Dean Smith's blast for referee

Boss Dean Smith today blasted referee Roger East and insisted he could have put their League One place in peril.

The Saddlers boss let rip at the official after he missed Florent Cuvelier's 'goal' and controversially dismissed Manny Smith in Saturday's 4-2 defeat at Exeter.

It left Walsall three points above the drop zone with two games left and Smith slammed East's gaffes.

He said: "When you're at the business end of the season and where we are you've got to be better than that. It could do (cost Walsall safety). There's not much more you can say on it. We were in control of the game, everyone knows that.

"There was minimal contact with the sending-off; it was a terrible decision. It cost us the game. We were in total control, creating lots of chances and looked really comfortable and one decision cost us.

"I've seen the sending-off and it's laughable. The lad (Daniel Nardiello) just fell down, Manny didn't touch him.

"It was questionable whether he was offside, then all of a sudden the referee made a decision which cost us the game. I don't like slamming officials normally but he cost us in a match we were comfortable in."

And Smith also insisted the officials missed Cuvelier's strike after the midfielder's first-half effort cannoned off both posts but looked to have crossed the line with the score at 0-0.

He said: "It was a poor decision. They (the officials) said about the one that hit the post, went behind the line and hit the other post that they couldn't guess at it. That's what they told me at half-time. My substitutes were down there and they told me it was two yards over the line."

Defeat left Walsall fifth-from-bottom, three points above Wycombe who lost 2-1 at champions Charlton on Saturday.

The Saddlers host Huddersfield on Saturday before going to MK Dons on the final day with both teams assured of their play-off berth. And Smith added his men must focus on a nail-biting finale. "We just have to concentrate on the next one," he said.