Chris Hutchings admits Clayton Ince’s error cost Walsall the chance of a third successive victory after Yeovil’s early strike floored the Saddlers.

The veteran stopper’s gaffe allowed former loanee Sam Williams to stab in the winner after just five minutes last night.

The hosts never looked comfortable after the early setback and failed to seriously test Alex McCarthy in the Yeovil goal.

Troy Deeney and Alex Nicholls had chances to level late on but couldn’t break through to keep the Saddlers ninth in League One.

And Hutchings says the goalkeeper’s failure to hold Gavin Tomlin’s cross was crucial.

“It was a bad goal, everyone has seen it but what’s said in the changing room is said in the changing room,” he said.

“It’s cost us, that’s the level of concentration you have to have and if you don’t have it, it will cost you. It’s alright pulling off saves afterwards but we’ve lost the game.

“We gave them a goal and when you give people a goal it’s always going to be difficult. It was the same for both teams but we said it was going to be a mistake or lack of concentration and that’s what it was.

“We gave a bad goal away and we paid the penalty. I thought we started well and arguably could have scored early on but in their first attack hesitancy in our defence has cost us.

“We had a couple of shots as did they but there wasn’t any fluency in the game and the conditions dictated.”

It was only Yeovil’s third away win of the season and they could have added to their tally through Williams and Dean Bowditch but Hutchings says the game was always in the balance.

He said: “I didn’t think there was a lot in it, it was very difficult to have a spectacular game and we’re very disappointed because we felt it was an opportunity to get three points.

“Conditions are always a leveller and it was a very even game, we’ve not defended as we should do and they’ve score the goal.”

Matchwinner Williams played five games for the Saddlers last season, scoring once, and returned to haunt his old club, leaving Hutchings philosophical.

“It’s often the case, old strikers come back and score, we had him on loan and these things happen,” he added.

And the former Villa trainee admits he was pleased to end his dry spell with a goal at his old stomping ground.

“The lads here are first class. I know a lot of them from my time in Birmingham and I see a lot of them at the weekends,” said Williams after his first goal in nine games. “I still keep in touch with a lot of them so it’s good to come back here and put in a performance like that.

“The gaffer has put a lot of faith in me so after that you want to put in a performance for him as well as yourself. In the last 10 minutes I was very tired, it almost felt like the first game of pre-season, but hopefully we can get some more wins.”