SKIPPER, Mark Hughes has expressed his disappointment after The Saddlers' return to action after a frustrating month of postponements ended in a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion.

"It took us a while to get into the game," he admitted. "We started slowly and I don't think that you can use the fact that we were rusty as an excuse.

"Brighton are fighting for their lives and were up for the game. We had a go in the second half and Troy Deeney had a good chance right at the end to equalise, but their lad made a great block. I also felt that we should have had a penalty in the first half, but it was one of those days where things just didn't go for us.

"All we can do now is pick ourselves up and be ready for the next game. There are a lot of matches coming up and it gives us the chance to really push on.

"It's a case of sticking at it and how we respond to this defeat will be important. We have to roll our sleeves up and stand up and be counted. There is no doubt that we have character within the side; we just need to be able to start games better."

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