Well, this was a typical Saddlers performance this season.

Well organised, with two banks of four holding their position well, quick and sure to the tackle, giving the opposition no room in which to play, ultimately frustrating them into error after error. Trouble with all of that is that it was the team in blue that was showing all of those qualities.

It was easy to see why, in their last seven games, Rochdale have won 3, drawn 3 and lost only 1, as this was a competent, well drilled and well organised exhibition. In many ways, they showed the same physical characteristics as Boston had in the previous home game, but were a much, mush better outfit.

The game might still have been different, however, if Clayton Ince hadn’t chosen the fifth minute of the game for a complete aberration, punching a right wing cross from a free kick into his own net. The team continued to have problems with set pieces all afernoon, with Gerrard, especially, struggling to get into the game. If ever we needed the steadying presence of Ian Roper, it was now.

For the next 85 minutes, the Saddlers, starting with Wrack and Keates wide and Sam and Butler up front, just failed to make any impact on the game. Sure, Dobson bent one free kick around the wall, but it was saved comfortably, and Keates was unlucky to have a shot kicked off the line with the keeper beaten (but, to be fair, even that was down to excellent defending). The problem, however, was lack of space in the way we were being closed down, and the lack of width caused by there being no out and out wingers. Darren Wrack showed yet again why he hasn’t had the wherewithall for a couple of years to play wide right and Keates just hasn’t got the pace (or the change of pace) to play there.

At half time, it seemed that Richard Money was ready for big changes. His first was to take off the disappointing Gerrard, switch Westwood inside, Pead to right back, Keates to central midfield and bring on Ishmel Demontagnac. This did have some effect, with the Saddlers starting to get more possession, but by this time, anxiety had set in and just about everyone was misplacing passes, especially the two full backs, who seemed incapable of finding a red shirt.

With half an hour to go, off came Sam for Cederqvist and Wrack for Wright. Cederqvist looked completely bewildered by events on the pitch and made little or no impact, to the extent that Butler began to look uncertain and failed to make the most of a couple of decent half chances that fell to him.

Even worse, we now had the wingers that a good few supporters had been calling for for weeks, Wright and Demontagnac. Quite frankly, we needn’t have bothered. Wright couldn’t get into the game at all and Ishy, despite the game beginning to open up as defenders tired, just kept running into blind alleys and producing crosses worse than anything Mark Wright has done wrong this season.

The crowd had all really given up before stoppage time arrived, but those leaving had forgotten the other trait DD’s team have been showing all season - resilience.

What the game had been crying out for had been a centre back to step out of the back for to make space for the midfield and for someone to take on the defenders. Enter Scott ZiDann, who decided to do both. He picked up the ball deep in his own half, looked up for the pass options, found none, so took on a beat the attacker marking him. Now on the run, he looked for the pass again, found no option again, so took on and beat the two central midfielders. Now approaching the edge of the area, out came one on the centre halves, leaving Dann a gap, which he promptly exploited by burying his shot into the bottom left hand corner. A goal of the season contender if I ever saw one and the relief on the players faces was incredible as all 10 others (even Ince ran up) mobbed the youngster.

All in all, a terrible performance against a good, well organised team and a “Get Out Of Jail Free” card played. On top of all that, Swindon managed to lose at home and the lead was extended by one point. Funny old day, really.

Westwood got the sponsor’s Man of the Match, which I can’t really argue with, as he, along with Dann and Dobson, probably made the fewest mistakes.