Parallels of cup win a harsh reality

Walsall blogger Mark Jones feels the great parallels of an unconvincing FA Cup win have done little to sway the tide in a vital period for the Saddlers.

I feel obliged to start with an apology. To the fans, players and officials of Fleetwood – sorry.

You gave a fantastic account of yourselves and were a credit to your league. OK some of our stewards might disagree, but we've all got a bit overexcited at some time or other, haven't we?

I sympathise with their plight. I can remember a third round tie with Leeds back in 1994/95.

They just about scraped a draw at the Bescot Stadium and then we took them to extra time at Elland Road. Over the two games we were by the far the better side.

But our then-famous opponents scored three times in the additional 30 minutes to give them a completely flattering 5-2 win.

No-one watching the games would have guessed that there was three leagues difference between the teams at the time.

The defeat hurt like hell but everyone in the away end was defiant at the end, we were the moral winners, we had a good side and we were a club on the up.

Fast forward 16 years and the boot is definitely on the other foot.

Just as on numerous occasions in his first spell, 'Super Jim' is keeping opponents at bay almost single-handed.

Jimmy Walker's Man of the Match award was again fully merited and is the only reason we travel to Torquay a week on Saturday.

That fact speaks full volumes for the sorry state the club finds itself in right now.

Having to rely on goalkeeping heroics for an undeserved win over a non-league team in front of less than 2,000 angry home fans is not exactly how I imagined things would turn out.

I'd be inclined to suggest that we need to pick up something from the upcoming matches against Carlisle and Sheff Wed, given the slightly pressing problem of having to win as many league games as we've won all season just to catch up with the teams outside the relegation zone.

However, as nothing so far this season has prompted any necessary change, then we might as well treat them as any other two games.

I've no idea how manager Chris Hutchings has stayed in a job for as long as he has.

If it's part of some masterplan, some big picture that us mere mortals can't see or understand, then it's about time we got let in on the big secret.

But it could just be that they're just muddling along with fingers crossed again.