Graham Biggs heaps praise on high-flying youngsters...
Graham Biggs explained how his team’s fine run of form is down to a relentless work ethic amongst his players.The newly appointed Academy Manager watched on from the sidelines on Saturday as a goal in each half gave the young Saddlers their 9th league victory in 12 games, at the expense of Morecambe.
Cameron Peters opened the scoring before the in-form Tobias Hayles-Docherty added a second after the break to open up a six-point lead at the summit of the North West Division.
“Make no mistake we worked hard all week to make sure our performance levels don’t drop and we continue the run that we’re on,” explained Biggs.
“Morecambe came with a game plan to stop us and that’s going to happen when teams look at the table and come to play us.
“To their credit, they were well organised and came to spoil the party.
“We knew that we were in for a tough afternoon but we had a chat before kick-off to stress the importance of doing the right thing because it’s easy to take the foot off the gas when things are going well.
“We went close before the goal and I think we settled into the game after a bit of a frantic start. Callum, as he has done so many times this season found the breakthrough for us and so we had a lead to take in at the break.
“The big plus for me was how we controlled the game in the second half. We quickly got a second through Tobias and although we pushed for more goals we played with a maturity and discipline.
“For the second week running now I could introduce some first years into the game. They’ve worked hard all week in training and again they come on and did well for us.
“We got together as a group and had a conversation at the end to reiterate the importance of working hard.
“We’ll continue to do the right things and prepare for a tough game at Rochdale on Saturday.
“The team ethos and togetherness has been magnificent from the boys. Our defensive record is impressive but it’s down to the work of the whole side, as a defensive unit.
“Of course the goalkeeper and defenders will get the plaudits but it starts from the front and defending on the front foot all across the pitch.
"Our work rate allows us to put teams under pressure so we have to make sure we maintain those standards for the rest of the season."