Saints powered to another great win on the road

Saints continued the great start to the crucial December period by making it maximum points in the games played so far, at the start of the month I stated that we needed to average two points per game to stand any chance of promotion and that December would be crucial, this win was just what was required to not only keep on track,  but put them ahead of the game.

But lets not get complacent here or think this was an easy game, far from it Walsall started the day in 11th place having only lost at home once and if they had beaten Saints it would have put them into the play off spots, this was potentially a difficult task for Saints and indeed the three away games this month are as difficult as it gets on the road.

But Saints built solid foundations from the back again, the goalkeeper looked solid and did the basics well again and the defence was superbly marshalled by Chris Perry, the midfield imposed itself and up front Connolly was sharp and Lambert looked a different player from Tuesday.

After weathering the initial storm from the home side, Saints went ahead through Connolly and from then on the result was never in doubt, the only black spot being that Saints momentarily lapsed straight after the third and let Walsall have a glimpse of a comeback, but after this glit, Saints went back to being tight and dealt with what was thrown at them easily.

This was another big milestone for Saints, firstly it put them only nine points behind a play off spot, I have often said if Saints could starrt the new year only eight-nine points behind that magical sixth place then it would be a good base for a surge in the second half of the season, to reach that now is great, but Saints need to keep pushing on and bridge the gap further.

Secondly it see's Saints enter that top six if they didnt have the ten point deduction, this is a good psycological boost for the team and also a warning shot to the other play off contenders, Saints are now a genuine top six side and coming up from behind.

Next up is perhaps the easiest game of the month, but we did say that about Brighton and Wycombe, we have to now be methodical and dispatch them, if we do that then its another big step before our hardest game of the season, the trip to Leeds.       

Finally another big mention for the travelling Saints fans, they filled their end and an overspill section and backed the team superbly, officially the figure was only 1,791, but looking at the rest of the stadium  that figure seems low, there was no way Saints only had a third of the crowd, Walsall was well and truly invaded by Saints supporters, the Saddlers Club was packed with Saints fans before the game and my estimate based on the capacity of the ground and the away section is that there were perhaps a few more than that in the crowd, at least one corporate box was filled with Saints supporters as well.

Travelling away at the moment is great fun, for many its a lot of new grounds to visit and the atmosphere is superb, lets hope we can take similar numbers to Elland Road.

Photo: Action Images

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