Walsall 2-1 Swindon analysis: Saddlers character comes to the fore in gruelling battle

Evan Weir is poised to make the step-up in the wake of Taylor Allen's departure to Wycombe Wanderers and made the best possible start. 

His teammates commented that he had been scoring free-kicks in training throughout pre-season and he delivered another beautiful strike with a rocket into Connor Ripley's left-hand top corner after eight minutes. 

It was also his first goal for the club in what could prove to be a very big season for the Irishman. However, he could've done better when Aaron Drinan outmuscled him at the other end midway into the first half. 

Perhaps that left Brandon Comley with no other choice but to rugby tackle the Swindon attacker to the floor, and he paid the price with a straight red card. 

That changed the complexion of the game completely and provided Mat Sadler with a prime opportunity to show his worth from the dugout. 

He didn't disappoint. It felt harsh to sacrifice Jonny Stuttle, who himself had forced a smart one-on-save from Ripley before his departure, but it was necessary. 

His strike partner Aaron Pressley got through some incredible work as the sole striker, especially considering he had twice the workload. 

Lewis Warrington, signed from Leyton Orient towards the end of the week, also provided excellent cover for Comley at the base of midfield. 

Walsall were forced to shift into a 3-1-4-1 formation and naturally sat deeper as the half wore on. Aden Flint was a colossus in the heart of defence and demonstrated real leadership as he captained the side on his debut. 

The towering centre-back could be exactly the type of experienced head Walsall need and his imposing style pretty much nullified the threat of Swindon target man Harry Smith.

Watford loanee Myles Roberts was forced into two routine saves during the first half, but was rarely stretched by Swindon, despite their dominance on the ball. 

That was something Sadler wanted to reduce and he called for his team to put more pressure on the ball after the break. As he noted in his post-match press conference, Pressley dropped deeper to occupy Swindon midfielder Ollie Clarke. 

Charlie Lakin, once again with another tireless performance, constantly augmented the press, along with Jamie Jellis on the other side. 

The timings of the substitutions also felt right. Albert Adomah took over from Pressley midway into the second half and Courtney Clarke produced a promising debut from midfield, as Jellis made way. 

Yet it looked as if Walsall's work was about to be completely undone when league debutant Rico Browne was penalised for a challenge on Harry Smith inside the box. 

Sadler described the decision by the referee as "outrageous" afterwards but Swindon defender Will Wright stepped up to convert beyond the reach of Roberts with 11 minutes to go. 

That was not to be the end of the drama and the game took on a very open feel for the closing stages. Swindon substitute Paul Glatzel flashed a fierce effort over the crossbar and Walsall fans must have winced with anguish when the board was held up to signal seven minutes of added time. 

Yet there was no reason to fear. Within 60 seconds, Clarke combined excellently with Barrett who found himself one-on-one with Ripley.

Barrett provided 10 assists in his debut season last term, and scored his first goal for the club on opening day with a composed finish into the bottom corner. 

Joy and relief spread across the stadium, while one Swindon supporter hurled an object at Walsall goalkeeper Roberts towards the end.

It was the one downside of an otherwise excellent occasion, which saw a 21-year record attendance for an opening day fixture at Bescot. 

Over 8,000 spilled into the stadium, including over 2,000 for the visitors. In the aftermath of last season, Sadler and Walsall needed a big performance, and perhaps more importantly a big result, and they achieved it in style. 

There was a late scare in the dying embers of stoppage time when Smith guided a back post header beyond the reach of Roberts, only for the linesman to cut his celebrations short on the nearside. 

Walsall dug in and opened the season with a deserved win, especially considering the hurdles they had to overcome to get there. 

Fighting as they did with 10-men and showing the resilience to still get over the line bodes well at this early stage of the season. 

Not just that, but there's a different feel to things again. Jellis was the only surviving member of the XI which started the 1-0 defeat against AFC Wimbledon in the League Two play-off final at Wembley. 

The new players offered promise and there was also a chance for Sadler to introduce new signing Jake Hollman and Priestley Farquharson for his final competitive appearance in just under a year. 

It's still early doors, and if last season taught us anything, it's that anything can change throughout the course of a football season. 

But Walsall did at least produce exactly the type of response that was needed in the wake of the heartbreaking ending to the previous campaign.