With 10 minutes remaining at Edgar Street some of the more youthful travelling Walsall support started their own game of football with a bottle.

It was a frantic game on the concrete surface between the pitch and the away end and more visiting fans would have been forgiven for joining in as they sought more entertainment.

The rest of the 994 Saddlers had made a journey born out of expectation rather than hope after previous away success, but were left with little to debate travelling home on the A-roads of Herefordshire.

There was little quality on show as Hereford pushed the visitors all the way as the Saddlers struggled to hit top gear and while the young supporters enjoyed themselves their professional counterparts toiled.

Although Walsall’s first 0-0 draw for 27 games did little to inspire, it did increase Jimmy Mullen side’s unbeaten run to four games and kept them rooted in the top six in League One.

While it would be churlish to wax lyrical over the performance, which was decidedly lacklustre following the Saddlers’ recent travelling heroics, a point against a dogged side already battling for their lives should not be overlooked.

The luck was with Mullen’s men – highlighted by defender Chris Palmer’s clearance off the line from Bruno N’Gotty’s second half effort – and the argument of it being a point gained is a strong one.

A better side than the Bulls would have punished the Saddlers for their lethargy and they can ill afford to have another off day in the coming weeks, but another point is on the board.

Home games with Peterborough and Hartlepool, coupled with trips to the League One heavyweights of Leicester and Leeds will prove sterner tests, given the Saddlers’ play-off credentials a thorough examination.

At this early stage in the campaign a make or break month it is not, but the rocky road of October will prove a great barometer as to Walsall’s long term ambitions.

As for their more recent objectives, the Saddlers escaped from Edgar Street with their unbeaten run, which stretches to four games, intact.

It could have been so different had it not been for Palmer’s last-ditch intervention to deny N’Gotty.

Given what had gone before, a goal would not have been unfair on the Bulls who had more than matched their high flying visitors.

The Saddlers found themselves on the back foot from the start with Hereford enjoying possession and the visitors content to sit off. There was, though, little urgency or penetration from either side.

When the Saddlers did reach the opposition area winger, Alex Nicholls was well off target with the first effort of the game before driving a shot straight at Darren Randolph.

If the fans were expecting those chances to be a prelude to what was to come they would have been sorely disappointed.

Neither side was prepared to offer that hope as passes frequently went astray. The usual link up play between Jabo Ibehre and Michael Ricketts was lacking, as the duo’s cohesion deserted them and Hereford had all the attacking nous of a team at the bottom.

As the game meandered slowly to half-time, Richard Taundry had a rare sight at goal when his rising drive was block and as the ball returned to the area, Nicholls sliced a volley weakly at Randolph.

Ricketts then had the opportunity to inject some life into the game as he burst into the area but dragged his shot well wide of the target.

Bradley Hudson-Odoi had two sighters on half-time but first he planted his header wide and then saw Clayton Ince make a low save from his sharp volley.

What was needed was a spark. One chink of light which would have reassured supporters their entrance fee was money well spent.

With the Bulls propping up the table they would have been expected to be the edgy participants but they took the match to the Saddlers after the break.

They were the team most likely to break the well enforced deadlock. The ragged Saddlers were on the rocks and the Bulls were raging and should have beaten Ince in the 66th minute.

Kris Taylor, who was causing countless problems for his old team-mates, swung in a beauty of a cross to find Andrew Williams, whose diving head landed a yard wide of the goal.

The hosts then conjured the best chance of the game courtesy of Saddlers’ keeper Ince.

Taylor swung in a corner from the right, which Ince completely misjudged, allowing the ball to hit N’Gotty and trickle towards the goal.

Luckily for the visitors, Paul Boertien and Palmer were on the line as Palmer just beat his colleague to hack the ball to safety.

If it was a wake up call for the Saddlers they didn’t heed it as Hereford, desperate to improve their plight, continued to press and Moses Ashikodi  stuck a half volley straight at Ince.

The goalkeeper, who jets off for Trinidad and Tobago’s World Cup qualifiers against Guatemala and the USA this week, was struggling with his long standing hamstring injury and his appearance in the second half had come as a surprise.

A modicum of danger sporadically returned as Hereford pumped balls into the box but the Saddlers held firm, to claim their second clean sheet in three games.