Walsall analysis: Saddlers enter the business end of the season in faltering form

They've collected just two wins from their last nine games in League Two, and relinquished their 12-match unbeaten home record in the league without a whimper.

Mat Sadler's men sit ninth in the annual table, having picked up 18 points from a possible 36 since the turn of the year, and have shipped the joint-second most goals in the division in 2025 (18). 

Meanwhile, second-place Bradford City have amassed the most points, 29 from their 12 games so far this year, as they continue to breath heavily down Walsall's neck. 

The gap between themselves and Notts County in fourth spot is at least nine points but performances such as in the defeat against Swindon Town suggest they still have a long way to go before they get the job done. 

Sadler named the same XI which began the 2-2 draw at Cheltenham Town in midweek. The Walsall boss insisted pre-match that the two late goals conceded in Gloucestershire would have no affect on the performance on the weekend, but clearly it had served as a psychological blow. 

Walsall looked tentative and struggled to break an organised Swindon side down. Jamie Jellis had a flicked header at the near post palmed away by Connor Ripley and Ryan Stirk drove a speculative effort from distance wide, but the lack of creativity was clear to see. 

Mistakes began to creep in as frustration grew. Swindon also posed a threat on the counter-attack and David Okagbue twice rescued them from falling behind in the first half. 

The Irishman was the standout on a poor afternoon. He stuck out a vital leg to prevent Joel McGregor's low feed from trickling through to Harry Smith and made a crucial interception to stop Joel Cotterill from breaking one-on-one on the cusp of half-time. 

Okagbue dealt relatively well with the threat of Swindon target man Smith but the same could not be said for Connor Barrett and Oisin McEntee, who failed to contain wide man Kabonga Tshimanga once he burst into life after the break. 

Walsall had their brightest period after the break and Jamille Matt came close with an audacious overhead kick after Jellis' long throw was flicked on at the near post by McEntee. 

But within 60 seconds, Swindon had launched an attack of their own and opened the scoring. 

It was a poor goal to concede from a Walsall perspective. Cotterill escaped the clutches of Allen down the right and wrong-footed the Walsall defender with his first touch. 

That created space for him to deliver into the box and Tshimanga crept behind Okagbue and saw his effort blocked by McEntee. Allen failed to track Cotterill's run into the box and the Swindon winger was first to the second ball to fire his deflected finish past Tommy Simkin. 

It was a blow that Walsall never recovered from. Sadler withdrew Brandon Comley on his 100th Walsall appearance and introduced Charlie Lakin to provide an injection of attacking energy into the midfield. 

To his credit, Lakin tried to make things happen and created a chance for an equaliser when he chased the ball to the by-line and flashed a low ball to the near post. 

Matt was unable to get a telling touch and it would prove his final action as Sadler swapped his front-line, with both Albert Adomah and Levi Amantchi coming on. 

Ellis Harrison, who has largely impressed since arriving on loan from MK Dons on transfer deadline day, looked off the pace, especially in the press. 

The 31-year-old was also walking a tightrope for the majority of the game after picking up an early booking and he could perhaps count himself fortunate that he didn't receive a second yellow for a foul before the break. 

However, the straight swap in attack made very little difference. Adomah had a couple of opportunities, picking up a loose ball on the edge of the box and shooting into the midriff of Ripley, before forcing a more impressive save at his near post late on. 

But Amantchi, who had looked explosive in his cameos from the bench in the wins over Chesterfield and Morecambe, struggled to have an impact whatsoever. 

Tshimanga was the main danger man for Swindon. He constantly got the better of Barrett in the second half and forced two saves from Simkin, the second of which required the very best of Simkin to turn behind at his near post. 

The wing-backs struggled overall. Barrett was exposed on a number of occasions down the right and Liam Gordon dropped below the consistent standards expected of him on the left. 

Danny Johnson was introduced for the closing stages, with Adomah dropping to wing-back, but chances were at a premium as Walsall struggled to put up a fight. 

With 12 games of the season to go, Walsall cannot afford to slip up when they face the long trip to bottom-place Carlisle United on Tuesday. Anything less than a win and alarm bells will be ringing even louder.