No blame for Weston

The right-back – captain for the night in the absence of the injured Mark Hughes – was dismissed for two bookable offences inside the first 35 minutes of the Saddlers' Carling Cup first round clash in Lancashire.

Alex Nicholls had put the visitors ahead after nine minutes before Robert Grant's equaliser and Paul Mullin's 90th minute winner sent the Saddlers crashing out.

Weston was sent off for fouls on John Miles and Phil Edwards but Hutchings has exonerated him from blame.

He said: "Rhys getting sent off didn't help matters and it was a second yellow card but I didn't think it was as bad as it seemed. He genuinely tried to pull out and in doing that his leg went up and it was a second bookable offence. It made life difficult for us.

"It wasn't as bad as everyone made out. I know he caught the boy but Rhys didn't go with any intention, it was just unfortunate.

"Any game you play in you want to win so we're bitterly disappointed. It was hard going down to 10 men and the travelling we did at the weekend may have taken its toll on one or two players but that's not an excuse."

The Saddlers looked set to hold out for extra time until Mullin's header in the first minute of injury time and Hutchings blamed his defence for switching off at a crucial moment.

He said: "We should have stopped the cross and the defenders are nowhere to be seen when the ball comes in to the box.

"It was a lack of concentration. If you switch off at any level for a second it's in the back of the net and unfortunately it's happened."

But Hutchings preferred to focus on the positives to emerge from the Fraser Eagle Stadium after defender Stephen Roberts played his first competitive game since last December after being sidelined with persistent back and knee injuries.

He said: "Robbo needed a game, he still needs games but it was an opportunity to play and he'll be grateful he's got 90 minutes under his belt."