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Dean Smith hails hunger as Saddlers hit the top

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Boss Dean Smith has hailed the hunger and desire of his players after Walsall hit top spot in League One with a crushing victory over Blackpool.

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A 4-0 win at Bloomfield Road on Saturday made it six straight wins for the flying Saddlers who remain unbeaten so far this season.

Next up is a trip to Morecambe tomorrow in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy and Smith is adamant his side has what it takes to keep on winning. It's very pleasing to be top and to win six games in a row is an achievement in itself," the manager said.

"The players are starting to realise there is a proper team here that can go on and do things. Can we stay top of the table? That is the big question now.

"But there is a real hunger and a desire in these players to get better and better. They want to be successful. I can see that desire in the players' eyes.

"They want to keep winning football matches and that starts at Morecambe tomorrow." Smith has received widespread praise from the fans for the way he has tinkered with formations and personnel so far this season.

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The boss was at it again against Blackpool, reverting back to a 3-5-2 system and recalling two goal hero Romaine Sawyers.

But he says it's the players who really deserve the credit.

"Having watched Blackpool I just felt it would suit us playing three at the back and I was proved right," he said.

"It's great when things work out like they are. We have picked different systems for different teams and it seems to be working.

"We will continue to use the variation because the players, fair play to them, have been spot on.

"You can work on things in training but you can't always prepare for what happens in games."

He added: "Tactically these players are very astute. Against Blackpool we had to have a few passes in our own half to draw them out before we could attack."

That is a really pleasing aspect of our game at the moment. We can increase the tempo to attack and we look a threat."