Walsall's defeat to relegated Stevenage sparks reaction from Dean Smith - analysis and pictures

The Saddlers boss usually makes a point of not addressing his players following a match.

But on Saturday, after seeing them slump to defeat against a Stevenage side already relegated and which hadn't won for the previous 10 games, he changed tack.

The significance of the post-match "chat" – as Smith described it, should not be ignored.

It was a clear indication of the manager's concerns about the late-season slump which is threatening to get out of hand.

With just two wins and 13 points garnered from the last 17 games, this can no longer be classified as a mere "blip" and Smith will be desperate to ensure the frustrations and sour mood do not linger and become a longer-term malaise.

As daft as it might sound when there is only one game remaining, the rot must stop here.

Smith and his team are keen to talk about "momentum" and at the moment it is all against them. The manager knows talk of progress is being clouded by the downturn of the final third.

It is relegation form and as much as last-season's second-half burst continued into the start of this campaign, so slumps can also fester into the summer and beyond. You need look no further than the fate of Tranmere.

With key players out of contract, this would appear a crucial moment in the Saddlers project and you sense Smith knows it – hence his post-match talk.

On the pitch, this was another game his side will feel they threw away but even compared to other recent disappointments, it was a low point.

With their fate already sealed, Stevenage boss Graham Westley made five changes to his starting line-up and his inexperienced side appeared there for the taking.

But the Saddlers could not grasp the initiative during a sloppy first half and an error by the usually reliable James Chambers handed Jimmy Smith the chance to fire the hosts ahead.

Having rectified the situation courtesy of early second-half strikes from Mal Benning and Craig Westcarr, they then gifted the home side a route back before a terrible error by Benning handed Luke Freeman the winner on a plate.

Once again, we saw the best and worst of the young full-back, who despite excellent attacking play, still seems vulnerable and error-prone at the back.

This was either another indication he is not quite yet ready for a prolonged stay at left-back, or a further hint his long-term future may lie a little higher up the wing.

While focus will fall on the defensive errors, the game was really lost in the Saddlers' failure to impose themselves in the final third, particularly in a first half which was lackadaisical by their standards.

Sam Mantom and Westcarr both went close and Stevenage looked vulnerable every time the visitors attacked, but the moves lacked precision.

Once the hosts had the gained a foothold in the game, it became a more even contest.

Certainly they will need to be better on Saturday against Colchester to claim an all-too-rare home victory which might, at the very least, breed some positivity as Smith prepares for a potentially pivotal summer.

A win would also stave off the threat of a bottom-half finish which would make the manager's claims of progress yet harder to sell.

Aside from the Capital One Cup defeat at Stoke, this was the only time the Saddlers have conceded three on the road this term and the defeat means they have finished with an identical away record to last season.

Chambers has been among their most consistent performers but was at fault for the opener when his clearance was blocked and Smith brought down Feriji Okenabirhie's cross and fired home.

Still, the Saddlers looked to have seized the initiative with two goals in the first five minutes of the second half.

First Benning drilled a shot under home keeper Chris Day after Milan Lalkovic's through ball had deflected perfectly into his path, before Westcarr pounced when the keeper failed to hold Romaine Sawyers' drive.

But the hosts levelled within three minutes when Smith picked out Jo N'Guessan and he finished smartly past Richard O'Donnell.

Benning appeared to be out of position but there was, sadly, no questioning his culpability for the winner as he chested a harmless cross into the path of Freeman six yards out.