Dean Smith explains Jon Macken call

Walsall manager Dean Smith has admitted his gamble in starting striker Jon Macken backfired after the striker failed to make an impact against Brentford.

Macken, who turns 34 tomorrow, had missed the previous two games with an ankle injury but Smith insisted he didn't aggravate the problem despite being withdrawn after the break on Saturday.

The Saddlers lost the game 1-0 and Smith said: "I took a bit of a gamble with Jon Macken.

"He'd not trained all week but he trained on Friday and I thought with his experience we'll throw him in but he clearly needed a few days before he came back.

"He's OK, I took him off just to try to change the tempo of the game."