Dean Keates: Walsall will get out of trouble if performances keep up

The Saddlers secured victories over Bradford and Fleetwood and a draw at Burton before then falling to back-to-back defeats against Portsmouth and Sunderland.

In both those loses against the promotion chasers, Keates’ side put in solid performances that arguably warranted a point.

And while they now find themselves in the relegation zone with eight games to play, the boss believes Walsall have the quality to quickly haul themselves out the bottom four.

“We are confident we will stay up if we perform as we have in the last five,” Keates said.

“I thought we hit rock-bottom after the defeat to Wimbledon.

“We talked after that about how we had to show character and a response. We have shown that.

“The Bradford game galvanised us. We are disappointed with the last two results, we have gone toe-to-toe with two teams at the top of the league.

“The disappointing thing in those games we have played our part in the goals we have conceded.

“We need to eradicate those errors over the last eight games to give ourselves the best opportunity of keeping this club in the league.”

Walsall’s defeat at Sunderland arrived on the same day Keates marked his one-year anniversary in charge the Saddlers.

The 40-year-old, who won three promotions while a player at the Banks’s Stadium, has taken charge of 57 games, winning 18, drawing 13 and losing 26.

And he said he remains incredibly proud to be the manager of his home town side.

“It’s an honour for me to be back at this football club and be in charge,” Keates continued.

“The object for last season was to stay in League One.

“It’s same objective now until the end of the season.

“We will make sure we give everything, we will do our best and I’m sure at the end of the “season we will still be a League One team.”