Walsall 0-2 MK Dons: Mat Sadler insists he will keep fighting as Saddlers continue winless run

MK Dons picked off out-of-sorts Walsall with a 2-0 win, which heaped more pressure on under-fire home boss Mat Sadler.

Rushian Hepburn-Murphy finished off a slick move emanating from Priestley Farquharson’s risky pass to open the scoring on the half-hour.

The Saddlers improved after being booed off at half-time, but Paul Warne’s promotion hunters withstood pressure to seal a sixth win in eight unbeaten League Two outings through Jon Mellish’s finish four minutes from time.

Fans flocked to the exit at full time while those remaining made their feelings known, but Sadler remained unbowed by further calls for his head amid a run of one win in 10 league matches since Boxing Day.

For exclusive stories and all the detailed EFL news you need, subscribe to The Football League Paper website, digital edition, or newspaper from as little as 14p a day.

Brutal business

“I have a fantastic relationship with everyone at this club. That has maintained through good times and bad and that will continue,” he said.

“Football is a brutal business at times. You can be the perfect man for the job a month ago, all of [a] sudden that changes, but that also changes back the other way very quickly as well.

“I’ll certainly be fighting and keep believing. We will get on that front foot again and back to playing the way we have always played. You have to – otherwise what’s the point?”

Sadler also felt it was a game of fine margins.

“The mistake opened up the game. The disappointment was we didn’t react very well to that for the next 15 minutes,” he said.

“We reacted well in the second half and had more moments. We had times where we were looking for that thing that would change the momentum around here.

“I’m sure I will watch it back and think there wasn’t much in it, but we have to do more and make a choice as to whether we are happy (with that) or take the game by the scruff of the neck.

“That was what was missing from our performance.”

Match action

Farquharson’s error gifted Mellish the ball, with Alex Gilbey setting up Hepburn-Murphy to calmly curl the opener inside the far post.

Injured referee Peter Wright was replaced by fourth official Dean Watson, but there was no change to the pattern of the game with Kacper Lopata blocking Hepburn-Murphy’s point-blank shot late in the first half.

Walsall showed far more energy after the break, with Daniel Kanu’s 57th-minute effort needing a strong right hand from Craig MacGillivray at his near post.

Courtney Clarke thumped over a 25-yard drive and Kanu drew another save from MacGillivray, but Mellish secured the points when he thumped in the rebound from Scott Hogan’s blocked effort.

Togetherness

Warne was buoyant after a hard-earned win propelled the Dons back into the automatic promotion places.

“Our attention to detail was really good,” he said. “I don’t think they had a shot on target or a corner (in the first half). That’s their big threat.

“We’re not as big as them physically, but we knew we had to fight for things.

“I would have preferred more than 1-0 by half-time, and by the end, I didn’t think 2-0 flattered us.

“When called upon, we put bodies on the line, the three centre-halves were different gravy, Rush (Hepburn-Murphy) worked tirelessly.

“There is a real togetherness. In my opinion, that is a really powerful force.

“Even if we hadn’t won, I wouldn’t have cried about it; we would have bounced to the next game. The lads are in a good place.”

READ MORE: League Two preview: Walsall vs MK Dons – We’ll have to be on guard, says Richie Barker