Darren Byfield says 'mentality shift' is needed at Walsall after Harrogate defeat

Darren Byfield says a “mentality shift” is needed if Walsall want to be a successful team after they lost 2-0 against Harrogate Town at Bescot.

Shawn McCoulsky scored both goals either side of half-time for the visitors to hand the Saddlers their third defeat in four games.

Walsall sit 12th in League Two and have alarmingly collected just one win from their last 12 at Bescot.

After another disappointing end to a campaign, Byfield has admitted that the mentality of the squad needs to be stronger.

Walsall need to change the narrative

“Of course it is,” Byfield replied when asked how important it is for Walsall to change the narrative.

“That comes from me giving them challenges. It’s standards: making sure they’re doing everything right away from the ground, at home, on the grass and at the stadium.

“These are what makes elite professional footballers and if we don’t adhere to these things then you’re not going to get the reward you want.

“Because it can’t be: I want to win the league, I want to get automatic promotion, I want to be in the play-offs.

“It’s actions and everything is actions. We have to make sure that mentality is a must.”

Walsall started in promising fashion, as Priestley Farquharson hit the post and Harrogate goalkeeper Mark Oxley made a series of saves in the first half.

More on the Saddlers’ mentality

But McCoulsky thundered a shot into the top corner after a neat passing move on the cusp of half-time and Walsall had no answer after the break.

“There are so many people out there who aren’t professional footballers and they’ve probably got more talent than players that you watch on a Saturday, but they don’t have the mentality,” he continued.

“We have to get that mentality to marry up with that technical and tactical stuff.

“When you do that, that’s when you breed successful teams. They don’t fold, they don’t crumble. They just keep going no matter what.”

There were claims that McCoulsky was offside for the Sulphurites’ second goal when he raced in behind to confidently finish beyond the onrushing Myles Roberts.

On the incident, Byfield concluded: “It’s hard because of how the cameras are situated above us, but I looked and I still thought: if he is off then surely the linesman sees it.

“This is when you talk about being street smart. All week we looked at rest defence but we’re left 1v1.

“Regardless of if someone gives the ball away, how do you look beyond it? What are we not organised?

“All week we’ve worked on it. That was the biggest thing because we know how dangerous they’re on the transition.

“But we switch off, we go off script. So, Monday we start again.”