George Bennett analysis: The away form turnaround begins with a bang for Walsall
Walsall began life on the road in imperious fashion as they condemned Swindon Town to a 4-0 crushing at the County Ground.
That defeat was Swindon’s heaviest on home soil since 2017 and propelled the Saddlers to the League Two summit after back-to-back wins to the start the campaign.
Away form proved Walsall’s downfall last term. They conceded first in 19 of their 23 fixtures on their travels and shipped the fourth-most goals in the division (48).
That’s something which Mat Sadler has clearly addressed over the summer with a solid out-of-possession performance during the opening 30 minutes ultimately creating the platform for the Saddlers to run riot.
Priestley Farquharson was a supreme force in the heart of defence and dealt with the aerial threat posed by Swindon frontman Harry Smith with complete ease.
Ryan Stirk looked in his element in the deep-lying role – selflessly sitting in whenever Oisin McEntee or Taylor Allen ventured forward while spraying an array of passes to keep Walsall ticking.
The front-two coupled with advanced midfield pair Jamie Jellis and Charlie Lakin pressed relentlessly with the wing-backs often squeezing up the pitch to trouble Swindon further.
Josh Gordon had two chances within the opening half-hour but found himself thwarted on both occasions by Swindon shot-stopper Jack Bycroft.
Swindon breached Walsall’s defence just once as Smith sent a stooping header wide before his effort from distance crashed against the post moments later.
