Analysis of Walsall 0 Leyton Orient 2

It was perhaps fitting that, on Pancake Day, Walsall's revival fell flat.

A night which promised so much, delivered so little to leave the Saddlers again looking up at safety.

Manager Dean Smith labelled the outing with Leyton Orient as flat and it was the result which halted the euphoria of his reign.

It was always going to happen – Walsall were never going to maintain their early momentum under Smith – but what they must do is recapture it.

They have lost games before but – being so close to the end of the season – they can ill afford more nights like this.

There is reason to be pessimistic – it comes naturally to the battle-weary Saddlers fans after the club dropped back into League One's bottom four.

A limp defeat, in front of the lowest league crowd this season, isn't going to inspire confidence but the situation is far from irretrievable.

A win against Southampton didn't automatically save Walsall – nor does defeat against Orient condemn them.

Remember where they were just two months ago? The survival race will go to the wire – teams won't have played the same amount of games until mid-April – and no-one can be written off.

This isn't Smith's mess, he's the cleaner whose been asked at the last minute to fix the problem, and his relentless positivity will have an effect on the team.

The fact is, should Walsall win at Yeovil on Saturday, the tide will turn again. Everything points to a dramatic finale.

The Glovers, Tranmere and Notts County are all still within striking distance having lost last night – the silver lining of a disappointing evening.

Defeat to an Orient side – with just two losses in 25 games – is hardly a disgrace and the Saddlers have good reason to argue their case.

Julian Gray and Marc-Antoine Gbarssin shuddered the woodwork while Matt Richards, Richard Taundry and Jon Macken forced goalkeeper Jamie Jones into smart stops.

They edged the first-half, only to be undone by Harry Kane's 43rd minute header.

And, once substitute Jonathan Tehoue doubled the Os' advantage, the visitors cruised home.

The Saddlers, despite some decent possession, lacked the tempo and cutting edge to find a way back.

Just two goals in seven games – despite their recent success in defence – isn't enough and will contribute to Walsall's downfall should they fail to address it.

The sight of Smith keeping three men up while his side defend a corner is encouraging – the manager will never ditch his attacking philosophy – but he can do little about the chances his players pass up.

Should Julian Gray maintain his form then the ammunition will be there, they just need a marksman to take advantage.

The goal tally of 40 in 36 games – or 1.1 every 90 minutes – is higher than the average at the bottom but unlikely to be good enough to keep them up.

The Saddlers made one change from Saturday's Swindon stalemate with Darryl Westlake replacing Aaron Lescott, who is out for at least two weeks with medial ligament damage.

They were comfortable early on as two of the division's form teams cancelled each other out, both happy to soak up any heat, until the 19th minute when the Saddlers almost broke the deadlock.

Richards' stinging drive was parried by Jones, Gray smacked the post with the rebound and Ledesma's follow-up trickled wide.

The Saddlers pinned their visitors back with little reward, but Gbarssin almost marked his home debut with a stunner when his 30-yard effort rattled the top of the bar. It was a rare chance, onsidering the Saddlers' territorial dominance.

Yet too often they worked themselves into good positions only to fail with the killer pass. The same went for Orient, who were sharp in their build up but sloppy when it mattered.

Against the run of play, though, the visitors took the lead two minutes before the break when Tottenham loanee Kane looped a header in to the corner.

The patient Saddlers were rattled but almost levelled within two minutes of the restart, when Jones saved Taundry's free-kick.

If Walsall hoped it would ignite a recovery they were mistaken after Tehoue doubled the Os' lead, tapping in Matthew Spring's cross following Westlake's slip on 56 minutes.

The goal knocked the stuffing out of the hosts who rarely created anything of note – with the exception of Macken's drive which was parried by Jones – from then on. Gray flashed a couple of efforts wide but there was little cutting edge.

Gray's string of crosses continually found an Orient head and reminded the hosts they needed a fox in the box.

It is difficult to get away from the disappointment though, despite the evening not being a complete write-off.

Walsall's season is far from over and positivity must be preached, but in order to survive chances must be taken.

By Nick Mashiter