Anthony Forde wants consistency from Walsall

Quite which version of the Saddlers will turn up at Colchester's Community Stadium tomorrow is anybody's guess.

Dean Smith's team have lost three of their last four league games but all of those defeats have come at home, while on their travels they have fallen only once in almost three months.

Yet while Walsall have proved on more than one occasion they can beat the best the division has to offer, they have struggled dreadfully against struggling sides. Colchester are currently in the bottom three.

Throw in a defence which kept clean sheets at MK Dons and Preston but also conceded four at home to Scunthorpe last week and it is little wonder many supporters have been left scratching their heads.

Little wonder the players are struggling for answers too. "I can't really put my finger on it," admits Forde.

"In some games of late, maybe we have dropped off a bit at the wrong times. We really need to focus on starting sharp and staying sharp. We are still confident.

"At Preston we showed what we can do and that should keep a confident vibe about the place."

In truth, Walsall are not alone in their unpredictability in a season where the old adage anyone can beat anyone is certainly proving true.

Still only 12 points separate Sheffield United in sixth and Colchester in 22nd.

With the table so tight, almost every club will still have hope of making an impression in the fight for the top six – and dread being sucked into the battle at the bottom.

"It is tough," admits Forde. "But it is just about staying consistent and doing the right things. We need to be on the right level going into each game.

"It has been very frustrating because we should have won the recent home games. We have lacked consistency at the minute and that is what we said we needed."

Forde by contrast is enjoying perhaps his most consistent spell since joining the Saddlers last summer on a free transfer from Wolves.

The 21-year-old has started the last five games and once again showed his free-kick prowess with a stunning goal in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Northern Area Final first leg win at Preston.

"Since I joined the club it has been brilliant, the training, the people and the games," he said.

"Obviously I did not play many games at Wolves last year and I had the injury as well so the start of this season getting loads of games was great. I'm trying to do all the right things and do the best I can.

"I am enjoying every minute. I just have to keep working hard. I feel stronger and fitter. I have learned a lot so far but I just want to keep doing well."

The official line is that the upcoming second leg with Preston, when the Saddlers could secure a first-ever trip to Wembley, is not proving a distraction.

But Forde admitted: "It is a standout. Obviously our focus is on tomorrow but, yes, you do think about it."