STAND-IN skipper Michael Ricketts believes last night's battling 2-2 draw with Leicester was just the reaction The Saddlers needed following Saturday's disppointing defeat against Hartlepool.

"Nobody expected us to get a result at Leicester, especially after the way we capitulated on Saturday against Hartlepool," he said. "We couldn't afford to go in gung-ho against Leicester, otherwise they can pop you off the park.

"It was important we tried to stifle their play. We had a plan and we stuck to it for most of the game.

"We couldn't afford to go to Leeds this Saturday having lost three consecutive games. I thought for the first 60 minutes against Hartlepool we were the better side but then we suffered lapses in concentration and got punished.

''Hopefully, we've put that behind us now and we can put in another solid performance at Elland Road this weekend.''