile all hope on the absent Will Grigg, away with the Northern Ireland under-21 team, and it will take Ryan Jarvis time to rediscover his fitness and form after last year's frustrations at Orient.

With Alex Nicholls only used as an auxiliary forward, a quick striker would give the Saddlers an extra dimension, as once Chambers went there was little to suggest they would test Boro.

Former Albion boss Tony Mowbray, now at the Riverside helm, couldn't have picked a better game once referee Darren Deadman sent Chambers off for a two-footed challenge on Richard Smallwood after just 12 minutes.

The midfielder may have won the ball but with Mr Deadman in charge – who has issued four red cards and 13 yellows in three games – he ran an unnecessary risk.

Prior to the dismissal, the Saddlers had competed with Jarvis making his full debut.

Boro were stripped of their internationals – Barry Robson, Scott McDonald, Rhys Williams and Tarmo Kink – while Wolves loanee Carl Ikeme was barred from playing as Mick McCarthy didn't want him cup-tied.

They were on the back foot early, with Kevan Hurst curling a free-kick over, but then Chambers went and Boro took control on 18 minutes when Emnes fired them ahead.

With no outlet the Saddlers struggled, restricted to fleeting breaks forward which repeatedly failed to yield the promise with which they begun.

Jarvis and Jon Macken were isolated, starved of serious service, while the midfield struggled to contend with the fleet-footed visitors.

Nicky Bailey cracked one over from distance, before Joe Bennett followed suit on 35 minutes.

But, two minutes later, the visitors doubled their lead when Justin Hoyte's excellent right-wing cross dissected Oliver Lancashire and Andy Butler and Emnes coolly volleyed in from 10 yards.

Boro happily pulled the Saddlers apart with the slick passing Albion fans were accustomed to under Mowbray.

Smith sought an attacking threat and replaced Macken with Nicholls at the break but, within six minutes, the Saddlers were 3-0 down.

Boro had already seen a goal chalked out for offside when Smallwood broke into the box and was felled by Hurst – although he looked to have got the ball – and Emnes' conversion was a formality.

The visitors toyed with their hosts, Hoyte and Bennett the Saddlers' tormentors, as Boro routinely built from the back.

Mowbray's youngsters kept up the intensity and gave Walsall little rest until Emnes' withdrawal. It allowed Nicholls to test Dannt Coyne with an angled drive and debutant Bowerman flash one across goal.

But even then Boro could have added a fourth, when Darryl Westlake's slip presented Cameron Park with a close-range chance he squandered at the death.

But it mattered little, with the game out of Walsall's reach. A lesson, perhaps, but a valuable one for the Saddlers.

By Nick Mashiter