Richard Taundry: Time to end this fight

Richard Taundry today admitted Walsall's confidence has been hit but called on the Saddlers to finish their survival job.

Three straight defeats have left their League One future in the balance ahead of Huddersfield's visit on Saturday.

Victory would guarantee safety, relegate Chesterfield and Exeter and also send Wycombe down if they fail to win at home to Notts County.

The Saddlers are fifth-from-bottom, three points ahead of the Chairboys who occupy the final drop slot. And Taundry admitted Saturday's controversial 4-2 defeat at Exeter, after successive 1-0 defeats to Tranmere and Charlton, has affected them.

He said: "It's a kick in the teeth. It's something nobody wants to happen when you're playing well but not getting the points you need.

"It's frustrating. We need to keep going and hopefully our fortunes will turn.

"Saturday was my first game back so I haven't seen all the away games but, from talking the lads, we've deserved a lot more."

Fifth-placed Huddersfield are guaranteed their play-off spot but after victories against Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday this term Taundry insisted Walsall can beat the big boys.

"We know we can produce against the bigger clubs so we'll go into it and bring out the three points," he said, ahead of the final home game of the campaign.

"We just don't want to leave the gap at three points – we want to go against Huddersfield and make it six with the other teams losing around us. No one wants to be in this position but it's happened and something only we can sort out."

Taundry, who replaced the banned Lee Beevers at Exeter, also declared himself ready to aid the survival bid after recovering from hamstring and back injuries that kept him out for three games.

"I tired towards the end but it was nice to get so long," he said. "I had a problem with my back but it was something which came up over the years and was there when I injured my hamstring. It helped to deal with both things at the same time so I'll soldier on."