Walsall head coach Darren Byfield takes full responsibility for the team's failure to reach the League Two play-offs after changing tactics in pursuit of a top-seven finish. Despite a promising start, the team faltered, culminating in a heavy defeat that ended their promotion hopes.
Walsall head coach Darren Byfield said he accepts "full blame" for the club's failure to make the League Two play-offs because he changed his approach trying to chase a top-seven finish.
After replacing Mat Sadler last month, Byfield steered Walsall to two wins and two draws in his first four games keeping them within two points of the play-offs with six matches to go.
But despite leading against Gillingham and Swindon Town in their next two fixtures, the Saddlers only took one point and that was followed by a second-half capitulation in their 4-0 hammering by Cheltenham Town on Saturday to leave their promotion hopes in tatters.
Those hopes were officially ended by Chesterfield's win over Grimsby Town on Tuesday and Byfield said the buck stops with him.
"I take full blame for it because if you look at the first four games that we played it came a point where we're now chasing the play-offs so the three games that come after that I had to do something completely different to the four games before," he told BBC Radio WM.
"We're now chasing after these games, trying to win and you don't end up in the same structure as in the first four games. We had to do it, we knew draws weren't good enough."
Darren Byfield accepted full blame for Walsall's failure to make the League Two play-offs due to his change in approach.
Under Byfield, Walsall achieved two wins and two draws in his first four games but struggled in subsequent matches, leading to their elimination from play-off contention.
Walsall's promotion hopes were officially ended by Chesterfield's victory over Grimsby Town.
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Despite the disappointment, Byfield said he would not go back and do things differently.
"I'd do the same thing again. We wanted to get in the play-offs, so we had to," he said.
"[Against Cheltenham] It's 0-0 and I'm like 'a point is not enough' so I changed it and it doesn't work but that's what you are paid to do.
"We kind of went a bit more gung-ho with how we pressed, how we went after them and obviously, Cheltenham pulled us apart.
"I think if we don't win, we don't lose, but that changes and we have to go all out to win.
"I can't guarantee we're going to win three out of three but on Saturday against Barrow, you'll see a team back to what we were in the first four games."
With Byfield only in charge until the end of the season he said he has had "lots of conversations" with the club's new head of football Stewart Mairs but none about his future beyond the final three games.
"The best thing for me is to win games," Byfield said.
"We need to win games because, regardless of what happens at the end of the season, it's for these players and these fans that we finish strong.
"They haven't had much to sing about this season. Let them be able to sing and enjoy the last few games."