SWINDON Town fell back into old habits last Saturday as the impressive performance from just four days earlier vanished as Walsall earned themselves their first away win of the season.
Despite making just the one change, with Yaser Kasim coming into midfield for the injured Tom Smith, it made a huge difference.
Out went the drive and determination supplied by Smith, as Kasim and Anton Rodgers struggled to make any impact, with the biggest collective laugh of the afternoon coming as Rodgers was named man of the match.
The rapid decline of Kasim from the start of the season to now is a sad and frustrating sight. He began on fire, covering every blade of grass, collecting the ball and pushing the team forward, but last weekend, he didn’t seem to leave the centre circle.
But despite an absent midfield, it was the back four who put on the horror show as the Saddlers were able to sneak in and double their lead from a simple punt up field.
With Jamie Sendles-White and Lloyd Jones injured and Raphael Branco suspended, it’s been down to midfielder Conor Thomas to fit in alongside Nathan Thompson, which has worked as a stop gap, but it seems the real deal is needed ASAP.
In the last five minutes on Saturday and at full-time, a number of fans started to chant their displeasure at the owner and head coach, which is understandable, as the entire 90 minutes was painful.
I find it hard not to have sympathy for Luke Williams as he hasn’t been able to field his best XI once this season.
If Jones, Michael Doughty and Jonathan Obika had been fit all season, I don’t think we’d be anywhere near the bottom half-dozen teams in League One.
But it’s also true what’s been served up on the pitch overall in the last couple of months hasn’t been good enough, and things can’t carry on in the same vain.
The question is, when does Lee Power act on bad results? He had already sacked Mark Cooper by this point last season, so I don’t think he’ll have any choice but to move Williams aside if results and performances don’t change soon.
With the key game being the first round of the FA Cup, I imagine the outcome of that fixture will go along way in dictating Williams’ future.
Follow me on Twitter @danwjonson
Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here
Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here