Dean Keates: "There Were a Lot of Positives to Take Out of the Game"

Walsall manager Dean Keates has spoken to the press following his side's Carabao Cup - Round Two defeat to Macclesfield Town and looked to draw on the positives from the game, insisting that a penalty shoot-out is a lottery and he won't let his squad dwell on the defeat.

The manager, who saw his side bounce back from going two goals down to lead by three-goals-to-two late on, only for the Silkmen to equalise in second-half stoppage time, admitted that he was disappointed to see his side exit the tournament and confirmed that there will be things to work on when the players return to training.

Dean, who was speaking via the Express & Star, said; "We are disappointed we have been knocked out. But there were a lot of positives to take out of the game. We’ve come from 2-0 down to take the lead at 3-2. We’ve had a lot of possession and have dominated for long periods.

"But we need to make better decisions in the final third. We have to be better with our shot selection. And we have to improve our crossing. Our final ball was not up to scratch. We had some great phases of play in the first-half especially. But the end product wasn’t there."