Sadler proud of how Walsall handled Lowe departure

Mat Sadler's Walsall have lost only three times in 25 League Two games this season

Walsall boss Mat Sadler is proud of the way the League Two leaders handled loan man Nathan Lowe's return to parent club Stoke City.

After hitting 18 goals for the Saddlers this season, there were concerns as to how Sadler's side might cope without him - especially after the way Saturday afternoon started.

No sooner than Lowe had scored within nine minutes for Stoke just a few miles across the Black Country against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns, Walsall went a goal behind against MK Dons.

Lowe's strike took him clear as the EFL's top scorer with 16 goals this season.

But an MK Dons goalkeeping howler allowed David Okagbue to equalise for Walsall before the break - and the hosts then netted three times after the restart to extend their club record run to nine straight wins and maintain their 12-point lead at the top.

"Both before and after their goal, we played well," Sadler told BBC Radio WM. "And we didn't let it faze us when we conceded.

"But, in the second half, we were tremendously strong and powerful. We were relentless and could have scored a few more.

"There was certainly no avoiding the fact Nathan had gone.

"I made the point of saying to the lads, 'Please send Nathan messages and let him know we're happy for him,' but then we've got our job to do. And we just carried on.

"We know what a team we've got and what a spirit we've got. We're a team because of the collective sum of our parts. We are not about individuals.

"That's how you get success. Everyone's got to play their role and feel they are valued."

At the other end of the age scale from 19-year-old Lowe, Sadler singled out his veteran front pair of 37-year-old Adomah, who rounded off the scoring with the fourth goal, and 35-year-old Jamille Matt.

"Jamille Matt and Albert Adomah set the platform for the whole team," he said. "They were amazing, a focal point for so much of that performance."

With 21 games to go - and Walsall now 15 points clear of fourth-placed Wimbledon, the nearest of the play-off pack, Sadler's Saddlers will take some catching now.

Their next game is at eighth-placed promotion contenders Bradford City on Saturday (12:30 GMT).