Dean Keates: Error-prone Walsall must learn

The Saddlers slipped to a 3-1 loss against Burton on Saturday with a dreadful first-half display ensuring Nigel Clough’s side ran out comfortable winners.

But while the Brewers dominated from the off at the Banks’s Stadium, Walsall made simple and costly errors in the build-up to all three of their goals.

And Keates says his players must learn from their mistakes if they are to beat Charlton tomorrow and haul themselves back into contention for a place in the play-offs.

“We need to learn from Burton, I’m not taking anything away from them because they played well, but we need to look at ourselves. We have to make sure the errors that we made, the simple mistakes, don’t happen again.

“We killed ourselves against Burton. We had an input in every single goal we conceded. In the first-half we were nowhere near at it. The only good thing is we have got a game on Tuesday night.

“We need to learn from it, get it out our system and get a reaction.”

Walsall have responded well to defeats throughout the campaign so far.

And Keates says they must do so again with the winner of tomorrow’s game set to move level on points with sixth-placed Accrington.

“We have got to get ourselves ready for Charlton,” the boss continued.

“We have had a reaction from every defeat we have had this season so hopefully that happens again.

“It’s a chance to respond. If we can win on we can go into the play-offs.

“Hopefully we will get a reaction on Tuesday that will give everyone a lift.”

Keates admitted it was difficult to take positives from the loss to the Brewers.

But he says the team will still be in a good position if they can get a result against Lee Bowyer’s Addicks.

“This season it’s always been a case of getting to 52 points as quickly as we can,” he added.

“We take stock of it, we are in a good position. But we know we need to look at ourselves, learn and re-group.”