Ferrier’s dust-up is all over – Keates

WALSALL boss Dean Keates said a scuffle between team-mates Morgan Ferrier and Luke Leahy was ‘done and dusted’ after Doncaster emphatically ended the Saddlers’ unbeaten start with a fine win.

Ferrier’s header put Walsall ahead early 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, meanwhile, praised the display of Leeds loanee Mallik Wilks, saying: “Mallik was unplayable today.

“He’s only 19, 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, then 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.”