Saddlers are ready to pounce

Boss Dean Smith today insisted he must play the waiting game for new signings but insisted Walsall are ready to pounce.

The Saddlers chief wants to add to his squad in the transfer window to aid their fight against the League One drop.

Smith has been linked with a loan move for Southampton's Jonathan Forte and former Blues midfielder Darren Carter, a free agent after leaving Preston in the summer.

He is in talks with several players but admitted patience is a virtue in the transfer scramble.

"We're trying to move now, we're speaking to people all the time but you just have to make enquiries and wait for them to get back to you," said Smith. "That's the way it works sometimes at the lot of clubs with the players we're looking at.

"We've just been in talks with three or four different players and we have to wait for them to get back to us.

"We're always looking but it's going to be hard for any new people to get into the team because the players are performing well."

The Saddlers, with one win in their last 10 league games, are only out of the drop zone on goal difference after Saturday's 0-0 draw at Brentford.

But Smith believes it's only a matter of time before the Saddlers launch a winning fightback.

He said: "You don't like to look back but it was coming last season and we had the win against Bristol Rovers (6-1).

"The confidence is up and the performance levels have been really good. As long as they keep that and keep the belief we'll be OK.

"I thought we were the better team and if you'd looked at us and Brentford then you would have thought we were eighth and they were the team who is struggling.

"The pleasing thing for me is the performances are there at the moment. We're not getting beaten, it's just getting those goals to win the games.

"Brentford's keeper (Simon Moore) pulled off a super save from Jon Macken on Saturday and Alex Nicholls worked hard to make his chances. He put in a great effort for us but just didn't get his goals."