The Dean Smith factor at Walsall

If only the season started in January - the 'Dean Smith factor' has been evident at Walsall since the manager took charge at the start of the year.

Smith inherited a squad eight points from League One safety but has restored hope of avoiding the drop.

Under the new boss, Walsall would be sitting pretty in 11th and primed for a tilt at the play-offs.

Apart from Dagenham & Redbridge, the Saddlers have outstripped every one of their relegation rivals since Smith's first game.

That match - a 3-3 comeback draw at Tranmere on January 8 - gave them the platform to launch their great escape, one which never looked likely before.

Since Smith took charge, the Saddlers have taken 22 points from 17 games and have more than doubled their tally in the three-and-a-half months after succeeding Chris Hutchings.

Their form has kept the fourth-bottom Saddlers in the survival hunt and they are just a point from safety ahead of tonight's trip to Milton Keynes Dons.

Dagenham's 1-1 draw at Leyton Orient on Tuesday moved the Daggers a point clear of the drop zone with three games in hand, but Smith's men could leap above them with a win at Stadium MK.

It would turn the heat up at the bottom of League One and Walsall defender Tom Williams reckons Smith has been the catalyst for survival.

He said: "The gaffer has come in and reignited the team. It's nothing short of miraculous and he's given the lads belief.

"The team were well adrift at the foot of the league but results have picked up and we've given ourselves a realistic chance of avoiding the drop.

"Football is a confidence game and he's given the lads confidence again. I came into a dressing room which was buzzing and in good spirits. It was easy to come in.

"When I arrived I thought it might be hard to get a win but we're trying to play football as well as pick up results and it's proving a successful strategy."

It's that spirit which former Birmingham defender Williams, who only arrived at the Banks's Stadium in February after leaving Bristol City, expects to give the Saddlers an edge.

He said: "I've been in a couple of relegation battles before and some people were getting anxious, there was animosity and disagreements but there's a great spirit here and a true belief we can get out.

"That hope is there and we do believe we can avoid relegation. You have to be focused on your own situation and not worry about other results.

"There's the ability in the squad to beat any team and the management are doing their best to make sure we're prepared.

"There's a good spirit. You have to be in your own bubble. You have to know we're a unit from the players, manager and chairman. Everyone is involved together and the main focus is always the next game.

"Colchester's performances, when I was there on loan this season, were more erratic than Walsall's believe it or not - they seemed to win one and then lose one.

"Since I've been here the performances have been consistent."

With 39 points going into tonight the Saddlers, who are without Aaron Lescott with a knee injury, need to win half of their eight games to ensure they pass the magic 50 point mark - the minimum required for survival in the last three seasons.

Smith has signed Jordan Cook on loan from Sunderland and Marc Laird from Millwall until the end of the season to boost their chances.

Fans may be expecting a white knuckle ride ahead of the climax, but Williams dispelled any fears and insists the players will find an extra gear.

He said: "I'm not going to say there isn't pressure because there is. You don't want to get relegated, the gaffer doesn't want a relegation in his CV and the chairman doesn't want to go down."