Walsall manager Chris Hutchings was left to rue his side’s slow start in Exeter after leaving it too late to mount a stirring fightback.

The Saddlers slipped to a third defeat in four games and second successive loss to a struggling side, after the Grecians edged them out at St James’s Park on Saturday.

Matthew Taylor’s early header and Ryan Harley’s dubious second-half penalty put Exeter in control before Julian Gray’s first Walsall goal halved the deficit.

But, despite chasing a second, the equaliser never came and boss Hutchings blamed their lax opening.

He said: “We gave them a goal after four minutes and we didn’t start quickly enough, that’s for sure. We switched off from a corner to give them a goal which gave them confidence and then it’s going to be an uphill struggle.

“In the second-half we changed it around, took the game to them and created more than we did in the first half.

“You have got to make your own luck and have to be on the front foot and anticipate things, not react to them.”

Manny Smith, Rhys Weston and Netan Sansara all returned in a timely boost but the manager was frustrated goalscorer Gray and fellow winger Steve Jones were not utilised well enough.

Hutchings said: “It was difficult for Manny to come back in, the same for Rhys, both contributed but it’s gone against us.

“In the first-half we didn’t get too much from Julian or Steve and they are two flair players who cause the opposition problems.”

Hutchings was also disappointed the Saddlers were unable to match the Grecians’ five-man midfield, which gave the hosts crucial space on the flanks.

He said: “We knew if we were to play four against their five we’d have to be narrow and that was their outlet.

“They utilised that but, when we had the opportunity to get the full-backs in with our wide men pushing on, we didn’t keep the ball and weren’t as effective.

“But in the second-half we were much more of a threat.”

The Saddlers were missing the injured Matt Richards and Dwayne Mattis, while Clayton McDonald and Mark Hughes were suspended, and Hutchings admits it has stretched his squad.

He added: “We’ve got two centre halves out so Rhys, Manny and Netan came back in and we had to move it about a little bit.

“But that’s where we are and it’s testing the squad.”