Walsall winger Steve Jones has insisted the team’s campaign isn’t a write-off after revealing the players were expecting a season of struggle.

The Saddlers head to Southend tonight 12th in League One and set for a mid-table finish, with just 10 games left and the club 16 points off the top six.

But the nine-goal attacker has admitted the squad felt they were in for a relegation scrap before the season had even kicked off and believes they have done well.

Jones said: “When I first came there was a lot of uncertainty. A lot of the players were saying the best players had left and we’d probably struggle this year, because no-one had signed up.

“They were young lads and had lost a lot of the best players, such as Jabo Ibehre and Anthony Gerrard left, but people have come in and done extremely well and we’ve looked a good team.

“Looking back now we’ve done well, especially with a team which is newly formed. We all know each other now and the points we’ve lost we can make up next season.

“We can learn from our mistakes and learn from our experience.”

But the 33-year-old admits the players only have themselves to blame for failing to reach their pre-season target of the play-offs.

He said: “You look back at the season and have regrets because of all the points we should have had. You look back on the games we’ve thrown points away, especially the home games.

“We’ve dominated teams, been ahead and ended up drawing. That’s two points every time and looking back now we’d be near enough in the play-offs.

“We’ve got a fairly young team so with that experience maybe those points would be on the board but it bodes well for the future.

“The more game the young lads play the better they will get.”

Tonight’s trip to Roots Hall starts a run of three successive away games with Exeter on Saturday followed by Stockport seven days later and Jones reckons the players have to ignore the long trips.

He said: “It’s always nice to play at home when you haven’t got far to travel and you’re not stuck on the coach.

“Going away isn’t always a nice thing but everyone has to do it, we’ve got to be professional, get through it and get the points.”