Dean Smith refuses to dwell on Walsall's past

The Saddlers chief is not a man to dwell on disappointment, or agonise over things which could or might have been done differently.

Not exactly a bad trait to have, when things haven't exactly been going your way.

Where Smith is concerned, talk of one win in nine or three in 27 is largely irrelevant. All that matters now is Doncaster on Saturday and picking up a second win of the season.

Neither are any parallels with two seasons ago, when the Saddlers experienced a similarly unconvincing start.

For him, events of the past are largely irrelevant to the task in hand, so the Banks's Stadium boss is focusing all of his energy on beating Donny.

"I don't look back that often," said Smith. "I don't think you can. I think we have moved on as a football club.

"I was only talking about the other day about how when I first took over, it was mayhem.

"But I think it is nearly four years, or it will be in January. I think we have moved on an awful lot.

"We have had a big hiccup with injuries this season and I have a big squad of players which four years ago I never envisioned we would have here."

A difficult start to the season, brought about in no small part by a crippling list of injuries, has handed Smith one of the toughest spells of his reign at the Banks's Stadium.

He has not faced any scrutiny over his position but, with his side starting the campaign in stuttering fashion, some of his decisions have been questioned by the home faithful.

That has led to talk of increasing pressure, but it is chatter that Smith is quick to dismiss.

"I think because the league is so tight and it is the start of the season, you always know there are enough points out there to play for," he said.

"Somebody asked me about pressure out there the other day but there is always pressure on this job, whether you are at the bottom or the top.

"It is one of those jobs where you have got six or seven thousand people who have an opinion on what you are doing.

"As long as you have a supportive network of family, friends and staff I am fine with it. I go home and my family is my family and football goes out of the window.

"The important thing is you don't lose belief in what you are doing.

"That is the good thing about this football club in that they are very supportive in everything they do.

"I speak to the chairman after every game, win, lose or draw and he pops up here to the training ground and has a chat with us about how we are doing.

"There is a lot of that, support from directors and chairman.

"What is really pleasing is when I see programme notes from the chairman of Gillingham or Peter Taylor, the manager of Gillingham, praising us as a football club about how we do things and how we play.

"Getting noticed for doing things like that is, for me, a big pat on the back for the football club.

"But the pressure is no different."