MARC Laird reckons there is less pressure on Walsall than there is on the teams currently in the League One relegation zone.

The Saddlers are clinging on to 20th place by the skin of their teeth as just goal difference separates them and Bristol Rovers, who occupy fourth from bottom.

Tonight, 18th-placed Notts County travel to Tranmere Rovers knowing that a draw will see them leapfrog Walsall in the table.

But Laird, on loan from Millwall until the end of the season, knows they will be feeling the tension.

“It’s all very well having the games in hand but us having the game advantage over them puts all the pressure on them,” the 25-year-old said.

“We’re above them, we’ve got the points on the board so it’s all on them.

“Of course we look at the results around us but at the moment we’re out of the bottom four and that’s all the matters.

“We can’t relax because of the importance of the games but we’ve got to concentrate on our results and not look at the teams below us because when you do start doing that you don’t concentrate on your own performances.”

Laird is used to League One relegation battles having helped his parent club survive when he first signed in the 2007/2008 season.

The Edinburgh-born midfielder also knows how important points are at this stage of the season and admits it was frustrating to finish empty-handed on Saturday.

“If we had beat Brighton we would have stretched that gap between the bottom four but the next game is important and we’ve got to give it everything on Saturday,” he added.