Walsall manager Darrell Clarke wants to see more decisiveness from his team to become more of an attacking force.
The Saddlers earned a credible 0-0 away at Colchester United on Saturday but struggled in front of goal on the day.
Clarke has seen plenty of evidence in training to suggest Walsall have the ability to be ruthless in attack but has called on the players to replicate it on the pitch.
“I don’t want to keep sounding like a broken record but we just have to keep working on things and the lads have to take what they are doing well in training into the games when there is obviously more pressure on,” said Clarke.
“We play back too often when the forward pass was the right thing to do.
“There is a little bit of indecision, when to play it and when to move it quicker. They are the areas we have been working on.”
After a busy summer of recruitment, Clarke is still trying to find a winning formula for the team, though he has been pleased with the commitment that has been shown by the players.
“The effort, commitment and desire is there to be seen - I think we have seen that in all the games so far,” he commented.
“I’m not critical of the players in terms of the effort. They are all willing to put their head in where it hurts.
“As a manager you want to mix things around and try different formations to see if you can get a kick-start somewhere.”
Walsall midfielder Danny Guthrie started his first game since the opening day after returning from injury.
New boy Rory Gaffney played 90 minutes against the U’s while Rory Holden also got through 90 minutes after also coming back from injury and Clarke was encouraged by the trio.
“Danny is on his way back, he is a more creative player. But he’s had a lack of minutes following his hamstring injury,” Clarke said.
“He played 60 against Coventry and got another 60 so he will be getting fitter.
“Rory Gaffney has just come in as well and Rory Holden has just come back from injury. We’ve got a few boys who have done well to get through their third game in a week.”