Shrewsbury Town out of FA Cup after Walsall 3-0 defeat - pictures and analysis

And while there is no disgrace in losing to Dean Smith's play-off chasing Saddlers, the brutal truth is that the home side should have won by more than the 3-0 scoreline they eventually had to settle for.

And had it not been for the athleticism of Town goalkeeper Chris Weale, Turner's team this morning surely would have been reflecting on their heaviest defeat of the season so far.

Saturday's display was their worst of the campaign so far.

After an immaculately observed minute's silence ahead of Remembrance Sunday, the game got of to an inauspicious start with neither side creating much inside the opening 10 minutes.

But from then on it was pretty much one-way traffic as the hosts out-passed and out-hustled an opponent that never really got out of first gear.

Saddlers striker Craig Westcarr – who was arguably his side's man of the match – should have opened the scoring inside 15 minutes after Town defender Dave Winfield made a mess of a speculative ball forward into the box by Andy Taylor. He allowed the ball to bounce on the edge of the area and then his header back to keeper Chris Weale fell short of its intended target, allowing Westcarr to nip in between them.

Fortunately Weale raced off his line to make the block, but it was a warning of what was to come.

Winfield looked to have made amends a few minutes later when he cleared Chelsea loanee Milan Lalkovic's low cross from near the goal-line after Weale had blocked a low drive by the player at the near post.

But the former Wycombe Wanderers man was at fault when Westcarr opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark.

He looked to have Taylor's left-wing cross covered, but his sliding clearance attempt only succeeded in prodding the ball into the path of Westcarr, who gratefully slammed home from 12 yards out.

Winfield was given a very tough afternoon by Westcarr, and his display fell well short of the impressive standards he had produced in the weeks prior to Saturday's cup clash.

But it would be unfair to single him out as, in truth, the team – excluding Weale – were woefully below par.

Credit should also go to Walsall for denying Town any meaningful possession as they pinged the ball, constantly probing for an opening.

And it was only another smart save by Weale just before half-time which prevented Town from trailing in 2-0 down at the break.

In contrast, Town had created just two chances of note – neither of which troubled goalkeeper Richard O'Donnell.

Midfielder Nicky Wroe hammered the first effort well wide from the edge of the box after Winfield had headed Ryan Woods' free-kick back across goal midway through the half.

And striker Tom Bradshaw headed a decent Adam Reach cross high and wide nearer the end of the first 45.

But Town's front two – with midfielder Jon Taylor playing the role of second striker – were being starved of any quality service and caused Walsall's back four no problems at all in the opening period.

With Wolves loanee Liam McAlinden unavailable – having been denied permission by his parent club to play for Town in the FA Cup – Turner's alternative options up front had been severely limited.

But the Bradshaw/Taylor combination was one that had enjoyed some success in previous outings this season, and seemed the obvious choice in the circumstances.

Unfortunately, things were not about to get any better for them or their team in the second half as Walsall's dominance simply increased.

There had been an air of inevitability about Walsall's second goal, which arrived 14 minutes into the second period.

The Saddlers had totally dominated the second-half exchanges up until then, with Aaron Wildig and Connor Goldson both having to make desperate blocks to deny the home side.

And Town paid the price after failing dismally to clear a Saddlers corner. The ball broke to Milan Lalkovic who hammered it low through a crowded box and, although Weale got down low to block the initial shot, Westcarr pounced to tap home the rebound.

From that point on, Town's hopes of advancing in the world's most famous cup competition all but evaporated and the hosts continued to boss possession.

Such was their comfort that the Saddlers were able to bring out the party-pieces, with a series of one-touch moves, flicks and the odd drag-back.

Westcarr should have had a well-deserved hat-trick on 63 minutes when Town's backline was again easily breeched by another slick passing move. But Weale managed to deflect his powerful drive up and over the bar, and he produced another save to deny James Chambers soon afterwards as Walsall kept the pressure on.

Three substitutions by the visitors – Paul Parry, Dave McAllister and John Marsden on for Reach, Luke Summerfield and Bradshaw – failed to stem the tide.

And former Town loanee Romaine Sawyers capped a dominant display by the hosts in fine style with 17 minutes of normal time remaining.

Unsurprisingly Westcarr was involved again, providing the lay-off for Sawyers' 25-yard screamer, which gave Weale no chance. But while the finish was of the highest quality, the space afforded to the shooter was alarming.

When Jon Taylor finally managed Town's first effort on target – after 78 minutes – it was understandably greeted by sarcastic cheers from the 600-plus traveling supporters.

The final whistle will have been a big relief to those hardy souls who made the trip from Shropshire to witness what had been a hugely disappointing display.

Town had prided themselves on being competitive in virtually every game they had played prior to Saturday, but they were never really in it at the weekend.

It certainly seems like a missed opportunity, as a Cup run would have generated interest, excitement and also revenue.

The result should, though, be kept in context. It was just one bad performance, and they will inevitably occur from time-to-time in a nine-month season. Should Town bounce back by putting Port Vale and Notts County to the sword in their next two league games this game may well fade quickly into the background.

And while the FA Cup would have been an exciting extra, consolidation and progression in League One was always going to be the main target this season.

What is crucial now is that the players produce a spirited response and put some more league points on the board in the coming games.

Their lack of cutting edge up front also further highlighted their need to get another striker in following the recent departure of Cristian Lopez back to parent club Huddersfield.

They certainly missed his hold up play on Saturday, albeit it is unlikely to have made much of a difference to the scoreline given the overall performance.