Jon Whitney upbeat despite Walsall loss

The Saddlers fell to only their second away defeat in League One this season with first-half goals from Chris Basham and Billy Sharp securing the points for Nigel Adkins' Blades.

Those goals came within a five-minute period in the first-half in what was otherwise an uneventful and uninspiring game at Bramall Lane.

And Whitney insisted the defeat, which is his first as a manager, won't lead to him or his players getting carried away.

He said: "I felt the game was a chess match until the first goal went in. We knew they would be a force at home.

"We are disappointed with the first goal and they then got the momentum and that burst of energy.

"That made it a lot more difficult for us to then get back into the game.

"Their second goal then makes it even more of a mountain to climb but we have climbed those mountains before this season.

"Second-half, I thought we were the better team and if we could have got one back then who knows.

"But I can't just be this happy person when we have won games. I have to still be upbeat and have this emotional base line.

"We are not going to win nine games. We are going to try and win nine games but what we have to do now is make ourselves hard to beat and go get those three points at Oldham."

The game, which was Walsall's first for a fortnight, saw both sides struggle to play free-flowing football.

But Whitney didn't feel his players were rusty following their return from the international break.

He said: "Whether we win or lose we don't over analyse at the end of a game because emotions are quite raw.

"We always try and think more logically and I can't fault their effort and application.

"Of course there are decisions we feel we could have made better.

"If you go in at half-time 0-0 at Bramall Lane then it is a good first half performance. Then our fitness levels and their fatigue can come into it.

"But when you have got a two-goal lead it gives them something to hold on to. That makes it very difficult, because it gives them that impetus to keep going.

"We will look at the stats and where the goals have come from but the disappointing thing is that they have both come from throw-ins and we are normally really good at that."

The interim boss sprung a selection surprise before kick-off by handing Reece Flanagan a first start since October, with the young midfielder then substituted at half-time for Jordy Hiwula.

Whitney added: "It was a tactical change why we brought him off, because we wanted to get Jordy Hiwula higher up the pitch and playing with Tom.

"Reece has been one of the best trainers over the last month and I have always said I will pick players if they do well in training.

"He is a creative player, we knew he would get on the ball but his space was limited.

"He can look at some of the decisions he made but the reason why he came off was tactical, we wanted Jordy high up the pitch."