Alex McLeish’s name may not have echoed around the Banks’s Stadium but Villa’s players at least seem to be singing from the same hymn sheet.

The togetherness demonstrated by those on the pitch against Walsall was plain for all to see. It seems like ‘Big Eck’ has gone some way towards winning the first part of his charm offensive.

Outcasts like Stephen Ireland, Stephen Warnock and Habib Beye probably thought their Villa careers were over but under McLeish they have been handed a second chance – and seem eager to take it.

While McLeish is only short period into his tenure as Villa boss, his managerial approach seems to have struck a chord with the squad and you would hope the fall-outs and bust-ups of last season are consigned to the past.

There was a freshness about Villa’s first-half performance against Walsall – as if great burden had been lifted from the shoulders of the players.

And the reaction of those in the stands when McLeish stepped out into the Villa dugout? Well, there wasn’t one to talk of as such, although the manager seemed fairly content.

He said: “It was a good reception and I was delighted the Villa fans were able to see some goals and they could have seen more.

“You have got to confront it and you have go to face it because that is one of the challenges of life. You’ve either got the stomach for it or not.

“I think the lads knocked it about really well in the first half and the goals were good and well worked. The attitude of the players has been outstanding and that has really impressive but you expect that.

“All of them have been receptive to every idea we have had and we are working on a few things and finer details, like set pieces and trying not to lose the kind of goal we conceded.”

It was a game that Villa largely dominated and, although they were facing League One opposition so no-one should get carried away, there was plenty to feel encouraged by.

Darren Bent once again showed his ability as a world-class finisher but it was youngster Nathan Delfouneso who caught McLeish’s eye – albeit for the wrong reasons.

McLeish said: “Nathan came on and could have scored four in the second-half but he is a young player who is getting experience from the Darren Bent’s of this world.

“I think that he could have had a hat-trick, at least, but the positions he got himself into were tremendous and he was really lively.

“I told him he might only get one chance and he must learn to take it so that was an education for him because he is someone who looks like he has a bright future.”

Villa took the lead in the eighth minute when Stephen Ireland threaded a perfectly-weighted through-ball out to the left flank for Emile Heskey to run on to.

Heskey outpaced Walsall right-back Lee Beevers and slid in a low cross towards Ben,t who stole in front of Oliver Lancashire before tapping the ball past helpless Walsall goalkeeper Jimmy Walker from close range.

The visitors continued to play the slicker football and should have been two goals to the good in the 16^th minute, when Bent found Marc Albrighton, but his shot whistled past the post.

Ireland, who cut a completely different figure from the sulker of last season, showed his range of passing again moments later when he found Heskey out wide and he linked up well with Warnock, who delivered a cross towards Bent.

Villa’s club-record signing turned and shot but Walsall defender Lancashire read the play well and blocked brilliantly.

The Saddlers gradually grew in confidence and were presented with a shooting opportunity in the 27th minute, after Richard Dunne’s clumsy foul on Ryan Jarvis on the right edge of the penalty area.

Kevan Hurst stepped up to take the resulting free-kick and curled a superb right-foot shot round the wall which rebounded off the post and off Shay Given’s back, before it was cleared to safety.

Villa then had two chances in the space of five minutes as Walker showed good alertness to save from Albrighton and then Ireland.

The claret and blues found a way past Walker in the 36th minute though when the towering head of Dunne met Albrighton’s corner.

His header across goal was seized on by arch-predator Bent, who showed great awareness to deftly head the ball into the left-corner of the net.

Ireland was then withdrawn, complaining of a tight hamstring, and replacement Delfouneso set up Villa’s third goal after only a few minutes on the pitch.

Delfouneso crossed to the back post and fed the ball to Bent, who somehow hit the post from a few yards out, missing the kind of chance he normally scores for fun.

But Heskey reacted quickest and got to the ball ahead of Manny Smith to fire into the roof of the net from inside the six-yard box.

Both sides made a raft of substitutions at the half-time interval and the second-half was a lot less fluid, although both sides carved out chances.

Delfouneso was guilty of a hat-trick of misses after failing to hit the target with an open goal, losingt the ball in a one-on-one situation with replacement Walsall goalkeeper David Grof and then failing to direct a free header on target.

It became a more even contest as Villa finished with a virtual youth team and the Saddlers pulled one back, when Alex Nicholls crossed from a quickly-taken Richard Taundry corner and George Bowerman headed home.

There was still time for the impressive Taundry to force Villa reserve goalkeeper Andy Marshall to make a smart save with a well-struck free-kick from distance but, in truth, Villa comfortable victors.