Walsall manager Darrell Clarke was left frustrated after his side’s 2-1 defeat to Carlisle United on Saturday.
Goals from Nick Anderton and Ryan Loft gave the hosts a 2-0 lead in the first half before Mat Sadler pulled one back for the Saddlers.
Despite seeing plenty of the ball in Cumbria, Walsall couldn’t find a leveller on what proved to be a frustrating day all round for Clarke’s team.
“Let’s be honest, we’ve got plenty of territory in the first half and we were in control of the game and it only looked like one team was going to score but they end up scoring two goals from our set pieces,” said Clarke.
“Our set pieces were absolutely woeful. It’s no good delivering great balls on the training ground, you’ve got to be able to do it in a match and on the big occasion.
“We’ve put one good ball in and scored a goal but we have had numerous times to put good balls into their box from set pieces.
“They put a couple of good balls into our box from set pieces and scored two goals from them but we haven’t delivered anywhere near good enough balls.
“We were very slack with possession. The lads think that they have got to find that killer pass straight away and it was all a little bit rushed.
“You’ve just got to control it, take a couple of passes, get yourselves up the pitch. I thought we were sloppy in possession in the last 30 minutes of the match. I thought we might get back in it when Sadler scored the goal but in general it was a very frustrating afternoon for everyone concerned.”
Clarke is keen to bounce back quickly and the Saddlers have the opportunity to do that when they take on Morecambe at the Banks’s Stadium on Tuesday night.
There are still plenty of points to play for and Clarke wants his team to build on their last two home performances and continue their improvement.
“I think we are getting better I must say,” he commented.
“I think there has been a real good improvement over the two or three months but we don’t want that to stop now, we want to keep progressing. There are 17 games and 51 points left up for grabs and we have now got to bounce back at home to Morecambe on Tuesday night.”
Tickets are still available for tomorrow's match against the Shrimps at the Banks's Stadium. Call the Ticket Office on 01922 651 414/416 or visit our e-ticketing site to purchase yours.