It doesn’t matter that this wasn’t one of the Saddler’s best performances of the season, but a magnificent injury time equaliser from Dean Keates, coupled with Bristol Rovers winning 2 - 1 at Hartlepool, means that history has been made as Walsall gained a Divisional Championship for only the second time in their long history.

A long wait of forty odd years since Bill Moore’s team won the then Fourth Division has been bought to an end by the team coached into a resilient and efficient outfit which has managed to go an entire season without a single double done against them and the character of which has been proven over and over again.

Even today, having been second best for most of the game, the Saddlers came strong in the last few minutes, with Martin Butler drawing a superb save from Smith before the drama of injury time. As the ball dropped invitingly for Dean Keates, 20 yards out, he kept his composure to drill a superb left foot shot into the top corner of the net for the goal which guaranteed the title would be coming to Bescot Stadium.

The Civic Reception on Tuesday night will now really mean something, as the team will be parading the silverware which no one thought would be coming at the beginning of the season, given the disasters that had afflicted the club in the last three seasons, or, at least, no one thought except Richard Money, whose name will now have to go down in Walsall FC folklore.

Yes folks,

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!

With Swindon needing something from this game if they are to achieve promotion, it was inevitable that they would start this game like an express train, but they were unable to maintain that sort of tempo for long on a warm afternoon and the Saddlers remained reasonably comfortable for most of the first half.

With a capacity crown of over 14,000 ( no one seems to know exactly what the capacity is), Walsall’s first priority will have been to quieten the crowd and that they have successfully done.

Clayton Ince had a mad five minutes towards the end of the half to give the home fans some hope, but has been largely comfortable in the first half, as the defense and midfield have coped well with the Swindon pressure.

Walsall have had little attacking threat so far, though, mainly due to their inability to get the wingers, Harper and Demontagnac, into the action.

The Fat Controller is reporting in loud (very) and clear, along with over 3,000 other Saddlers from the County Ground.

Richard Money has been true to his pre match build up, going for what is probably his most attacking line up (from those available) of:

Ince, Pead, Gerrard, Westwood, Fox, Harper, Dobson, Keates, Demontagnac, Butler, Benjamin,

with a bench of:

Bossu, Wright, Wrack, Smith and Sam.

More from the Fat Controller at half and full time.