Walsall Head Coach Michael Flynn has stressed the importance of ending the season strongly ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Rochdale.
The Saddlers will be looking to end a run of three matches without a win and start climbing the table again.
Flynn is keen to bounce back and pick up as many points as possible between now and the end of the season but insists it won’t be easy against a Rochdale side who are a tough nut to crack at the Crown Oil Arena.
“I’m expecting a tough game, as always in League Two,” Flynn said.
“They’ve only lost four times at home, it’s a tough place to go.
“On their day they can beat anybody, it’s going to be a difficult game and if we don’t defend properly, keep our shape and do our jobs then it’s going to be a long afternoon.
“They’ve got some talented footballers and they’ll be thinking they should be higher than what they are.
“It’s obviously disappointing with Lee Tomlin missing out so you just think you’re getting a fully fit squad and somebody gets injured but it’s down to the boys to put the performances in.
“There are six games to go and like I said, I don’t want to see it out with a whimper. I want to win as many games as we can and I think our supporters deserve that as well.”
The Saddlers Head Coach was frustrated with last Saturday’s performance but he’s been pleased with the way the players have responded in training this week.
“There’s been a positive reaction and the frustration comes from the high standards they set when I first came in,” he commented.
“It’s not without reason, it’s not like I’m expecting them to do something they can’t do because they can do it so they need to keep that consistency and keep grinding out results.
“The debrief was done, as we do every game – win, lose or draw.
“We tried to nail down a few areas that we thought were in need of doing and the first half display wasn’t good enough. The fans saw it, I saw it and the players admitted it.
“They’re an honest group and they just need to believe because they should be performing better than they did on Saturday.”
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