Walsall blogger Mark Jones basks in the glow of the super Saddlers win over Leeds but it won’t get any easier when Leicester come to town.

At last. Thirteen months after a late equaliser denied us a deserved home league win over Leeds – 14 years since an even later goal denied us a famous F.A.Cup win over the same team when they were still a big club – the mighty Saddlers finally get the result they deserve against the Yorkshire mob. Doesn’t it feel good?

Driving through Pleck on Sunday morning I saw a bloke, probably well into his fifties, walking along, wearing a Walsall scarf and grinning like a big kid.

It occurred to me that this is a scenario that I hadn’t seen too much of late – that’s happy Saddlers not old blokes failing to act their age). We shouldn’t be getting carried away after one win, but a bit of self-indulgence never hurt anyone, did it?

I enjoyed Saturday immensely. After going to the trouble of changing my replacement tickets in upstairs row Z for ones downstairs, I ended up in block five as close to the away fans as the ‘sterile’ area would allow.

I have to say that indirectly the club’s disgraceful decision to turf home fans out of their seats actually had a galvanising effect on our support.

The atmosphere was good, fans were behind the team and the proximity of the temporary away end gave it that bit extra edge -as did the few ‘bad apples’ from the gendarme who were hellbent on recreating some 1980s style policing.

Not that I’m endorsing the actions of the board in any way, shape or form, but there was a cracking atmos in the corresponding fixture last December, with over 2,000 more punters – and at least 2,500 more Saddlers – in the stadium that day.

Opening up a debate about which sections of the ground need to be filled with home fans in order to crank things up on a matchday in the future is not necessarily a bad thing.

What also helped make the day was what was happening out on the pitch. The players are more or less the same, yet there seems to be a sense of purpose, a greater unity and spirit from them, compared to what we saw pre-Chris Hutchings and Martin O’Connor.

I liked the way we took the game to Leeds and really got among them. At times we played some decent stuff too, the move that lead to Troy Deeney ballooning the ball over the bar when unmarked would have been goal of the season, but I’ll allow him that one after his fine header for the winner.

When we were under pressure, there was a real team effort in the way we defended.

The little signs of possible progress are starting to appear and not just in the attitude of the team. Less players being played out of position helps, as does a better balance between the kids and the more experienced players.

This was highlighted beautifully by Paul Boertien about 10 minutes from time. Poised to clear a hopeful punt in his direction, he was facing the linesman when the official flagged for offside. Did he stop and get ready for the free kick?

No, he booted it as far as he could into the crowd and used up a few valuable seconds. That kind of nous comes with experience, fair play to him.

Boertien is a player best described as steady and solid rather than spectacular. He may not be a Neil Pointon, a Gino Padula, a Dan Fox or even a Kenny Mower but at the moment we need players like Paul. It is good to see him sign on to the end of the season.

The tricky part will be to keep things going and repeat this kind of performance regularly. It does feel good but it was only one game after all and it’ll count for nothing if we don’t win again for another six or seven.

The transfer window has now closed. The allow yourself some time to enjoy being a Walsall fan again window carries on until at least 7:45 pm on Tuesday night – or even longer if the snow keeps falling.