Walsall must hit back, Adam Chambers insists
Skipper Adam Chambers has demanded a response from every one of his team-mates as Walsall bid to banish the pain of their heavy loss at Rotherham.
The Saddlers slumped to a 5-1 defeat at the New York Stadium on Tuesday in a clash that saw Jon Whitney’s side concede four times in just 18 first-half minutes.
With supporters understandably furious, Walsall now have the chance to go some way to restoring some faith when they entertain Peterborough at the Banks’s tomorrow.
And Chambers insists all the players know they are going into the game with a huge point to prove.
“We all need to look at ourselves and put in a response,” the captain said. “We have to respond we all know that. Things we pride ourselves on we just didn’t do.
“We didn’t defend well as a team. We didn’t get close enough. We didn’t stop enough crosses. We didn’t cope with crosses. We didn’t win enough second balls.
“It was nowhere near good enough.
“But the game has gone. The only thing we can control now is what happens against Peterborough.”
Chambers admitted some strong words have been said since the defeat to the Millers.
“There were harsh words at half-time and there were harsh words at full-time,” the midfielder continued.
“The words at half-time did seem to spark a reaction.
“We started the second half well and got an early goal.
“That is how we should have started the first half but we made things very difficult for ourselves and it was a very tough night.
“Since then we have looked at it, analysed it and looked at what we can improve.
“A lot of people have been very disappointed and everyone has had their say.
“It’s now up to us as individuals to make sure we have learnt and that we move forward.”
Walsall’s troubles on the road have been well documented with the Saddlers having failed to win away from the Banks’s Stadium in 2017.
Yet the contrast at home couldn’t be more different.
Whitney’s men have won more matches in front of their own supporters than any other League One side this calendar year. And Chambers admits it’s hard to know why their form changes so much.
“We go into away games with the same mindset as home games,” he added. “We want to win and we want to stamp our authority as quickly as possible.
“I can’t put my finger on why the away record has been so bad and the home form so good. I don’t think it’s mental thing. But questions have to be asked because of the record.”
