CRAIG Brown warned it was a game which would tell whether his players had the character and quality to bounce back quickly from defeat.

And while the five goals might have provided the answer Brown was hoping for, Walsall keeper Jimmy Walker didn't half help!

Sent off when North End travelled to the Midlands earlier this season and sent off against Burnley at the weekend, a harsher ref could have sent him packing again when he brought Richard Cresswell down on 12 minutes.

Cresswell had already been felled by Tony Barras earlier in his run forward before being taken out by Walker. Graham Alexander cooly hit the penalty, his ninth of the season!

Dickson Etuhu doubled the score on 28 minutes with a spectacular goal. Paul McKenna pushed the ball behind the defence, Eddie Lewis chased it and crossed into the centre when, with one touch, Etuhu turned and rifled home.

On the half hour mark, David Lucas found his self stranded but Jorge Leitao's shot was blocked and deflected by Rob Edwards. Lucas saved North End minutes later full-strech, again from Leitao.

Despite persistant pressure it took until the 63rd minutes for North End to score again. Richard Cresswell shot to the right of Walker from a Lee Cartwright cross.

Ten minutes after that and Big George hit his first of two, ramming home Cresswell's deflected shot.

Koumantarakis then used his body to force an Alexander corner home into the net five minutes from time.

PNE 5 - 0 Walsall