Walsall boss Mat Sadler lauded his Sky Bet League Two leaders’ resolve after two late Danny Johnson goals helped them avoid a third straight defeat by drawing 2-2 with Salford.
The Saddlers have seen a 12-point advantage at the top cut to seven, but Sadler said the draw felt more like a victory after they scored twice in the final 12 minutes.
Cole Stockton’s early strike and a cool Hakeeb Adelakun finish put Salford in control and they withstood heavy periods of pressure only to be denied by Johnson’s close-range double.
“Some points feel bigger than others,” admitted Sadler. “I’m disappointed we don’t win that game. I thought we were much the better team and I thought they were time-wasting from 10 minutes in.
“But the group kept going. Those points and the manner of them can be massive.
“All that was missing from the day was a win, but we all know there are going to be so many twists and turns and today was a good example.
“This one feels like a win in a way, but we also go home feeling like we left a couple of points out there. But what a team and group we’ve got, what resilience to keep going and never say die.
“We want to be able to roll the dice and seeing that we’ve got so many different options is brilliant. We are going to need them all.
“The guys are only human so I’m sure they were feeling it so it shows the character to come back and show they are never beaten.”
Salford’s own promotion bid has taken a dip – this draw meant they have taken just two points from a winless four-game sequence in which injuries have hit hard.
But they remain within three points of the play-off places and boss Karl Robinson said: “I’m sick to death of people commenting on how many injuries other teams have got. We’ve got 10 players out.
“My players have stood up to coming away to a team who are top of the league by multiple points and put in a performance like that.
“The argument for me would be our stupidity at 2-0. We should have been a little cuter in our time management, we let them back into the game.
“But with multiple defensive changes, I can’t ask any more of my players. I am so proud of them.
“We’ve been through a horrendous time, multiple players out injured, all of our midfield is out, our left and right sided centre-backs are out, our left wing-back is out.
“OK we’ve not won in a period of time, but I don’t think our performances have been dreadful. We’ve deserved a lot more than we’ve actually got and today was no different.”
