Chris Hutchings defends loanees

Walsall manager Chris Hutchings has launched a defence of his loan swoops and insisted they will aid the club in their survival fight.

The Saddlers are set to field five loanees against Exeter tomorrow - the maximum allowed by the Football League - as they bid to lift themselves off the bottom of League One.

Stoke defender Andrew Davies and Barnsley midfielder Martin Devaney are primed for their debuts while Reuben Reid, Ryan McGivern and David Davis will also feature.

It means almost half of the team will be made up of temporary players, but Hutchings feels the rock bottom side needed to exploit the loan system.

He said: "It's come in handy now.

"The bigger clubs can carry the squads but with smaller clubs like us, if you look at the young lads we have on our bench, it's very difficult to change things - especially in recent weeks when we've had three experienced players injured.

"It's a tough call to put players on without a lot of experience.

"I think we'd all agree you always look for that experience."

Steve Jones, Darren Byfield and Richard Taundry have all been out over the past few weeks, depleting an already thin squad, prompting Hutchings to boost his numbers.