Monday 30 April 2012 11:10, UK
Walsall skipper Andy Butler has set his sights on a play-off push next season after the League One club survived relegation this season.
The Saddlers, for the second time in as many seasons, survived a relegation scrap at the weekend thanks to a 1-1 home draw against Huddersfield and a late comeback from Notts County to earn a 4-3 triumph at struggling Wycombe. Butler is currently savouring the club's escape but he is hoping for a battle of a different kind next term. "It's been a season of fine lines where we've not had the rub of the green. Hopefully things will balance themselves out next year and we can find ourselves challenging at the right end of the table," he told the club's official website. "We've certainly got the players here to be able to do that and we could have easily been on 60-plus points at this stage. Hopefully next season we can push on and bounce back higher. The staff here have been brilliant and Dean Smith is one of the best managers I have worked under. His man-management is superb and the lads want to do well for him. "Everyone has put the effort in and I am so pleased for Dean. There is no reason why we can't build on this and be a play-off contender next time around. For now, though, we are pleased to have secured our League One place and we will be looking to finish on a positive note next week at MK Dons."