THE SADDLERS slipped to the foot of the League One table following a 1-0 defeat at Doncaster Rovers.

With the games quickly running out this season, Walsall looked to make a bright start in this crucial encounter but rarely threatened the home goal in the opening exchanges.

On seven minutes, James Coppinger showed a turn of pace that took him towards goal but he fired well over. At the other end, Andrew Barrowman embarked upon a marauding run through the middle to win a corner five minutes later and as Dean Keates curled the ball in, veteran front-man, Leo Fortune-West was in the right place to head clear. The ball was returned back into the danger zone where Barrowman broke the offside trap only to fire over from a good position in front of goal.

The Saddlers were attempting to pass the ball around whenever possible, but lacked a cutting edge to their play. With 26 minutes on the clock, Barrowman made room for a shot that, although on target, was never going to pose too many problems for Alan Blayney in the Rovers' goal.

The home side took the lead three minutes before the interval when a handball on the edge of the area presented Rovers with a free-kick in a dangerous position and although Walsall had everyone behind the ball, Coppinger managed to curl his effort around the wall and through a crowd of players to beat Andy Oakes.

Daryl Taylor, recently back from a loan spell at Hereford United, came on to replace Michael Standing early in the second period and the first chance of the half came to Walsall when Keates was felled hust outside the area. The resulting free-kick was fired into the defensive wall by Smith and as the ball came back out to him his next effort was also blocked.

There was a booking for Daniel Fox as he kicked the ball away after Pablo Mills was penalised for a foul on the touchline. Mills himself was booked moments later when he committed another foul in a wide position and protested a little too fiercely with the assistant referee.

There was another change just past the hour-mark when Barrowman was replaced by James Constable.

Oakes did well to save from close range after Lewis Guy managed to carve his way through the Walsall back-line, before Kevan Broadhurst used his last throw of the dice by bringing on Ishmel Demontagnac for Smith who wasn't moving comfortably as he left the field.

With around a quarter-of-an-hour to go, Constable blazed over from close range after The Saddlers thought they hadbroken the offside trap following some positive running from Michael Leary. However, the assistant referees flag eventually went up to spare Constable's blushes.

Walsall were not posing enough questions in attack against a Doncaster side who, with their chances of making the play-offs all but gone, never really got out of first gear.

There was a good chance for the home side on 84 minutes as Fortune-West drilled a low ball across the face of goal but there was no-one on hand to apply the finishing touch.

In injury time at the end of the game, The Saddlers started to spring to life when Mills won a corner through sheer determination, but as Oakes came up to make his giant presence felt, he was close to getting a vital touch as the home side got men back to clear. Claridge tried to turn the loose ball back towards goal but again we were frustrated as Rovers cleared their lines.

With the danger still not totally cleared, Taylor was able to cross the ball in from the right as Leary lined up a shot that could not find its way through the red and white wall in front of him.

In the end, The Saddlers were left to reflect on a defeat that has sent us to the foot of the table on another lack-lustre afternoon for the loyal travelling contingent.