Luke Leahy: We must stop leaking loose goals

While overall the Saddlers have enjoyed an impressive start to the season, their form at home has taken a dip with Dean Keates’ men winless in their last four outings at the Banks’s Stadium.

Tonight, they have a chance to put that right when they host Shrewsbury in what is set to be a pulsating West Midlands derby.

But after conceding sloppy goals in their recent defeats to Doncaster and Accrington Stanley, Leahy knows Walsall have to improve if they are to give their fans the bragging rights.

“Recently teams have been scoring from our mistakes and it has to stop,” the former Falkirk man said.

“Accrington was really disappointing. One of the last things we say to each other before we go out is ‘make sure we start well.’

“But we didn’t do that on Saturday and we gave them something to hold on to by conceding early.

“They punished us, we lost the game in the first 10 minutes.

“There is nothing better as an away team than the home team gifting you a goal. And in the second half, we started slow again.

“You need eight or nine to get going and there were only a couple who started reasonably well.

“Not enough of us turned up against Accrington and that showed.

“That is what we have to learn from.”

It was Walsall’s lacking of cutting of edge that the cost them the points against Stanley – with the Saddlers missing a host of a decent opportunities.

And as well as starting better, Leahy says the team must be more clinical tonight.

“It didn’t click offensively on Saturday,” the 25-year-old continued.

“We had plenty of chances we just didn’t take them.

“At times the final pass or final cross wasn’t good enough.

“It wasn’t through a lack of effort.

“The positive thing is we created chances and we’ve just got to put them in the back of the net next time.”

Leahy admits the defeat to Stanley had made the team even more fired up for tonight’s clash.

“As soon as the full-time whistle blew we were desperate for Tuesday to come around,” he said.

“We just want to put the defeats to Doncaster and Accrington behind us.

“It’s a derby but we still have to plan the same.

“You can’t make more of a bigger deal of it than it is because it’s just a football match and we need to win it.

“We will recover, do everything right and make sure we are ready.”

While Walsall have been disappointed with their recent home form, they still sit seventh in the League One table.

The Saddlers have won five, drawn three and lost just two of their opening 10 games in the division.

And Leahy feels it’s important to remember – overall – they have still had a positive start to the new campaign.

“We must not forget how good we have been this season in the league,” he added.

“We just need to remember that.

“We’ve been frightening going forward at times. Other times we have dug in and everyone has put in a shift.

“We have shown a lot of character and that there is a real togetherness in the dressing room.”