Defender on the Saddlers' defeat at Swindon...
Centre-back Paul Downing bemoaned his side’s bad fortune after Walsall slipped to a harsh 2-1 defeat at Swindon.Jonathan Obika’s header gave Town a first-half lead before Tom Bradshaw equalised just past the hour mark.
Walsall dominated throughout and had a late Jordan Cook goal disallowed for offside, but Louis Thompson’s last-minute strike gave Swindon a dramatic win.
“It was one of those games,” said Downing.
“We dominated the game, had them on the back foot and made them look average at times.
“We had the better of the chances and it looked like there was only going to be one winner.
“We were the better team by far and played some really good football but somehow we haven’t got the win.
“We were disappointed in the dressing room to come away with nothing.”
Dean Smith made two changes to the Saddlers’ starting line-up, with Anthony Forde and Cook replacing Milan Lalkovic and Kieron Morris.
“The lads who came in did well,” said Downing.
“It’s important for us that we’ve got competition for places.
“Those who come in have to be on their game and there’s a strong fight for the shirt which is good for the team.
“It was a shame Cooky’s goal was disallowed because he would have wanted one to give him a bit of confidence.
“It was unfortunate the decision went against him but he’s got to take the positives as he played well and it won’t be long before he’s back among the goals.”
Walsall have taken just one point from their last two matches against Swindon and Sheffield United – despite playing well in both games.
And Downing, who has made 22 appearances this season, is confident that our luck will soon change.
“We’re playing teams off the park at times and we need to keep believing in what we’re doing,” he added.
“We need to learn from some of their mistakes we’re making and keep getting better as a team, and as individuals.
“If you keep playing like that, you’re not going to lose games – you’ll win more games than you lose.”