Walsall Head Coach Mat Sadler was pleased to see Danny Johnson back on the scoresheet.
The striker stepped off the bench to give the Saddlers the lead with his third goal of the season but it was cancelled out by Danilo Orsi’s injury time leveller.
Sadler was gutted with the late sucker punch and felt his team deserved three points but insists there will be plenty of positives he can take from the game, including Johnson’s goal.
“I was delighted for Danny and delighted he scored at that end as well,” Sadler said.
“There were fantastic scenes and you’re just hoping to go on and see the game out and it be a 1-0 win but that’s what it is, that’s the game.
“I know when we take the emotion out of it, we will be pleased with how we played and there will be a hell of a lot more positives.
“I said to the group, our performance levels have been really good and we’re really close to being a fantastic team at the level, I think we’re really close to that and some of the performances are showing that. Undoubtedly, the resilience and heart that they have is there for everybody to see, it’s unquestionable.
“We were just unfortunate we couldn’t see the game out which I’m gutted about, the players are gutted about and I’m sure the supporters are gutted about because we deserved that, we earnt that and when somebody takes something away from you that you earnt and you deserved, it hurts more.”
It was a frustrating evening for Harry Williams and Freddie Draper who both had to be withdrawn with injuries.
Sadler has been left frustrated with the number of defenders he currently has unavailable but he praised the way the squad dealt with the injury setbacks during last night’s encounter.
“I have to give credit to them, we were stretched at the back and it didn’t show until right at the death,” he commented.
“We’re missing a hell of a lot of centre-backs which was frustrating. Harry gave everything he could for 45 minutes, he probably shouldn’t have played the game to be honest.
“He gave all he could because he was injured from Monday and that in the end probably cost us the points that we didn’t have the centre backs available that we have sat on the treatment table.
“That was the frustration at that point but that didn’t tell for 45 minutes of the second half where we dominated the game.”
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