We travel to Shrewsbury Town on Good Friday...
Jon Whitney says the reaction of his players to their 1-1 draw with Oxford United demonstrated how we still have plenty to fight for this season heading into the final five games of the 2016/17 Sky Bet League One season.
Having taken a deserved lead through Andreas Makris’s first goal for the club in the 47th minute, the Saddlers were pegged back at the Banks’s Stadium through a deflected effort from Chris Maguire.
Though the players were downbeat when the final whistle went having not taken all three points at the Banks's, Saddlers boss Whitney says that reaction shows just why there is still plenty for us to play for in the final five games, starting with the short trip to Shrewsbury Town on Friday.
“Just look at my players’ faces when we didn’t get the win on Saturday,” he said.
“That tells me they’ve got something to play for. We want to finish as high as we can and I want to as a manager, I want to win every game we play.
“I want to pick a team (for Shrewsbury) based on how my players look in training - who looks hungry, who’s got a bit of passion and who wants to come and put the shirt on in a local derby?
“Ask our fans what it means to have bragging rights from the Shrewsbury fans. We’ve got two derbies, Shrewsbury and Coventry, and three home games - it’s a great five games for me as a manager.”
And Whitney will be boosted by having close to a fully-fit squad to choose from when the Saddlers travel to Greenhous Meadow on Friday - even if that game might come too soon for their top scorer.
“There might be an opportunity that Erhun Oztumer might be with me today - whether that’s too soon for the weekend, I’ll have a look today and tomorrow,” Whitney told Saddlers Player.
“Eoghan has come back in this week and done really well. Flo Cuvelier has pushed on from the weekend and looked really strong in training.
“There are some nice problems for me to have with my selection, and I’ve got a good squad to pick from.”