Michael Flynn berates Walsall mistakes
Boss Michael Flynn has expressed his disappointment over the sheer number of mistakes Walsall made as they were dealt a thrashing at Swindon Town.
The Saddlers were in high spirits going to the County Ground after beating table-topping Forest Green Rovers in Flynn's first game in charge.
But they were put to the sword by the Robins, suffering an embarrassing 5-0 defeat that brought them crashing down to earth.
"It's disappointing. We gave away goals too cheaply after a bright start, if I'm honest," said Flynn.
"The first 30 minutes, I thought we were the better team. We got in a lot of good positions.
"But look, the goals we conceded were very poor.
"Especially for the last hour of the game, we were too open and making too many mistakes.
"We didn't switch the play when we could have.
"We were sloppy with our passes – that was in the first half an hour as well, to be honest.
"So, it's disappointing. But we've got to dig in and stick together."
Walsall started brightly but once Louie Barry opened the scoring for Swindon, they fell apart at the seams.
Ricky Aguiar put the home side two to the good just before the interval, and then scored his second to make it three shortly after the restart.
Barry grabbed his second of the night on the hour mark, with substitute Jonny Williams completing the rout for the Robins.
"In the second half, we were nowhere near it," said Flynn.
"At least I could say that in the first half that we created a few things, had a few chances.
"But it's about game management and seeing halves out. That's what is disappointing.
"I could have played 14 players, but if we keep making the mistakes, the errors we've made, it doesn't matter what formation we play."
The chastening defeat means the Saddlers remain seven points clear of the relegation zone.
They will hope to bounce back in Flynn's first home game on Saturday, against Hartlepool United.
Flynn added: "It's the biggest defeat of the season.
"There's always going to be ups and downs, so it's about sticking together and making sure we get a reaction on Saturday.
"I was under no illusions. They're low on confidence, so I've got to make sure we finish the season well, and then we've got a lot of work to do in the summer."
