Walsall v Crewe - Match preview

Saddlers have scored just two goals in five games including the FA Cup fourth round tie with Leicester and are badly in need of some more, as Flynn is aware.

They have also shown a worrying trend in the last two home games of taking a first-half lead but being pegged back in the second.

On Saturday, against Newport, many expected Walsall to go on and secure three points when Isaac Hutchinson gave them the lead on 32 minutes.

But it wasn’t to be as the south Wales side got the equaliser with 10 minutes left, leaving Saddlers fans frustrated as a seemingly great opportunity to get three points slipped away again.

Flynn will accept no excuses at home to Crewe – one of the Saddlers’ games in hand. The Railwaymen are in 17th position and have won only one of their last five, although that is better in terms of wins and points than Walsall over the same spell.

After the Newport game, Flynn called on Walsall to ‘kill teams off’ when they are ahead.

He said: “When we are one up, if we can get a second goal it will make things so much easier as we won’t be looking over our shoulders. We need to be a bit cleverer with our build-up play to create more and give our strikers some ammunition.

“And spread the goals across the team because again that will make things easier as there won’t be so much pressure on the front men.

“They are feeling it along with the rest of the team at the moment, it has been and continues to be a gruelling schedule and we all need to help each other out.”

Flynn also said his players need to be more aware of their passing and what a loose ball can do.

He said: “I told them before the game, at half-time and after the game that they need to be more aware and that sloppy passing or too many passes that get intercepted can put us on the back foot.

“We were guilty of it at times and these are the things that will get you found out so we need to be much more tidy on our approach play and maybe just think a little bit more.”

Flynn admits his team are ‘up against it’ in terms of playing catch up in the pursuit of a play-off place.

He said: “If we don’t score goals or draw all our games we won’t get there it is as simple as that. “But we have three of the next four games at home, with two of those opponents above us before we play Stevenage and Swindon again.

“Stevenage are currently already in the play off places and Swindon have ambitions to be there, the same as us.

“So there is a heck of a lot of football to be played and one thing I can’t fault is the commitment and work ethic of the players – I always demand 100 per cent and they have given it.

“Wherever we finish up they have given everything for the cause and hopefully that will bring its rewards at the end of the season.”