Express & Star

Walsall boss tempted to change team

Richard Money admits he's tempted to tweak his Walsall line-up as he seeks a return to winnings ways against Brighton tonight.

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Walsall wait on midfielder Edrissa Sonko, who missed Saturday's game with a minor knee injury, and Rhys Weston, who went off with a hamstring injury near the end of the 2-0 defeat against Northampton.

"There's always a temptation to make changes but as the manager, it's very important you don't over-react like everyone else is prone to," said boss Money.

"We'll have a look at him (Sonko) today and hope he'll be involved, the same as Weston."

Central defender Ian Roper was beaten for both goals, while Walsall were criticised for being over-run in central midfield, where Darren Wrack and Mark Bradley were below par.

But Money will resist making too many changes after a team meeeting today where he spelled out everyone's jobs.

And he expects a return to the form that has seen them in a top six spot since the turn of the year.

"The players have been made perfectly clear why that was and I don't expect us to do it again," he said.

"I expect the supporters to see the Walsall team they have seen under me for the last 18 months.

"It's amazing people want to talk about one performance rather than 29 fantastic performances – we've lost four games in 33 and Saturday was our first home defeat since October 20."

Central defender Anthony Gerrard is confident his under-fire team-mates can bounce back tonight.

"Ian's been superb since he's come back and Saturday was just a blip," said Gerrard.

"People are allowed a bad game every so often, so hopefully he can draw a line under Saturday and be his usual rock against Brighton.

"And the system Northampton played – 3-5-2 – enabled them to overpower us in midfield."

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