Michael Flynn having sleepless nights in bid to get Walsall firing

The Saddlers beat Northampton 1-0 on Tuesday night to end a run of 12 matches without a victory and provide the boss, his players and supporters some much-needed cheer after a tough start to the League Two season.

Passionate Flynn remained upbeat during the rough patch but revealed the mental and physical strain of management, combined with his own personality, means he can never be entirely content.

The 41-year-old, who took charge in February, previously claimed to be putting his “heart and soul” into the job.

Speaking ahead of today’s match with AFC Wimbledon, he explained: “I’ve had plenty of sleepless nights, even when we are winning. You get them even when you first take over and everything is rosy.

“I have them because I care about A) this club B) my career and C) everything around that, everything which affects my family, players and staff. I am here for all of them.

“If you are not going to be 100 per cent there is no point in doing it. That is how I have always been in life and how I will continue to be until I’m six feet under.”

Walsall signed 19 players during Flynn’s first summer at the club and his efforts to mould a team have not been helped by a series of injuries to key players, midfielder Jack Earing the latest to be sidelined for three months with an Achilles problem.

The boss insists spirits remained high during the winless streak which included eight defeats by a one-goal margin.

Yet such was the level of bad luck, he admits to having wondered if fortunes would ever change.

“You start getting to a point where you wonder, are we ever going to win a game?” he continued.

“The run of luck we have had – even Joe Foulkes, who is out on loan, has gone and fractured his ankle. You can’t make these things up.

“But I won’t ever feel sorry for myself. It is demanding, mentally and physically draining. But it is also rewarding. The lows far outweigh the highs. It just makes you appreciate the highs more when you get them.

“It is something which keeps me going, keeps me sane and level-headed. I don’t get too carried away when we win and I don’t get too despondent when we lose.

“It helps when you have a supportive board, who get it. They understand the predicament we have been in with the injuries. It was nice just to give them something (on Tuesday) as well.

“I can’t praise (the players) enough. I can’t fault their attitude and resilience in bouncing back, after being kicked in the teeth a few times. It’s one win. I’m not getting carried away. But it is a step in the right direction.”