Walsall captain Donervon Daniels is proud of his teammates after their performance in the FA Cup against a strong Southampton team.
Although the Saddlers are two divisions below the team that eventually beat them 4-0, Daniels felt they gave their all to the very end in what was a very tough game.
“It was always going to be a challenge, coming up against a really good Championship team with Premier League quality, who pass the ball really well,” Daniels said.
“I felt like after the first ten minutes we grew into the game; we had good chances and I feel if we took that chance in the first half that could have changed the game a little bit.
“Also, at the start of the second half we had another chance. There were moments in the game where we could have put up a real challenge for them but on the whole, I feel like the boys ran themselves into the ground.”
With ties against teams from the higher divisions tough to come by, Daniels relished the opportunity of playing against a side who are currently vying for a spot back into the Premier League.
Daniels felt this opportunity to play against Southampton was a good experience for the squad as many of the current players will not have come up against this type of quality in their careers to date.
“I feel like everybody in that dressing room trusts themselves and wants to get to this level. So, it is always good when you get the opportunity to pit yourselves against a higher opposition because our aspirations are to get to that level,” he commented.
“We just have to keep believing because within our group, on the journey that we are on we could reach this, and we just have to keep trusting in that.”
Although losing any game of football is tough to digest for fans and player alike, Daniels is still confident heading into the future after three league wins on the bounce and a spirited display against the Saints.
The Saddlers will have to take this spirit into their next game as they take on league leaders Stockport County on Saturday afternoon.
“There is no negative feeling in that dressing room, this was a free hit opportunity for us to go out there and play against higher opposition,” he discussed.
“Our focus is fully on the league and we have got to take what we’ve done in the past month or so and continue it.
“We have another tough game coming up and it is another opportunity for us to go and showcase what we have been showcasing because we have it within our squad.”
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