Saddlers boss Dean Smith fumes

Boss Dean Smith today blasted his Walsall troops and labelled them naive after they blew a 2-0 lead against Bournemouth.

The Saddlers dropped two precious points on Saturday after Steve Fletcher's injury-time leveller denied the hosts.

And Smith was furious his men squandered their advantage to draw 2-2 after Jon Macken and Andy Butler gave them a deserved half-time lead.

He said: "Naivety cost us the game. It's two points lost and the lads know that. They are frustrated and it's sickening. A few weeks ago we did it to Sheffield Wednesday and scored two goals in the last minute but it's sickening when you concede so late. We should have won the game because we were the better team.

"Claude (Gnakpa) got the ball and lost it and Steve Fletcher did what he's done all of his career – it was a good header."

Michael Symes' penalty – after Lee Beevers fouled Marc Pugh – handed the Cherries a lifeline before Fletcher's late leveller.

And Smith blamed the Saddlers' decision making for their second-half undoing – which kept them 20^th in League One.

"It's just the decision making to finish the game off. It's about the game knowledge," said the manager. "Beevers has gone to ground in the box when the lad has gone. He shouldn't have done and it's a penalty.

"It was poor decision making at the wrong time which cost us. Jon (Macken) has got it in abundance, Alex Nicholls was outstanding, but the only thing which was missing was the final decision.

"We had the chances to finish it off and I'm disappointed we've lost two points but the performance in the first half was fantastic."

Jimmy Walker became the club's joint-record appearance holder, drawing level with Colin Harrison on 529, but was almost sent off after handling outside his area early on.

He was only cautioned and Smith insisted it would have been unjust had the keeper been dismissed. "If that's anywhere else on the pitch it's not a yellow," he said. "He's gone in for a tackle and it's hit his hand but I didn't see why it was a yellow. He couldn't get out the way of it.

"It would have been ridiculous had he been sent off."