Mat Sadler tells Walsall players to use Wembley 'torture' as fuel for next season

The Saddlers were condemned to a seventh campaign in League Two after a frustrating 1-0 defeat under the arch in Monday’s play-off final.

It capped an extraordinary collapse over the second half of the season, which saw Walsall blow a 12-point lead at the top of the division.

Sadler, who had managed to re-energise his players to beat Chesterfield in the play-off semi-finals and set up just the club’s second ever trip to Wembley, set a defiant tone in his post-match press conference and insisted his players can be stronger for the experience of recent months.He said: “You have to use these things as motivation and fuel. When you are stood there and watching their celebrations, it is like a slow torture if you are not the one celebrating.

“Again that fire and emotion is very raw, let’s use it for a positive.

“Overall, I have to be so proud of the group. They showed up and came every day with attitude of a group that you will not always find in the game.

“It is the same with the staff. The big overall feeling for me was pride in what they have done, how they have moved the place forward, how we have moved the club forward.

“Now it is rest, recover. We have got a taste and we will go again.”

Myles Hippolyte scored the only goal of the afternoon just before half-time. The Saddlers, who failed to register an attempt at goal in the opening half, saw Jamille Matt’s effort cleared off the line early after the restart, while substitute Levi Amantchi also went close.

But ultimately it was another day of despair to add to their experience at Crewe earlier this month, when automatic promotion was snatched away in the final seconds.

Asked which felt worse, Sadler replied: “They have both had the same outcome so I guess they feel the same.

“But as I have said before. We are not victims, we are fighters. I am not going to be feeling sorry for myself and the group will not feel sorry for themselves. 

“We keep fighting because that is the only thing we know how to do. We have loads of adversity, loads of hits and knocks and we have kept going. 

“When people have doubted us we have done the same again. People didn’t expect us to get to this final and we did that. Unfortunately, we did not quite get over the line.

“Now is the time to go away, everyone rest, then we will go and do it all again.”