Walsall 0 Southend 1 - Player ratings
Following Walsall's poor 1-0 loss at home to Southend, Liam Keen rates the Saddlers players.
Liam Roberts - 7
After an early lapse in concentration the goalkeeper settled and made some key saves throughout the afternoon.
Cameron Norman - 5
Defensively he did OK but going forward Norman was uncharacteristically poor. He needed to march forward and attack a struggling Southend team.
Dan Scarr - 6
Scarr should have done better offensively at set pieces but overall did not give much away at the back. The centre-back will now need to motivate his team-mates to respond from this poor result.
Zak Jules - 6
As with Scarr, Jules was relatively consistent and did nothing majorly wrong. The long balls forward, however, were not working.
Callum Cockerill-Mollett - 5
After a good performance on Tuesday night, Cockerill-Mollett was poor in this game. Out of position and giving the ball away, he was not at his best, hence being taken off after 69 minutes.
Rory Holden - 6
Holden is far better suited to the attacking midfield position, rather than out wide. He tried to make things happen but his team-mates did not help.
Liam Kinsella - 5
Kinsella has been consistent this season but he looked out of his depth in this clash. Isolated in midfield, he could not get on the ball and seemed off the pace in winning it back.
Alfie Bates - 6
For all the poor performances around him, Bates did much better. He pinged the ball around nicely and won some tackles in midfield. His late silly sending off, though, brings his mark down from seven to six.
Wes McDonald - 4
Normally a bright spark in the Walsall side, McDonald was anything but. He failed to track back and do his job defensively and in the first half he was anonymous going forward. He improved slightly in the second half but Walsall will need him to improve.
Elijah Adebayo - 5
Perhaps the early knock to the head did not help, but Adebayo was off the pace. He’s certainly shown better this season, but sadly he was poor. His penalty miss, at such a crucial time, was disappointing.
Caolan Lavery - 6
Poor Lavery, having to fill in on the right wing in the second half, but the striker was one of few fighting for the ball. The quality was lacking on this occasion, but his determined play was important. It was perhaps a surprise to see him come off.
Substitutes
Jake Scrimshaw (for Lavery, 64), Mat Sadler (for Cockerill-Mollett, 69), Emmanuel Osadebe (for Kinsella, 74).
