Dean Smith hails Walsall fitness 'guru' Jon Whitney

Smith believes the Saddlers' conditioning has helped them close the gap on the top six to four points by claiming 11 wins in their last 16 matches.

And the Walsall boss reckons the work of Whitney, who doubles as the club's physio, could be vital in the final eight games of the season.

Smith said: "A lot of credit has to go to Jon Whitney. We don't often speak about Jon but he looks after the sports science as well as the physiotherapy and he keeps them fit and fresh.

"I always think we finish games stronger than other teams so a lot of credit has to go to Jon for the way he works with them."

Smith's men are back in action when Crawley visit the Banks's Stadium on Saturday.

And the Saddlers are now within touching distance of the play-off places after a stunning climb up the table, with Smith hailing the spirit in his squad as a key ingredient.

They beat Tranmere 2-0 at home on Tuesday and the manager was delighted with the role of his unused substitutes.

He said: "The pleasing thing for me was, when Febian Brandy was coming off and I was putting Nicky Featherstone on, Ashley Hemmings was warming up at the side and gave him a round of applause with the other substitutes.

"You need that at a club. You need a team spirit and a team ethic and the lads have got that in abundance."

Meanwhile, Walsall's reserves beat Port Vale 2-0 yesterday with goals from Omari Sterling-James and Ben Purkiss.