Express & Star

Jon Whitney: Walsall defence growing in confidence

Boss Jon Whitney believes Walsall’s defence is growing in confidence after a goalless draw at Gillingham.

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The Saddlers blunted the in-form Gills to register just their fifth clean sheet of the campaign at Priestfield on Saturday. That shut-out was Walsall’s second in their last four matches after they also kept MK Dons at bay in a 1-0 win at the Banks’s Stadium earlier this month.

And Whitney feels his back four is starting to become a more cohesive unit. “You have to be a team that can dig in, fight and defend when you have to,” he said.

“I thought we showed a lot of resilience at Gillingham. I felt we dealt with their threat really well, particularly in the second half. “As a manager getting cleans sheets is what I love. It builds confidence in the back unit.

“And it’s great for the goalkeeper as well. Liam Roberts is young keeper and it’s good for him to get another clean sheet under his belt.

“It’s really nice to be able to move forward with that now. We are in good form. We are four unbeaten. We have taken eight points from a possible 12.”