Jon Whitney praises 'battling' Walsall win
Boss Jon Whitney's praised Walsall's battling qualities as they kicked off the new League One campaign by beating Wimbledon.
A brace from Simeon Jackson and a wonderful Erhun Oztumer free-kick saw the Saddlers run out 3-1 winners thanks to a clinical performance at the Banks's Stadium.
The Dons, who won promotion via the League Two play-offs last season, proved a test for Jon Whitney's side with their direct and physical game plan.
But boss Whitney was delighted with the way his players stood up to the challenge.
He said: "It's always nice to win as you want to get those points on the board as quickly as you can.
"We won't get carried away but it's nice to get the three points. I think the way we did it was really pleasing.
"We stuck to the game plan as we knew what to expect from Wimbledon because they were a threat.
"But if teams think we are just going to keel over when we are physically threatened, well you can see from today that we can handle it and we will battle and put a shift in.
"And if we do that, then we've got the quality to then come up with the goods, as the free-kick from Oztumer showed.
"Then Simeon showed that your hard work pays off, it's a great example for kids and anyone in football, with the two goals and the manner of his goals were a credit to him.
"Those two will take the accolades but I think the whole team can take a bit of credit for a really good performance, as it was a team effort."
Walsall were indebted to goalkeeper Neil Etheridge who made a fantastic double save with the score still at 1-0.
Whitney admitted that was a big moment in the match, adding: "I thought we were always a threat but when we had to defend deep we did.
"For the first 30 minutes we dominated and from their body language, they didn't have a Plan B.
"But, as soon as we started to drop a bit deeper, we allowed them to play their game and at half-time we worked on a lot of that.
"I didn't expect them to be as direct as they were but they have the players to fit that mould.
"But I thought we handled it and handled everything they threw at us although the double save from 'Ethers' in the first-half was really important.
"That was a pivotal point in the game, but I'll take the win."
