Walsall upbeat insists Dean Keates
Manager Dean Keates insists Walsall have moved on from their heartbreaking loss to Barnsley.
The Saddlers outclassed Daniel Stendel’s side last weekend, but missed a host of clear-cut chances, while Isaiah Osbourne also saw a legitimate goal incorrectly ruled out.
And to compound their misery, Jacob Brown then popped up with a stoppage-time goal to snatch the points for the promotion chasers.
With the manner of the defeat so cruel, questions have been asked whether the loss will impact the Saddlers psychologically.
But Keates insists his players have moved on and are in good spirits ahead of Saturday’s trip to Doncaster.
“It was hard, it was tough last weekend and after the game, the dressing room was very, very quiet,” the boss said.
“But I had a good chat with the players then. And when we looked back on the game on Monday, we looked at the good, the bad and the ugly.
“The positives far outweighed the negatives and that’s what we told the players.
“They are in really good spirits. We have played well for six games now.
“There have been some excellent half performances recently, 45 minutes at Burton, Fleetwood, even Portsmouth.
“But I thought for 90 minutes on Saturday we were bang at it and that’s where we need to be for the rest of the season.”
Keates believes results are the only thing missing from a spell that has seen Walsall take on three teams competing for automatic promotion.
But while he is pleased with performances, he would be delighted with a scrappy win at the Keepmoat on Saturday.
“That sums everything up – performances have been there but the results missing,” the boss continued.
“Believe me I’d take a bad performance and scruffy 1-0 win with the goal coming off somebody’s backside on Saturday.
“We have had a few ups and downs over the past few weeks but we are in a good place now.
“The group is positive, they are on the front foot and have trained well after what happened last weekend.
“We are going to keep believing in ourselves, keep working hard and keep making sure standards are high on the training ground.
“Then we will take that into Saturday.”
