Friendship at the door for Hutchings

Friendship will be left at the door at Swindon as Walsall boss Chris Hutchings looks to deliver a knockout blow on pal Danny Wilson.

The Saddlers go to the County Ground tomorrow with the hosts still hunting automatic promotion, just three points behind second placed Leeds.

The opposing managers became friends after joining Brighton together, Hutchings from Chelsea and Wilson from Forest, in 1983 and spent months cooped up together in a south coast hotel.

But Hutchings will have no problem derailing Wilson's promotion dream tomorrow, if it means three points for his team.

He said: "Promotion will go to the last game, we just hope we can put a bit of a dent in his promotion push.

"Danny is a great lad, I know him well, I played with him at Brighton and we're big mates but for 90 minutes that will go out the window.

"We lived together in a hotel in Brighton when he came down from Forest and I signed from Chelsea. We were at the hotel for four or five months, so we became pretty close.

"We have always followed each others' career and get on well. He was a good player too!"

The Robins' 1-1 draw with Exeter on Monday hit their automatic promotion hopes and they lie fifth, locked on 77 points with Charlton, but Hutchings believes the point could be crucial in the long run.

He said: "The momentum has swung a little in Leeds' favour I'm sure Danny will be very disappointed with the result against Exeter, where they dominated in the second-half and had numerous chances.

"But to score late on and get a point, he'll be thankful for that."

Swindon's scoring sensation Charlie Austin – a find from non-league Poole Town – is one of the main reasons Town are sitting pretty in the top six and the Walsall boss admits the 20-year-old has excelled.

Hutchings said: "Sometimes you have to give credit to the lad. He's taken his chance and scored goals so his confidence is sky high. You look at Troy Deeney last year, he scored goals and all of a sudden he can believe he can do it, that's probably where Austin is.

"He'll probably have a dip sooner or later, but Danny's got the best out of him and he's repaid him with goals."

Walsall's own striker-extraordinaire Deeney struck twice on Tuesday to take his tally to 13 and Hutchings warns if Deeney and his team-mates get the chances tomorrow they must take them.

The manager said: "At Leeds we had to make sure we were on top of our game, we know we can do it. When we get the chances it's got to be Alex Nicholls, Darren Byfield, Deeney or Julian Gray, there to take the opportunities. It's a matter of taking when they come.

"You always want to be clinical, some games you can get a lot of chances but don't convert them for whatever reason and others you'll get one chance and win 1-0.

"We are always critical of missed chances, but we've got to keep getting there and be brave enough to take them."

Rhys Weston could return while Darren Byfield and Dwayne Mattis are fit again, after limping out of Tuesday's 4-3 defeat at Huddersfield with knee and Achilles injuries respectively.

Mark Hughes is the only absentee, as the captain serves the first of his two game ban after his dismissal in midweek.

Swindon – who have been on a team bonding week in London –are likely to be unchanged as they chase the points to keep them in the automatic promotion hunt.

Now Robins boss Wilson has warned his side against complacency when the 13th-placed Saddlers visit.

He said: "Are there any easy games? They are coming to a team in the top six, so will be upping their game. For me, you can take away where they are in the division as to what type of performance they will put in - that means absolutely nothing to us and we don't even look at that.

"Stockport have been relegated but I bet you a pound they win two or three of their remaining games. There's no pressure on them, and that's just the way it goes.

"We won't think it's going to be an easy game. They have got everything to play for.

"They have got their careers to play for, contracts to play for, and will be trying to impress the manager if they haven't already done so."