With the foot and mouth disease rampant, those on the message board giving Sir Ray his most serious slating since he took over 3 years ago had their words rammelled down their throat on Saturday as the team carcassed FA Cup semi-finalists Wycombe 5-1 at Bescot.

A Pedro Matias hat-trick was the highlight of the performance, witnessed by 4,500 fans who ignored the appeal of a small World Cup qualifier featuring Finland. As it turned out - the Saddlers supporters enjoyed much the better game…

Good reviews for Don Goodman, the controversial deadline day signing - who deserved a goal. More mixed comments about Barry Horne. The performance was so convincing that the critics could only fault Sir Ray’s decision to take the key players off at 5-1 with 10 minutes to go when more goals were beckoning…

The result keeps us looking good for the play-offs, with a very outside chance of 2nd spot. With only 3 home games left, a win over Millwall on Saturday is vital - anything less and a trip to Cardiff will have to be the only viable hope.

Player ratings:
Walker - 6; Brightwell - 7, Barras - 7, Tillson - 7, Aranalde - ;Bukran - 6, Keates - 7, Hall - 8, Matias - 9; Goodman - 7, Leitao - 7. Subs: Horne(71 for Bukran), Angell(83 for Matias), Simpson(75 for Goodman)
Match stats: Saddlers: 17 goal attemps, 11 on target, 12 corners.