Keates dismisses bust-up between team-mates Ferrier and Leahy

Posted Sunday, September 16, 2018 by PA

Walsall manager Dean Keates played down an altercation between team-mates Morgan Ferrier and Luke Leahy after Doncaster emphatically ended the Saddlers’ unbeaten start with a 4-1 win.

Ferrier’s header put Walsall ahead early on but John Marquis levelled from the spot before the break and second half goals from Mallik Wilks, James Coppinger and Matty Blair gave Rovers victory.

Ferrier grabbed Leahy – who handled to give Rovers their penalty – by the throat after Doncaster’s third goal and the pair had to be separated by team-mates but Keates played down the incident.

Keates said: “It’s emotions. I’ve just had a chat with them in the changing room about it. It’s done and dusted.

“Ideally, that doesn’t happen on a football pitch. I don’t mind seeing it in the changing rooms but I’m a believer that if it happens, it goes down the plughole with the shampoo come 5pm.

“We weren’t good enough in the first half. We had a little bit more about us in the second half but we didn’t keep our emotions in check.”

Keates said referee Antony Coggins got the penalty right but missed a foul in the build-up to Rovers’ third and the Walsall boss was also unhappy to be booked for a touchline spat with Wilks.

He added: “With the third goal, I’ve got the fourth official telling me he’s told the referee that it’s a foul on the halfway line on Morgan.

“The referee doesn’t give it, they go straight down the other end and it goes in.”

On his own booking, Keates added: “The referee says I’ve stepped outside the technical box. If everybody is going to get booked every time they step outside the box, they will be throwing yellow cards out left, right and centre.”

Doncaster boss Grant McCann praised the display of Leeds loanee Wilks, saying: “Mallik was unplayable today.

“He’s only 19 years of age, he’s going to be inconsistent and he is going to have dips in form but if he produces a performance like that every other week, we will be delighted.

“It was a complete performance from us today. We have shown in spells this season how good we can be but I think we delivered a 96-minute performance today.

“In the second half we were outstanding. We looked like we could score at every opportunity that we went forward. The three subs made a huge impact.

“It’s a result that’s been on the cards. People who have seen us this season will know the number of chances we have been creating. It just wasn’t quite falling for us or we were coming up against Gordon Banks every week.

“But today we were clinical and ruthless and we got the job done.”