Richard Money tells his players to dig deep

Mar 26 2008 By Brian Halford

RICHARD Money has called on Walsall's players to "stay in there", dig deep during their current blip - and stick in the League One play-offs race.

The Saddlers' fluency has deserted them of late and just two points from five games has sent them down to ninth, two points below the play-offs line.

They have won only three of 10 games since Scott Dann followed Danny Fox to Coventry at the end of January.

Three clean sheets in those 10 games, allied to a lack of incision going forward, has sent Walsall to the promotion fringes.

Next come big tests against two sides they are trying to elbow out of the play-offs zone - Southend away on Saturday then Tranmere at home seven days later. It's time to grit out points, Money insists, until the fluency returns.

"The next two are big games in that if we don't get the right results then it stretches their lead above us," said Money. "But, not that I expect this to happen, we might lose the next two and then win the last five - and it still might be enough. You don't know.

"We have just to keep going and the team showed against Crewe on Monday they will do that.

"To get a 90th-minute equaliser in our second game in three days, and let's not forget the first game was a late kick-off, was very pleasing.

"I keep saying to the players that when things are a bit scrappy, then just stay in the game and anything can happen.

"That's the mentality they showed on Monday and it's the one we have got to adopt towards the play-offs. Let's stay in there and get to three or four games from the end and see where we can go from there."