Saddlers Head Coach Matt Taylor was on the whole pleased with his sides performance against Scunthorpe United despite conceding a 90th minute equaliser at the Banks’s Stadium.
It was the first point that the team had picked up from the opening three Sky Bet League Two fixtures and following the disappointing defeat against Forest Green Rovers on Saturday afternoon, Taylor wanted a reaction from his team and that is certainly what he got.
“There were huge parts of that game that I was really pleased with,” said Taylor.
“The way that we moved the ball when we were in possession, I thought we looked solid.
“I said to the players that if we don’t really capitalise on those big moments that we create and we created plenty tonight, you are going to have to keep everything tight at the back and the opposition have had one shot in the second half and scored.
“It’s a really harsh lesson for the players and they need to learn that if we want to be successful as a group, then we have got to make sure that in those moments in games that we come out on top.
“To be 1-0 up in the last 10 minutes of the game, I felt quite comfortable in terms of standing on the sidelines. I might not have looked it but I did feel comfortable in the players and it’s just really disappointing that I don’t feel we got the result that our performance deserved.
“We were so superior in all aspects of the game I felt throughout the 90 minutes but we have made an error at the end and because we haven’t taken those big chances you always run the risk of conceding and we did.
“It has obviously knocked the players but what is important now is that we have another game coming up in a couple of days time and the players have to make sure that they are ready for it.”
On-loan striker Kieran Phillips scored his first professional goal in the 47th minute against United on Tuesday night and the Head Coach was really pleased to see him on the scoresheet and he is now expecting him to kick on and score plenty more.
“It’s really pleasing for Kieran,” Taylor continued. “I felt that tonight that he was more effective in that wide position.
“It was just maybe other players on the pitch when we had those really big moment, and I know I talk about them a lot, we didn’t take them.
“I am happy for Kieran and I am sure there is plenty more to come in terms of goals and assists from him but we need to now make sure that the players are all trying to when we get those chances to put them away because we are creating lots and lots of chances every single time we play.
“It is a real positive but I don’t want to keep standing here saying that we are creating chances but we aren’t taking them and we aren’t winning games.”