Walsall boss Richard Money revealed he had told his players exactly what he thought of their display as the Saddlers went down 1-0 to Southend.Lee Barnard's goal proved the difference between the sides but in truth the gulf in class could have resulted in a mauling for Money's men.

He said: "I'm not prepared to talk about what I said to the players in the public domain.

"It will remain in the dressing room - but I will say we were second best to a very good team.

"Southend are a team in good form and they were always going to be in the top six, and it was a big learning curve for some of our young players."

And Money refused to rule out the Saddlers claiming a play-off spot, despite their poor run of form. He said: "While we have got enough points to play for we will play for them."

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