Walsall head coach Mat Sadler insists his side will bounce-back from missing out on promotion for the second time this season after their trip to Wembley ended in a 1-0 defeat to AFC Wimbledon.

Despite stepping out on the front foot in the second half, the Saddlers’ efforts were ultimately denied by Myles Hippolyte’s late strike minutes before half-time.

Sadler said: “I thought in the first half , we didn’t quite impose ourselves on the game like we would’ve wanted to.

“It was a tough hit losing Harry, so that was another bit of adversity. I thought Asiimwe came on and did well, but it’s always difficult circumstances. We just tried to get to half-time but unfortunately it was a great finish by [Hippolyte].

“In the second half, I thought we gave it a go and we played the way we wanted to play. We were a bit braver in possession, showed a bit more courage in trying to work it out to our wide.

“When those half chances came from us, we didn’t quite have that bit of quality on the day to finish them off.”

Sadler’s men were billed as favourites for automatic promotion at the beginning of 2025, having sat comfortably at the top of the table with a 12-points separating them and rivals Wimbledon.

The departure of their top goalscorer, on-loan Nathan Lowe, who netted 18 goals prior to his return to Stoke, contributed to their eventual free fall which saw them suffer 13 matches without a win.

The Midlands side still remained in touching distance of automatic promotion as the season reached its summit, needing only secure a win and rely on third-placed Bradford City to drop points at.

But a last-gasp winner put away by Bradford City’s Antoni Sarcevic voided their efforts to finish in fourth.

The 40-year-old only had praise for his men as he looked to the off season, declaring they showed great grit during times of adversity.

“The biggest thing for me is Pride,” he said. “I’m proud of who they are. Proud of everything they’ve given every day.

“They’re an incredible group to work with, and lots of them are at the very start of their journeys.

“You have to use these things as motivation and fuel. I think when your stood there and watching those celebrations, it’s like a slow torture if you’re not the ones celebrating.

“We didn’t quite have enough to see the job through, but we’ll go again and we’ll come back and try and be stronger next year.”