No first hand report from the Fat Controller today during the match, but WM and calls after the game at least let you know what happened!

We’re starting to get used to strange formations from Merson, but today’s looked the strangest yet, as we lined up Murphy, Westwood, Roper, Staunton, Bennett, Fox, Leitao, Gerrard, Skora, Demontagnac, Fryatt. Kris Taylor, who the Official Site had been predicting to return yesterday, was only on the bench. 5 Centre Backs, including one in midfield? Had we swapped Merson for Megson and not been told?

It looked every bit like a team set up for a nil nil, which was a shame, as Franchise got an early goal, when, despite the five centre backs, Izale McCleod managed to get between Roper and Westwood to put home a diving header from six yards out.

The Saddlers were looking all at sea, with a new formation and players out of position, but after 15 minutes or so began to settle down to the task. Skora was taking every opportunity again to break forward from midfield to join Fryatt, the loan striker and, eventually, sent Leitao away, then got up himself to receive the pass and slot the ball home for his second goal in two games.

The rest of the half and the first thirty minutes of the second, Walsall had the edge. Despite never committing too many forward, they did make the better chances of the two sides and Westwood and Leitao could both count themselves unlucky in the first half and Leitao should have done better with a couple of chances in the second, althought it has to be said that the best save on the afternoon was a one handed effort from Murphy to deny Clive Platt after he got goalside of Staunton.

Eventually, however, the threat from Demontagnac down the left flank began to receed as tiredness from his busy week took hold, as it did from Leitao on the right, but it did come as a surprise when Leitao was replaced by Daryl Taylor, rather than Demontagnac and the other one of the only two central midfielders in the squad, Kris Taylor, never got on at all.

Finally, on 83 minutes, Franchise got a free kick a long way out, courtesy of an Ian Roper foul, Murphy fumbled the shot and Aaron Wilbraham, an early sub for the injured Izale McCleod, turned the ball home. There was no real way back from there, despite replacing Bennett with Larrossa and Murphy going up for corners and Franchise ran out 2 - 1 winners.

The Saddlers were unlucky to come away without a point today, but, it has to be said, to go to a team fifth from bottom at the start of play, and which had only won two homes game all season and to play 5 4 1 (not 3 5 1 or 4 5 1, this was out and out defensive 5 4 1), if you lose you have only yourself to blame.