Match Views... Walsall

Athletic manager John Sheridan.

JOHN Sheridan was angry with Lee Croft after his lunge reduced Athletic to 10 men in only the 16th minute in the defeat at Walsall:

"The sending off hasn't helped us so early in the game and I'm very disappointed in Crofty. It was a red card and it was right in front of us. I have no qualms about it - it was a stupid tackle.

"He has let himself down and he has let the team down. I don't want to be saying that about one of my players at all.

"So I will talk about the ones who stayed on the pitch. We dug in and went in 0-0 at half-time, when we re-shuffled a bit. Connor Ripley has again done well.

"Then with 10 men, we did really well in the second half. We were right in the game up until they scored.

"I have seen it back and it's never a penalty. He got the ball. It was a clear foul on Aaron Amadi-Holloway (in the build-up).

"How the officials don't see them, I don't know. I am sick to death of it. No wonder you lose it sometimes.

"I don't know regarding Brian Wilson's sending off. At the end of the day, I am going to take it on the chin. It was important we tried to get something from the game, but we haven't.

FULL CREDIT

"It was disappointing to get two men sent off as well and I don't want that. But full credit to the players, we worked our socks off again and had good opportunities too.

"We just lacked that killer instinct when we did have opportunities, but it was difficult going down to 10 men so early.

"With 11 men, we would have been a different team."

WALSALL manager Jon Whitney felt the decision to award a spot-kick for a foul by Peter Clarke on Simeon Jackson was the correct one:

"We've got the luxury of looking at the penalty incident four or five times and as Simeon takes the ball across him, the defender commits.

"When you commit, you're always going to run the risk that you might get a penalty given against you. I think it's a penalty from where I see it.

"I said to the players beforehand that I thought this would be our toughest game.

"Since John Sheridan came in he's averaging nearly two points a game.

"I knew it would be a dangerous game. The way they play they are brave - they keep the two up top.

"They know how to defend, they make it difficult for teams and they grind out results.

"It was important we stayed patient. It's very difficult when a team banks in and we've not had it for a while.

"You have to be patient and you have to move the ball quickly - at times in the first half we didn't.

"When we did, we created opportunities and it was important at half-time not to come in with our heads down.

"It was important we stayed patient, kept probing and eventually the opportunities would come.

"It was a tough 2-0 win but a really good one."