Matthew Taylor lauds ‘exceptionally gifted’ Conor Wilkinson after opening win



Posted Sunday, August 29, 2021 by PA

Matthew Taylor lauds ‘exceptionally gifted’ Conor Wilkinson after opening win

Matthew Taylor hailed Conor Wilkinson’s “guile and style” and overall contribution after his first summer signing earned the Walsall boss his maiden managerial victory with the winner in a 1-0 triumph over Stevenage.

After three defeats and a draw, Wilkinson’s fifth-minute strike gave Taylor his first taste of victory in the dugout at the fifth attempt and lifted Walsall out of League Two’s bottom two to 21st.

He cut in from the left to beat Sacha Bastien with a classy near-post finish and the Saddlers held out under heavy second-half pressure from the visitors.

Taylor said: “Conor is exceptionally gifted. What Conor’s got is something not many players at this level have got – guile, style, soft feet, a soft touch.

“What he did today was competed much better than he has done and that’s a real positive. I know he’s got the ability because of the outrageous stuff he does in training.

“It was a great finish – Conor does that every single day in training. He is an extremely talented footballer with a wonderful touch.”

Walsall had chances to double their advantage after Wilkinson’s early strike but while Jack Earing and Kieran Phillips wasted openings, Taylor was delighted with his side’s overall display.

“It’s a huge boost, not for me, but for the players. They had to deliver a performance, I told them they owed the fans who come every week a performance – and they delivered that,” he added.

“What the players have done today is found a way to win and that’s the most important thing.

“There are huge amounts we can improve on, it’s still only five games into the season but that gives us a platform to build on.”

Jack Smith spurned Stevenage’s best chance of claiming a point, sending a free header straight at Walsall keeper Carl Rushworth.

Boss Alex Revell said: “We asked the players to manage the game from the start. We knew, being at home, Walsall would want to come on to us as they were looking for a result – and we give them a goal.

“Whenever you do that, you have to work really hard to get back in the game and I thought that they wanted it more today.

“They showed real strength and desire to win every ball, to close down, to run in behind when it really mattered, to keep every ball on the pitch.

“If you don’t match that, you’ve got no chance. First and foremost you have to match the other team’s desire, making sure you win and compete in every duel and battle – and we didn’t do that.

“Their keeper hasn’t had a save to make so it’s not good enough – yes, we dominated the ball in the second half but we didn’t do enough.”

Tag:


Attention: Third parties may advertise their products and/or services on our website.7M does not warrant the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of their contents.
Your dealings with such third parties are solely between you and such third parties and we shall not be liable in any way for any loss or damage of any sort incurred by you.