Jon Whitney turns up the heat on Walsall
Boss Jon Whitney has revealed a frank exchange of views took place among his Walsall squad following their 3-0 play-off defeat to Barnsley.
The Saddlers enter tomorrow's second leg of the semi-final knowing they have to rediscover their best form if they are to have any chance of overcoming Paul Heckingbottom's side and reach the Wembley final.
Whitney got the players to assess their own performances on Sunday following that disappointing trip to Yorkshire.
And while the meeting was heated, the boss said it was also productive.
"We were in Sunday and it was a really honest meeting," the interim head coach said.
"I said to them 'none of this is going to be personal, it will be constructive criticism'. It's not death by video, we actually need to learn.
"I let them talk themselves through the clips. We put the goals on and I let them coach themselves. They needed a bit of encouragement sometimes but they were very honest, they knew it wasn't good enough. But we had to look at it because, if you don't, you keep making the same mistakes. We had to reflect and work a few things out."
More than 7,000 tickets have been sold for tomorrow's clash at the Banks's Stadium. But while Whitney wants the players to perform for the fans, he also wants them to perform for themselves.
"The players realise they have got this opportunity to put a bit of pride back," Whitney continued.
"They are not doing it for the respect of the fans or me or the coaches, they are doing it for their self-respect.
"They need to show that they can handle the pressure now.
"They've got to get some pride back for themselves, not for me or for the club, they've got to do it for themselves and of course that will have the knock-on effect that we get the benefit from it.
"They have got the opportunity to go out and create a piece of history and they absolutely have the ability to do it."
