Smith reflects on victory over Cumbrians...
SADDLERS' boss, Dean Smith, has reflected upon our 2-0 victory over Carlisle United as we made it back-to-back victories."Overall it was a really pleasing win," he said. "We weren't quite as good on the ball as we have been, but they are a team on the up and we had to be resolute to keep them at bay and get the three points.
"The first goal saw Romaine Sawyers finish with aplomb following a great ball by Paul Downing. Romaine is such an intelligent player who gets into good positions and he stayed cool to finish.
"Then the second goal was a quality strike from Milan and it gave us a bit of breathing space.
"It was also nice to keep a clean sheet and see Richard O'Donnell save a penalty, which was a reward for his hard work in studying penalties with Neil Cutler [goalkeeping coach].
"The whole team defended well and it's pleasing to see the lads working hard for each other and showing composure.
"It's nice to go into Christmas with back-to-back wins under our belt and now we get ready for the challenge that Bristol City will provide to us on Boxing Day.
"The only downside was seeing Adam Chambers pick up his fifth booking, which means he will miss the game through suspension, whilst Craig Westcarr had to come off having taken a knock just above the knee which restricted his movement.
"I felt that Troy Hewitt did well when he came on to replace him just before half-time; he has showed energy and enthusiasm and has worked really hard in training. He deserved his chance and took it well.
"We will continue to work hard over the Christmas period as we prepare for an extremely busy schedule ahead."