Analysis of Walsall 2 Brentford 1

It wasn't sexy, it wasn't glamorous and a win is just a win so let's forget about it.

Let's not carried away, there's nothing to see here, move along, next please.

It might be boring but that's how Walsall work. No victory is bigger than the other, after all, they are only worth three points.

Yeovil's visit tomorrow is exactly the same, another day, another team, another win?

Boss Chris Hutchings is quick to downplay results but that is his job, manage the team and win, not court the headlines and lose.

Therefore, Saturday's home victory over Brentford, a first since November, is the ideal background on which to judge the Saddlers.

Off the back of victory at Leeds a home clash with the Bees did little to capture the imagination but victory was equally, if not more important.

It was only their third back-to-back win of a stuttering campaign and it didn't have the star quality of a giant killing, it didn't have the panache but it again proved the Saddlers' battling powers.

Coming from behind has been their forte this season – although it might not seem it. They have won 15 points from losing positions and, along with Huddersfield, that is more than any other team in the League One.

That said, they have tossed away 17 points after taking the lead – stats which see them rightly branded with the inconsistency tag. A loss on Saturday would have seen those accusations yet again levelled at Hutchings' men.

The Banks's Stadium hasn't been happy hunting ground of late. The faithful had been starved of victory since the 3-0 win against Oldham way back in November.

But with the points safely in the bag the Saddlers are looking at three wins from four, the key is to keep it going – something which hasn't been achieved all season.

Whatever the concerns are with the Saddlers' staying power – and they way they allowed Charlie MacDonald to score proves they are still there – they are at least battling away. They are wrestling with their own limitations, desperately wanting to improve and progress but shackled by financial and geographical restrictions.

There are reasons to be cheerful, there always have been and the Saddlers have the quality to roll teams like Brentford over, but they made it harder than it should have been on Saturday.

Efforts from Alex Nicholls and Troy Deeney landed off target before the game entered a lull which was abruptly ended by the visitors. Mark Phillips tossed in a cross and MacDonald escaped the attentions of the Saddlers' defence to ram a half volley past goalkeeper Clayton Ince and into the roof of the net.

The teams had barely threatened before then and Brentford's breakthrough was a shock – it was only the Bees' eighth goal on the road in League One this season. But the Saddlers' defence had switched off – something not often said recently – to hand the visitors the advantage.

To their credit Walsall shook off their lethargic start and were level within 20 minutes thanks to Nicholls' first goal in three-and-a-half months. Darren Byfield was sent clear down the right and checked inside, making a fool of Leon Legge in the process, to cross for Nicholls to stroke home from 15 yards.

It was a confident finish from a man who has struggled to make an impression this season. The 22-year-old has been on the peripheries, but his recent resurgence points to a brighter future.

Despite his time on the sidelines, Nicholls never broke rank and spoke out, instead kept his nose clean and got on with it. The attacker earned praise from the management for knuckling down and his chance has come again but his form must be, like his team-mates', consistent.

On that note, the Saddlers almost fell behind immediately when Tommy Smith planted a header wide of the far post, as the visitors tried to hit back. Ince saved well from Sam Saunders and Ben Strevens either side of the break, but was never overly stretched.

Byfield nodded wide as the Saddlers searched for the lead, but the game degenerated into a pitch battle between two sides struggling on a wretched surface. What rhythm there had been was upset when Dwayne Mattis was stretchered off following an earth shattering challenge with Kevin O'Connor, which has now ruled the Walsall midfielder for up to a month.

The injury left Mattis needing hospital treatment and the loss of their captain briefly hit the Saddlers, but Brentford packed as much punch as a Tiger Woods apology.

Jamie Vincent and Clayton McDonald again impressed and Vincent in particular snuffed out any danger. Nicholls dragged one across goal while Richard Taundry wildly lashed a couple of speculative efforts over.

The game was anyone's for the taking, although there were little signs either team would grab the initiative. But with seven minutes remaining the Saddlers finally completed their comeback with a goal good enough to win any game.

Brentford squandered possession and the hosts needed no second invitation, with Taundry's superb searching ball setting Nicholls free. The winger scampered towards the byline and dug out an excellent cross for the diving Deeney to win it.

The striker had barely a sniff all game but a quality hitman needs no second chance and the 21-year-old has shown what's in his locker this season.

The Saddlers breezed through the final minutes with minimum fuss and the celebrations were equally as low-key – but a win is just a win, isn't it?

By Nick Mashiter