TUCKING into a gourmet meal only to find the waiter suddenly whipping it away from you after several hearty mouthfuls would be frankly irritating.

The same is true of seeing a 2-0 lead evaporate away from home.

The sun is shining, your team is playing well, you've struck twice and the natives are getting more than a little restless.

'Can we play you every week' is booming out. Surely nothing could spoil such an idyllic scenario?

Sadly, there is no question that a Paul Merson-inspired Walsall deserved this victory. It's just that it should have been well beyond them after Town's impressive opening spell.

The Saddlers started shakily and an unchanged Town side were swift to capitalise.

After Darius Henderson had gone close, Brian Howard went altogether closer 60 seconds later as he met Mark Yeates' corner from the left and headed past stranded Walsall keeper Mark Paston from close range.

Town surged forward again and Yeates thundered a low drive just past the left post from 20 yards.

Walsall rallied briefly and Gary Birch rose to meet Merson's corner from the right but only succeeded in planting his header wide of the right post.

As the play continued to swing from end to end, Paston smothered a Parkin strike while Leitao's spectacular tumble in the box at the other end failed to impress referee Martin Atkinson.

Leitao was involved again on 18 minutes but there were no complaints this time as he was halted in his tracks on the right edge of the area by a superbly timed tackle from Ifil.

Birch's rampaging run down the left flank ended with a cut-back to Merson but thankfully for Town the former Arsenal man's low strike was gathered easily by Evans low to his left.

Parkin rose to meet Howard's corner from the right on 23 minutes and although he outjumped Paston at the near post, couldn't steer the ball into the net.

The dodgy home defence was breached for a second time on 25 minutes when Henderson latched on to Yeates' ball forward, seized on a howler by Neil Emblen and coolly slotted the ball beyond Paston.

The goal was greeted with cries of 'sign him up' from the away end and a chorus of 'can we play you every week?'.

That was as good as it got for Town and the Saddlers halved the deficit on 28 minutes.

Evans could only parry Birch's fierce strike and Leitao was first to react heading the rebound into the net.

Duly lifted by the goal Walsall poured forward and levelled matters on 34 minutes. It was no surprise that Merson was the orchestrator.

He played in Joe Broad down the right and the youngster's low cross was crashed home via the post by that man Leitao from close range.

It took a fine stop by Paston to prevent Howard's deflected shot dipping under the crossbar at the other end on 39 minutes, but now it was the Walsall fans roaring 'can we play you every week?'

Walsall should have completed a remarkable turnaround by going in 3-2 ahead at the break.

Merson picked out Leitao on the edge of the area. He nodded the ball to his right and Darren Wrack inexplicably fired wide of the right post.

It was largely one-way traffic after the break and it increasingly became a question of whether Town could hold on.

Ifil was in the right place to get his body in the way of a Wrack strike on 55 minutes but Town's inability to retain possession meant the ball just kept coming back.

Andy King made a double substitution midway through the half, Howard and Yeates making way for Grant Smith and Steve Robinson.

Smith almost made an instant impact as he lofted in a corner from the left, Nicholas threw himself at the ball and good as the connection was, Paston was equal to the header.

Walsall's fans thought the winner had arrived on 71 minutes but Wrack's 20-yard free-kick was finger-tipped on to a post by Evans.

Chances fell at either end in the closing stages but the goal Walsall had been threatening finally arrived with just three minutes remaining.

Leitao and Merson combined down the right and Birch was perfectly placed to meet the cross from the right to loop the ball over Evans and into the net.