GIANT goalkeeper Clayton Ince came back from a successful World Cup campaign with Trinidad & Tobago to find himself in another world with Walsall as they squandered a 2-0 lead to lose to Hartlepool.
He said: “The guys went a bit too casual in the second half. When we played well in the first half they took it for granted but you have to concentrate for 90-plus minutes.
“It was quite a week in the World Cup but, at the end of the day, it is the league here that you look forward to. I would rather have the three points to make it a successful week.
“We started well but are lacking concentration. We just have to look at ourselves and work together as a team. On paper we can match any team in the division but if we do not play as a team we will not get anywhere.”
Saddlers boss Jimmy Mullen was at a loss to explain how his Jekyll-and-Hyde side could turn in such a classy first-half display then produce such a miserable 45 minutes to throw away a game they had in the bag.
He said: “We were outstanding in the first half and deservedly went in 2-0.
“I am still gobsmacked. It is a common saying in football that 2-0 is a dangerous situation at half-time. If you get the next goal the game is over. If the opposition get a goal and it is 2-1 then you have a scrap on your hands and that was a classic example.
“We maybe got ourselves in a situation where we made wrong decisions and did not come up with the right answers to what they were throwing at us.
“To be fair one of their goals was an absolute belter from nowhere but I am not making any excuses, we did not do enough in the second half to get anything.”