Oh the joy of being a Saddlers fan

Here is a sample of some of the texts I sent and received on Saturday from approximately 3.45 p.m. onwards: writes Walsall blogger Mark Jones.

'3-0' 'No that's 3-0 up' 'Seriously!' '6-1 and we could've had more' 'You scored six???'.

It was fantastic to have something positive to talk about at half time (although I was still worried they'd score early in the second half and we'd blow it – I was half right) … and during the rest of the game … and coming out of the ground … and on Saturday night … and for the rest of the weekend … and writing this blog.

Saddlers everywhere have had a huge smile on their face for days. It makes a refreshing change from what's gone before this season. It was good for once to read match reports in the papers and on the net too.

But the best part of Saturday's demolition was seeing Walsall players actually playing together as a team with confidence; with, dare I say it, a bit of a swagger and with a smile on their faces.

Dean Smith quite rightly tried to keep everyone's feet on the ground, talking about it being only three points, the need to keep winning at home and, bizarrely, taking the team to a spa. Probably more than anyone he knows how much still needs to be done and how far away we are.

BUT I'm not the manager, I can go overboard about the electric six (SIX) goal win. It was our biggest ever league victory at Bescot (and the biggest score in 90 minutes at the stadium), the highest scoring result since the famous cup win at Macclesfield in 1997 and the first time we'd savoured the joy of six since beating (oh the irony) Bristol Rovers (with Ron Green in goal) on a rainy night 25 years ago.

A mate of mine even commented that for 90-odd wonderful minutes it was like a throwback to that wonderful Buckley era where we'd attack at will and look like we'd score every time we went forward. (For the record the aforementioned 6-0 win over the Gas in 85-86 was the third time we'd notched six that season, with a 7-3 and a 5-1 thrown in for good measure.

Each of Saturday's first four goals in their own way was superbly taken. In Andy Butler we have a defender who is a threat at set pieces, Jason Price is a striker who can be a constant threat to the opposition and Matt Gill not only does the dirty work in midfield but can also finish too. The latter two both being Smith signings.

Also noticeable is the massive improvement in the likes of Nicholls, Richards and Gray (who is starting to remind me of the bloke with the same name we had at the back end of the season).

In the six games under Deano we've scored 15 goals, in the last six Hutchings games we got four. Nine different players have scored those goals and only two have come from out and out strikers. This can't just be coincidence.

And we've got Jimmy Walker at least until the end of the season – result!

Whether it turns out to be a genuine turning point or just one of those freaky results that football always throws up remains to be seen. In a way it doesn't matter, the desperation of the Hutchings era is now behind us. We might still be in a desperate situation but for now we can bask in one glorious late January afternoon.

6-1 … to the Saddlers … you better believe it.