WALSALL

CHESTERFIELD

GOALS

YELLOWS

REDS

THE GAME

Merse made more changes (don't be shocked). He included Paul Smith and Mark Wright while Rene Gilmartin stood in for Oakes who picked up an injury in the warm up. 

Chesterfield were all at sea when Wright broke down the left and slid in a cross for Jorge Leitao to poke home. It had been on the cards for some time because Wright, Standing and Fryatt had all managed to wriggle free early on and fire dangerous crosses in to the box. 

Chesterfield swapped it around for the second half and it certainly changed the game. Allott took his two chances well before big Wayne Allison weighed in with what proved to be the winner.  

THE FINAL WORD

As i watched the first half i thought my god - Chesterfield might just be the worst side i've seen at the Bescot for quite some time. Little did i expect Walsall to surpass there defensive incompetence.

We looked like world beaters in the first half. They couldn't cope with the movement  Wright, Fryatt or Jorge. We could (and should) have gone in 3 or 4 up. Chesterfield didn't make Gilmartin make one save. They had one good chance that saw them volley  the ball in to the side netting from an acute near post angle.

At 2-0 it should have been a case of shut up shop and see the game out. Well, we did manage to shut up shop - but everyone went home and left the door wide open. 

Little Mark Allott ripped us to bits. He was popping up all over the place and spurred his team on to a great victory.

At 2-0 we knew what we had to do. It seemed like the players knew but they just didn't do it, and by the time they realised they had a game on their hands again it was to late. Chesterfield had there tails up and weren't going to relinquish there hold on the game.

The mad spells of football that had cost us the games against Swansea and Yeovil had struck again.

What hurts most about this defeat is that we ran out of ideas after Chesterfield took the lead - and we all knew it.

When the chips were down Chesterfield had ideas - they changed the course of the game. We just watched it slip through our fingers.

We're looking less and less like a top 10 team. Chesterfield just baffle me. On the basis of the first half they'll be the first team relegated this season. On the basis of the second half they could turn a few heads come May.