Walsall 0 Bristol Rovers 5 - analysis

That's the question on fans', players' and certainly the manager's lips. In a game where the defending made the Dog and Duck look accomplished, Walsall were out-battled, out-thought and outclassed by Bristol Rovers.

The Saddlers were there in body but totally absent in spirit and mind on Saturday.

So abject was the performance, Rovers should have humiliated the hosts further as they toyed with their opposition, who gave a fine demonstration of what not to do.

Their surrender was both galling and surprising given their recent form, as the Pirates took no prisoners.

Boss Chris Hutchings walked the plank to the media afterwards to lambast the side, his anger evident and justified.

Not even under much maligned former manager Jimmy Mullen had the Saddlers performed so badly.

Hutchings could take last month's 4-1 defeat to a Leicester City, a side romping to the title, but a 5-0 home capitulation to a team starting below them in League One was too much.

"Clueless" was how the boss described his side and he'll need Morse and Lewis to ascertain exactly how the Saddlers fell apart.

The return of Anthony Gerrard from a hamstring injury was supposed to bolster the defence.

It did anything but and Gerrard was as culpable as any of his team-mates.

Darryl Duffy, Craig Disley and Aaron Lescott exploited the chasm-like holes which appeared in the Walsall back-line inside the first 19 minutes.

Duffy and Lescott helped themselves to seconds after the break with the hosts in shreds.

Hutchings had instilled a determination in the Saddlers, but he will have found out a lot more about his players on Saturday than in the previous 12 games.

Who is prepared for a battle? Who will lead? Who wants it?

There will be changes for tomorrow's visit of Brighton. There have to be casualties but, such is the threadbare nature of the squad, there won't be many.

Robin Shroot and Chris Palmer are likely candidates to start and Richard Taundry's tenacity should merit a recall.

The players now need to show Saturday was just a monumental blip. The hopeless defence was atrociously naive.

The midfield did little to help the cause, second to every ball and out-thought by Craig Disley and Chris Lines.

Which leads us to the strikers. Jabo Ibehre and Troy Deeney were non-existent, mainly due to the way the Saddlers pumped high balls up to allow Byron Anthony and Steve Elliott to fend off any semblance of threat.

It wasn't their fault and Deeney, at least, worked hard and had the best chance, his 18-yard effort spinning wide with the Saddlers already 4-0 down.

With Michael Ricketts having given up football for most of Lent, the forward duo will be looking for swift redemption.

They would have been envious of the Rovers' attack who were gifted goals and chances which would have embarrassed any YTS lad.

Just two minutes were on the clock when David Pipe ran into the gaping space and crossed for Duffy who, unmarked, needed no second invitation.

Four minutes later it was 2-0 when the Saddlers switched off from Jeff Hughes' header and Duffy cut the ball back for Disley, who was in so much space he had his own postcode.

The shock, from both sets of fans, resonated around the Banks's before it got worse.

Obviously thinking they were due another goal – after all they had gone a whole 13 minutes without one – the Pirates raided the home penalty area again on 19 minutes and netted a third.

Clever play by Rickie Lambert saw Lescott break through and deliver an unerring angled drive past Clayton Ince.

From there it was a procession, the Saddlers mere spectators. Even when they had possession it was just a cursory gesture from the visitors.

The foot had been taken off the accelerator and Rovers knew the game was over, there were no need for risks.

Duffy saw Ince whip the ball off his feet as Walsall strived for a miracle. But belief had seeped out of the Saddlers and they knew there was no way back.

Half-hearted crosses from Sofiene Zaaboub and Alex Nicholls only highlighted the class gap, before Lambert's freekick was turned on to the bar by Ince in first half stoppage time.

The 24-goal hitman was becoming increasingly influential for the Pirates. Dropping deep, Manny Smith and Gerrard couldn't contain him.

His ball conjured a second half chance for Disley, which the midfielder lobbed over the bar, just before Duffy, who had already gone close again, doubled his account.

Rhys Weston should have dealt with Pipe's 58th minute cross and, when Disley picked out Duffy, his scuffed effort bobbled over Ince to compound the misery.

It was now officially a rout. It was painful. Zaaboub brought ironic cheers from the home fans after he shot over, before Deeney skidded an effort wide.

It heralded one fan to sarcastically put two fingers up in Churchillian 'V' sign to signal the two chances.

He was allegedly - and somewhat comically - asked to leave by two stewards but if there was one game to leave early, however forced, it was this one. The Rovers pressure continued unabated.

Anthony headed wide, before Ince stopped Lescott's angled drive but had no answer to the defender's effort 12 minutes from time.

Stuart Campbell fed the left-back, who hadn't scored for Rovers in 206 previous appearances, to coolly curl past the helpless Ince for his second.

It left Walsall shellshocked and thinking what a difference a week makes.

One point from nine turns the mood at the Banks's and ends the futile chase of the play-offs which everyone knew was over but just didn't want to mention it.

Brighton now visit the Banks's, having scored five unanswered strikes against Yeovil on Saturday.

Not a good omen for Hutchings and Co but, surely, there won't be a repeat of this shambles.

By Nick Mashiter