Bury 2 Walsall 1 - analysis

Matches are seldom made in heaven. For Dean Smith and Walsall, theirs needs more work.

It doesn't need counselling, it's not a rocky relationship yet.

But, after yesterday's 2-1 defeat at Bury the happy nuptials of last year have been forgotten.

The Saddlers boss celebrates a year in charge tomorrow having improved the club from the hollow shell he inherited but he knows there is much still to be done.

For the time being all he can do is paper over the cracks and, like a married couple, Smith and the Saddlers must work through their problems.

They are a good fit, a local boy with his local club, and have had an on-off courtship since 1989.

They 'clicked' last season with the relationship new and exciting but now, after another year of going steady, have lost a bit of spark.

Smith has gone through the whole range of emotions in his first year and experienced more at Gigg Lane.

Jamie Paterson's equaliser was cancelled out just 83 seconds later by Peter Sweeney's free-kick – a goal the boss believed never should have stood. His anger ran deep after he watched a replay of Andy Butler's 'foul' on the fast-freezing pitch.

In the heat of the moment Smith is an emotional, passionate man and the fact managers and referees have a 30-minute cool-off period after the game has probably saved him a few quid.

He has perhaps berated officials too often this term, sometimes justifiably, as the Saddlers have been on the end of a few dubious decisions.

But it is that fervour which drives him, which convinced him to take the job 12 months ago and which hasn't diminished.

He has surrounded himself with trusted, worldly-wise confidants who have passed on their experience.

Chris Nicholl and Richard O'Kelly have proved invaluable to Smith and the club and the manager cannot have better foundations.

But, despite their work, Walsall are struggling and need to start winning consistently if Smith is to keep the fans' backing.

There will be envious glances cast at Bury who, with an average attendance of 820 below the Saddlers, have made more of limited resources. Liverpool loanee David Amoo is their inspiration and, compared with Walsall's own loanee – Middlesbrough's Andy Halliday – the difference is evident.

Amoo was the heartbeat of Bury while Halliday, one of three changes from the weekend stalemate with Rochdale, failed to fire.

His deal ends after the visit of Bournemouth on Saturday and Walsall must think if their resources would be better served elsewhere.

Ryan Jarvis and Darryl Westlake also started as Manny Smith was suspended, Richard Taundry benched and Jon Macken's aging limbs given a breather.

There was a real grievance from the squad about Bury's 4-2 win at the Banks's Stadium in November but if the players wanted to right those wrongs they failed to show it.

Bury had the freedom to knock it about how they pleased and only a smart save from Jimmy Walker from Mike Jones kept them level.

Amoo – who excelled at the Banks's – again tormented and it was no surprise the breakthrough came from him via a deflection off the luckless Mat Sadler from his 20th-minute cross. There was a sense of inevitability about the opener and Walker again kept out Jones as Bury threatened to overwhelm Walsall.

But the visitors fought their way back and Adam Chambers was denied by a double save from Cameron Belford. Prior to that they had created little but when Alex

Nicholls was tripped in the 39th minute up stepped Paterson to curl in his second of the season from 25 yards. But just 83 seconds later the Shakers were back in front when Butler was harshly penalised and Sweeney's free-kick hit the upright – and then Walker – to spin over the line, although former Walsall skipper Mark Hughes made sure.

By Nick Mashiter

It was a sucker punch for the Saddlers and one from which they never recovered. Paterson and Nicholls were willing runners but never got in behind, while substitute Claude Gnakpa's aerial threat at least offered something different.

The Frenchman added some urgency and the Saddlers edged the contest as Bury retreated.

Gnakpa almost claimed a stoppage-time equaliser when his glancing header flashed wide. But there was to be no happy anniversary for Smith, no flowers or chocolates.

Just another dose of reality.