Walsall debrief: Home woes continue, officiating controversy and Daniel Kanu gripe

That latest setback leaves Walsall still only three points adrift of the play-off places ahead of a run of four fixtures against the current top seven. 

Here are the main talking points from the defeat.

Home woes continue

The performance was possibly the Saddlers' best on home soil in 2026, but that does also go some way to explaining how poor form has been at Bescot of late. 

Walsall have gone six games without a home win in League Two - a run which dates back to a 1-0 victory over Crewe Alexandra on Boxing Day. 

Since winning five of their first six at home in League Two, Walsall have gone on to collect just two wins from the next 11 in the league at Bescot. 

Goal shy 

Walsall have failed to find the net in four of their last five home games in League Two, although at least on this occasion, they had plenty of opportunities to do so. 

Kanu forced a couple of saves from Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch and drove another fierce shot wide in the second half. 

Jamie Jellis was somehow unable to scramble an Aden Flint knockdown over the line at the back post and Jamille Matt fluffed his lines with a glorious chance late on.

But ultimately Walsall lacked ruthlessness in the final third, which is largely why only Crawley Town (six), Harrogate Town (seven) and Barrow (eight) have scored fewer than them (10) in League Two since the turn of the year. 

Controversial officiating

Performances have been better over the past two games, even if the Fleetwood game did not herald the desired result. 

But this was not a display comparable to the lows of the recent defeats against MK Dons or Barnet. 

Sadler named an unchanged team from Saturday's win at Shrewsbury Town for the first time since mid to late January.

And had it not been for a lack of cutting edge in attack, or for a number of contentious refereeing decisions, then Walsall could've very easily emerged with a result. 

Elliott Bonds saw a clear shirt pull on Charlie Lakin inside the box go unpunished, before Ched Evans twice caught Evan Weir, including with a swinging elbow off the ball. 

Evans was also on a booking at the time, but both incidents went unnoticed by the officials. The most blatant of all was when Jid Okeke's cross cannoned off the outstretched arm of Finley Potter, but once again referee Steve Copeland was unmoved. 

At full-time, Sadler hit out at the officials, who he felt "let his side down", but there were plenty of opportunities for Walsall to turn the tide regardless of the controversy surrounding the officiating. 

Let's talk about Kanu 

Kanu has been almost flawless at times this season, as illustrated by his 16 goals scored across all competitions. 

He is experiencing a rare mini-drought without a goal (three games), but his over-eagerness to break that dry spell is arguably a detriment to himself, but more importantly, to the the team.  

There were occasions when passing to a teammate was by far the most suitable option, but instead he decided to opt to go alone. 

That solo approach was also demonstrated again during the 3-1 defeat against Barnet in early February, when Alex Pattison pealed away from his marker with a smart run in behind, only to be ignored by Kanu. 

No other Walsall player can spin his marker, or create opportunities out of nothing like Kanu can. Neither can they find the net on such a frequent basis, but a little more selflessness in certain moments would likely have led to at least an equaliser against Fleetwood.