Dean Keates: Concentration cost Walsall in Scunthorpe loss

A 76th minute goal from Mark Yates saw the Iron snatch a win in what was otherwise an even and largely uninspiring encounter at Glanford Park.

After the home side had forced a corner, the Saddlers failed to close down the cross and then gave the Yates a free header.

And it was that moment that proved crucial with Walsall otherwise defending well against the promotion chasing Iron.

The result leaves the Saddlers sitting just one point outside the relegation zone in League One with three matches still to play.

“It’s a tough one to take - if I’m honest, 0-0 would have been a fair result,” Keates said.

“But if you give someone a free-header in your 18-yard box you give someone the opportunity to score and that’s what happened.

“It’s concentration levels. You cannot switch off and let that happen. They have put a cross in from a throw-in, we have not got out and closed the throw down quickly enough.

“The ball has come into our box and our players have switched off.”

Keates lined up his charges in a traditional 4-4-2 formation and the boss felt the game plan worked well apart from the goal.

“The lads gave everything,” he continued.

“We had a few opportunities ourselves and got into some decent areas.

“We frustrated Scunthorpe and you could hear that in the crowd, they were edgy. At that point it was a comfortable football match.

“We were away from home, they are in the play-offs so you have to give them a bit of respect.

“They are doing well and we knew it was going to be a tough game. We came here with two banks for four looking to frustrate them.

“It was working until the goal but you can’t switch off in your own box and that is what we did.”