Walsall boss Mat Sadler: Red card changed the game

Knowles was shown two yellow cards in the space of four minutes, but Sadler was unhappy with the decision to award Knowles a second yellow card for his challenge on Frazer Blake-Tracy in the 66th minute.

“I didn’t see any contact. I’ve watched it,” Sadler insisted.

“They’ve both gone in for a tackle. I don’t see there being any contact, and Tom said there was no contact as well.

“He’s made that decision and it changes the course of the game. We don’t get that head of steam that you get when you’re only 1-0 down [with 11 men]. So it was frustrating.“

Walsall produced a second half fight back in their previous victory over Salford. Although they failed to replicate that feat at the County Ground, Sadler felt there was real belief heading into the interval.

“We spoke about that. We are just off the back of doing it once [against Salford], let’s do it again. That was most definitely the message,” he explained.

“You don’t want to go behind in games. It was the frustrating with the manner we went behind because I don’t feel like they worked for that goal, which is unlike us.

“We had that chance just before the end of the first half, which was when I felt that we were growing in belief.

“If we got that first goal, it felt like it could’ve been a different day, but the sending off changed that.”

Rushian Hepburn-Murphy secured the win for Swindon in the 88th minute when he pounced on a poor back pass from Liam Gordon to double their advantage.

Sadler sympathised with the Guyana international, and insisted that mistakes will happen to every player during their career.

“Liam has had a tough week. He has been here, there and everywhere in terms of flights. He only got back to me on Friday morning and he needed to sleep because all that jet lag was coursing through his veins,” he concluded.

“But he does what Liam does and gives everything. He is gutted that there was a goal from a mistake.

“As a defender that will happen at times but in terms of who he is and what he resembles, he is a fantastic bloke, and he has my full support.”