Richard O'Donnell wants a 'nasty' Walsall

The Saddlers No 1 thinks a lack of aggression has contributed to some of their defeats this season.

With the team just three points above the drop zone heading into Friday's six pointer with Notts County, the 26-year-old sees developing a "nasty streak" is one way they can improve.

He said: "Everyone knows we have a great environment here and there are no bad eggs in the team, everyone is a nice person.

"You can be the nicest person off the pitch but at times you have got to be nasty on it.

"I think sometimes we have lacked that bit of aggression in our game and it is something we can work on for the rest of this season and towards next season."

The Saddlers have struggled for consistency throughout much of the campaign and O'Donnell feels they need to find the right balance.

He added: "The manager and players always say if we do the right things the majority of the time, it will work out.

"No-one can question our work-rate but it is ways of managing that work-rate - when to press, when not to press and finding the balance.

"It is the nasty things of the game as well - that has been lacking when we have lost games this season."

Just one win the last nine league games has seen the Saddlers fall from the fringes of the play-offs to looking nervously over their shoulders.

And O'Donnell believes they are paying the price for leaving too many points on the field.

He went on: "We should have a lot more points and we should be a lot higher up the league.

"Some of the performances have been brilliant against teams who are right at the top of the league and if we could have got that the majority of the season we would be right up there.

"It is there for everyone to see. The games we have won, lost and drawn are similar in total, the number goals for and goals against are pretty average and that is where we find ourselves."