Dean Keates: Walsall in need of results

In their last three games, the Saddlers have lost to promotion-chasing Portsmouth, Sunderland and Barnsley despite putting in impressive displays.

The defeats to Sunderland and Barnsley were particularly harsh with Keates’ men worthy of a point at the Stadium of Light.

They also should have beaten Barnsley on Saturday, but instead missed a host of chances while an Isaiah Osbourne goal was incorrectly ruled out.

But with the team still sitting in the relegation zone, Keates says his team cannot just focus on the positives with just seven games remaining.

“It’s a results business and we haven’t picked up anypoints from Portsmouth, Sunderland and Barnsleyin the last three,” the boss said. “We can keep on about performances but we need to get somepoints on the board and we need to do that as quickly as we can.

“We’ve got a tough game against Doncaster on Saturday and we need to look at ourselves. We are down there because we have cost ourselves points.”

While Walsall were guilty of not taking their chances on Saturday, they were also on the wrong side of some dreadful refereeing decisions.

Official Ben Toner ruled out Osbourne’s goal after deeming Josh Gordon had fouled Ethan Pinnock despite the ball being there to be won.

The referee also missed a handball in the build-up to Barnsley’s stoppage time winner.

“Ozzy (Osbourne) scored a perfectly good goal – the decision was an embarrassment,” Keates continued.

“Watching it back, it’s two lads challenging for the ball.

“Josh’s eyes are on the ball, no one has ended up on the floor – if it’s a foul, someone ends up on the floor so that tells you straight away that Pinnock is not unhappy with the contact.

“But the referee has decided to blow.

“Then you look Barnsley’s goal it’s hit him (Jacob Brown) on the thigh and then the left hand and the referee has not given that one.

“Some of the decisions that were given against us were absolutely ridiculous.

“But I can’t control that side. I don’t give decisions in training if there’s a foul, I just make them get on with it because you never know what’s going to happen on Saturday.”