Dean Smith: We're not safe yet

Boss Dean Smith today refused to talk up Walsall's survival chances after they edged closer to League One safety.

The Saddlers lost 1-0 at leaders Charlton yesterday but results elsewhere kept them four points clear of the drop zone with four games left.

Wycombe's 4-0 thumping at Chesterfield left them in the final relegation slot and Leyton Orient's 3-0 defeat at Exeter kept the O's level on points with the Saddlers but Smith remained cautious.

"We know it's not done. We treat every game as the biggest game of the season and yesterday was no different," he said with 19th placed Walsall hosting mid-table Tranmere on Saturday.

"We'll take each game as it comes. I can't comment on the other teams, I can only comment on what we do, and if we keep putting in the performances like we have over the last 13 games we'll be alright.

"When you walk away after a performance like that at The Valley, against a team who are eight points clear at the top, you know you're not too far off.

"I told the lads 'don't get your heads down, we played worse on Saturday and won the game' and sometimes that's how it goes. Tranmere on Saturday is a big one at home and hopefully we can take maximum points in that game."

But Smith questioned the free kick which led to Dany N'Guessan's winner and felt the Saddlers were not given enough protection by referee David Phillips.

"It was one of the softest all game," he said. "It was disappointing. We felt it shouldn't have been a free kick in the first place considering some of the other fouls in the game. But when you come to a place where their fans shout louder than yours some decisions go against you.

"I felt their left back stopped trying to win the ball and was just jumping into Alex Nicholls. They knew they were going to be in for a game.

"But apart from a 15 minute spell in the first half we bossed the game. That's against a team who are pushing to get into the Championship. You could see how important it was to them because they were holding the ball in the corner in the last few minutes."