Defender apologises after Walsall's promotion hopes lost at Wembley

The Saddlers sat at the top of League Two in January, 15 points clear of fourth place.

But a run of just three wins in 21 matches saw them miss out on automatic promotion, before they were beaten 1-0 by Wimbledon in Monday’s play-off final at Wembley.

Gordon said there was “no hiding away” from what had happened over the second half of the campaign as he urged his team-mates to regroup and push again next year.

Asked if he had a message for supporters, Gordon told the club website: “Firstly, I want to apologise. There is no hiding away from the fact of where we should have been.

“I want to apologise on a personal note and as a group that we did not achieve what we wanted to achieve this season.

“But I also want to thank them for their support. They came out in their numbers on Monday, came out in their numbers all season and are always the loudest.

“That is above any home team. Wimbledon had nearly 30,000 and I only heard the Walsall fans. That is the fans for you, they have been unbelievable and stuck behind us for what has been a hard season for them and us. I want to thank them for everything.”

Gordon acknowledged the Saddlers, who reeled off a club record nine-match winning run to go clear at the top of the table, had struggled with the pressure of being the division’s top dogs.

He explained: “A lot of us haven't been in this position before, being top of the table for so long and probably doing what others didn't think we were going to do, and being in a position that nobody ever thought we were going to be in.

“So it's not just since February, when we had a big blip in form, it's been the whole season.

“It's been psychologically, mentally and physically tough and Monday has added to that.”

Myles Hippolyte’s strike moments before half-time was enough to earn Wimbledon victory.

Gordon revealed how players had been left in tears in the dressing room after the match.

He continued: “Words can’t describe the feeling. We have boys in tears. It is a feeling, an emotion which is hard to explain.

“But you have to feel these emotions because it is something which is going to make us mentally tough as people and as players, to kick on next season and wherever it takes us.

“There is no running away from the feeling. There is no running away from what happened on Monday. We are going to feel it throughout our summer.

“There is no hiding from this feeling or what happened. But this is football. We are going to have to reset and everyone is going to have to step up and go again next season because football doesn’t stop.

“It’s been a mentally tough season. The toughest for probably all of us, the gaffer, the staff, the fans. It has been a tough season.

“It would have been a dream to go up on Monday. It is the best way to go up if you don’t go up first.

“It is heartbreaking the way Monday happened. But we have to feel it. There is no hiding from it. We have to go away, come back and try again next season, whatever way that is.”