"I was delighted. I thought the performance was excellent, particularly as in training I did not know who was going to be fit. Richard Naylor played with a broken toe and after having two injections, and it was a shame we conceded one goal from a free-kick.
Meanwhile Royle was also happy with debutant Matt Elliott who has joined the club on a months loan from Leicester: "Matt was super. He steadied us, nothing flash, but he headed the ball clear and passed it well. Initially we have Matt for a month but I hope to persuade him to stay longer."
Also attracting praise after the game was Hat-Trick hero Darren Bent who was in inspired form for the blues: "He has got a good scoring record but is still a bit naïve in the game. His natural asset is pace, and with finishing like that he could go to the top.
"We had one good break in the second half when Paul Merson missed the chance at the far post which could have put a bit of pressure on us. But our midfield men dominated the game and we have done that in many games this season. Only Wigan have overrun us."
Meanwhile Walsall Boss Colin Lee felt his side did not deserve to win, but felt blues striker Darren Bent was the difference between the two sides: "We came up against a team who are a little bit better than us.