Sam Mantom upbeat despite Walsall loss

Midfielder Sam Mantom refused to be downbeat by Walsall's 3-0 loss to Millwall – a result which ended the Saddlers five-match unbeaten run in League One.

Neil Harris' side swept to victory at the Banks's Stadium on Saturday, despite the home side dominating the opening hour.

The result means the Saddlers have now lost four times at home in the league this season.

Despite the loss, Sean O'Driscoll's side remained in the automatic promotion spots after Gillingham failed to beat Swindon.

And, while disappointed not to win, Mantom felt it was important to focus on the positives from Saturday's game.

The 23-year-old said: "We were really happy with how things were going at half-time – we were putting on a good performance.

"But, in the second-half, we couldn't get out of our half. The wind and rain played a big part.

"Once you go a goal behind, you are chasing the game and you leave yourself open to more goals which is what happened. We are disappointed.

"But we are looking forward to bouncing back at Crewe."

The game saw both Rico Henry and Anthony Forde hit the woodwork for the Saddlers, with Mantom believing Walsall would have got something from the game if one of those attempts had gone in.

He added: "The first goal is always really important and we had our chances. Forde and Henry both hit the woodwork.

"If one of them had gone in the game would have been totally different. But we found it hard to get back into the game once we went one down.

"That is now something we have to improve on. When you go a goal behind and you are at home, you need to stamp your authority on the game again.

"That is something we will sit down and have a good look at."