Walsall analysis: Win treble will not ease all the pressure for the Saddlers

There are Saddlers supporters who want Jon Whitney gone.

They have their reasons and their minds will not change.

At the same time, there are fans who – if they see signs of improvement, and a team worth getting behind – are willing to cut the boss a bit of slack.

And while this clash – won with a deflected Kieron Morris strike – was not a classic, there are some things to be positive about as we head into a busy festive period.

Something to smile over was the fact Florent Cuvelier made his first appearance since October.

A man who has had terrible luck with injuries since returning to the club for a second spell last year, he was included in the starting line-up following his recovery from a calf problem.

He gave his all too, covering almost every blade of grass before, understandably, being taken off for the final quarter of an hour.

James Wilson, Mark Gillespie and Amadou Bakayoko also returned to the fold – and that trio hardly put a foot wrong either.

In fact, every Walsall player put in a decent display.

They were energetic and committed, if not all spectacular.

Whitney praised that high work-rate after the match, stating ‘We had too much energy for them’.

And that effort was appreciated by the home faithful following the final whistle, applauding the players as they made their way down the tunnel.

Another thing to be pleased about – although it should not have taken this long – is that the Saddlers got their first clean sheet at the Banks’s Stadium this campaign.

Gillespie came back in for Liam Roberts, who has injured his hamstring, and displayed his quality when needed.

He was only forced into one major save, in second-half added-on time.

The 25-year-old slipped as Scunthorpe substitute Clayton Lewis’s strike approached him but – in a true heart-in-mouth moment – managed to swipe the ball clear.

And the major positive from the encounter was the performance of Erhun Oztumer.

Yes, he missed a penalty – which his exceptional composure helped to win as he played a one-two with Luke Leahy, who was brought down – but the Iron could not cope with him.

So light on his feet and clever with his movement, the No.10 was – for the majority of the game – a step ahead. And he brings more out of those around him due to his selflessness.

A real team player, his link-up play with Bakayoko, Morris and Zeli Ismail was very good. Morris’s goal was lucky but – based on the amount of possession they had up until that point – the lead was deserved.

What was perhaps most impressive about Oztumer’s performance, as Whitney alluded to after the game, was he did not dwell on his penalty being saved.

It was a strong save by Matt Gilks and Walsall’s No.10 quickly put it beyond him, closing down with even more tenacity and showing more hunger to get on the ball.

You sense the Saddlers will have a tough job keeping hold of him in January.

Such is his talent, it would not be surprising to see him be the target of several Championship sides.

It may just be a case of enjoying his presence while it lasts.

Things may not be perfect at 11th-placed Walsall, but beating a team that started Saturday third in the table with relative ease deserves credit.