Match views . . . Walsall

Photo: Alan Howarth

PUT IT THERE . . . Craig Davies congratulates Ryan McLaughlin as Athletic take a first-half lead

JOHN Sheridan could not believe how his side capitulated in the second half at Walsall:

"I feel as though we have thrown the game away.

"We were very comfortable in the first and we deserved the lead and we looked like a half-decent side.

"It's criminal. We only had a break for 10 minutes and what was it, something in the water?

"I was watching totally different players. It was a great opportunity to get three points.

"The second-half performance leaves me lost for words.

"I am not someone as a manager who makes things open to the public about how I feel and you have to be careful talking straight after the game.

"But you cannot go out and think you are going to win a game like that.

"I watched players I told at half-time were excellent come out in the second half and we were just not at the races.

"The first goal was ridiculous. We had a ball 10 yards in their half, where it has to be lobbed over the full-back for Ryan McLaughlin to chase.

"It was young Mason Fawns and he did alright. But it's decisions.

"He hasn't played a bad ball to Cameron Dummigan and under pressure, all he has to do is side-foot it in behind the left-back. Instead, he tries bringing it down and taking two Walsall players on.

"WATCHING"

"It leads to the goal, as it ends up a minute later being a corner and a goal.

"I am watching players who can't head a ball properly and whose control makes everything a fight.

"Luckily for me, we are only two games into the season. I want to sort it out as quickly as I can.

"I want us to be better on the ball and to move the ball more quickly.

"I am going to have to change the team. Is that my team to take us up the league? I don't think it is, not on that second-half performance anyway."

Walsall manager Jon Whitney couldn't hide his delight at the nature of the comeback that won the game:

"I think the second half especially is why we are in football.

"I thought it was exciting and we got the place rocking. Towards the end you were thinking, is it going to be one of those days where we don't get our rewards?

"It could have been 5-1 in the end with how we dominated the second half. I thought the lads showed the energy and the tempo that we want to play with.

"And credit to them - I was pleased for them that they got the goal.

"First half, I thought we started a little bit anxiously, a bit slow, a bit predictable.

"They were always going to camp in but I still thought we created chances to be two up. It was a bit of a sucker-punch with the goal but we responded really well in the second half and there was only going to be one team to win it in the end."