Manager Chris Hutchings lamented one-time England international Michael Ricketts' failure to score as Walsall fell to a 1-0 loss to Tranmere.
From Sofiene Zaaboub's cross, former Bolton and Middlesbrough striker Ricketts, who played for England against Holland in February 2002, hit the crossbar with a volley after 19 minutes before Bas Savage's decisive 79th-minute header.
"I felt Michael should have scored, and we edged it in the second half," said Hutchings.
"We showed a lot more commitment in the second half, but you can't give teams a 45-minute start, which I felt we did, and a few harsh words were needed at half-time to liven things up.
"Our remaining games are against teams who are fighting for something and we need to start getting something from them."
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