Jon Whitney: Walsall will bounce back at Rotherham

The Saddlers travel to the New York Stadium determined to register their first away victory of 2017.

That elusive win almost arrived on Saturday when Walsall looked in control before eventually slipping to a 2-1 defeat at the Memorial Stadium.

And the boss said the hurt from that loss will give his side extra motivation for tonight's clash.

"I'm glad we're playing tonight and we haven't had to wait a week after Bristol Rovers," Whitney said.

"Good teams bounce back. That is what we have done in the past. And that is what we will do tonight.

"We are very close to getting that away win.

"At Portsmouth I thought we were the better team. Against Bristol Rovers I thought we were the better team.

"Performance wise we have been in every game which is very pleasing for me and my staff.

"Sometimes you have to win ugly. We know that.

"But you have to keep believing in what you do and, as a group, we do. We have got a real attacking threat, we are also solid behind the ball as well.

"Our games are good to watch. The energy of the players cannot be faulted.

"And away from home we are making teams fight for every single point."

The goals Walsall conceded on Saturday stemmed from individual errors in defence.

But Whitney said mistakes will happen when you have a young side that looks to play attractive football.

"If we want to be a team that plays football and plays through the thirds then there are going to be mistakes," the boss added.

"A lot of teams just go route one because it limits the chance of that mistake.

"But as a club we don’t want that. Our philosophy is to play with a real tempo.

"We want to play football the right way. Of course want to win games as well – that is more important.

"But I think the mixture that we have now shows we are a threat."