A quite unremarkable game was lit up by two remarkable errors as Walsall self destructed to let two precious points slip.

The mistakes came from their most reliable performers – Anthony Gerrard and Clayton Ince – but, although they will be quickly brushed aside, they cost the Saddlers a win regardless.

So calamitous was Gerrard’s own goal, expect it to make the next footballing bloopers DVD.

Try as he might, the defender is unlikely to encounter such ignominy again.

Under no pressure, he sliced into his own goal from two yards and with his mistake, went the ascendancy the Saddlers had worked for.

Ince was next in wishing for a large hole to open up when his poor clearance allowed Joel Porter to give Hartlepool a 2-1 lead.

Two mistakes had led to two goals Hartlepool never looked like scoring after Troy Deeney’s fourth goal in five games fired the Saddlers ahead.

Sam Williams’ late header rescued a point but it was the stereotypical mid-table clash, low on quality, high on commitment.

The football, in the main, was as grim as the weather and four goals give the false impression the game was wracked with excitement. It wasn’t.

While it was a topsy turvy encounter, neither side deserved to win and those present would be remiss not to admit it was a turgid affair.

Stephen Hughes’ return to midfield cannot be overlooked. He brought much needed composure to the centre and admitted his surprised after completing the 90 minutes. You won’t see the 32-year-old bombing about the pitch anymore but a short pass here and an encouraging word there keeps the Saddlers ticking over.

The way he pointedly lifted Ince to his feet after the goalkeeper’s slip for Porter’s strike spoke volumes.

Richard Taundry’s absence through injury gave Hughes the chance but also means Gerrard is the only man to feature in every game this season.

It was Gerrard who had the first chance when he missed his kick before Porter hit the side netting from an angle after rounding Ince.

From then on it was all Walsall and they duly took the lead on 10 minutes.

Alex Nicholls found Zaaboub – who had a decent shout for a penalty rejected minutes before – in space and his cross was expertly turned in by Deeney.

It was a simple goal but the finish was precise and epitomised the rich vein of form Deeney is in.

He and Zaaboub have profited the most from Chris Hutchings’ philosophy, with the duo demonstrating a near telepathic understanding.

His four goals in five games have all come from the Frenchman and their form shows no signs of stopping.

The Saddlers held the lead until the 36th minute but seldom will they be as comfortable as they were for the majority of the first half. They hardly had to work to hold their lead as Pools made is ridiculously easy to maintain the advantage.

Zaaboub began to frustrate the hosts and fired a free-kick over but it was the lack of pressure by Pools which would have caught the Saddlers by surprise.

The game slowed to a pedestrian pace and Walsall can be criticised for not increasing the tempo and going for the jugular when they had the chance.

Maybe they were lulled into a false sense of security by Hartlepool’s inability to string three passes together but they failed to take their opportunity and paid for it.

Robson slipped past Palmer on the right and Ince palmed his shot across goal. Luckily for him it fell to Gerrard, or so he thought, and Pools were level.

Not a moment the 22-year-old will remember with fondness and it was a major mistake but his overall performance was impressive.

Keeping Gerrard, until the end of the season at least, represents a huge coup for the Saddlers and he will win them more points than he will lose.

Suitors will be more willing to part with cash in the summer. The defender sees his long term future away from the Banks’s but he is a valuable asset to call upon.

Still, the equaliser gave Hartlepool renewed impetus and the hosts began to push forward, a trend which continued after the break.

They emerged with more purpose as Rune Lange and Porter threatened but they never seriously looked like scoring until disaster struck in the 64th minute.

The Saddlers continued to be the architects of their own downfall and the hosts were only too happy to profit from their generosity.

Ince scuffed a routine goal-kick straight to Porter who advanced, rounded the stricken keeper as he slipped, and rolled the ball into an empty net.

The hosts had barely looked like scoring all afternoon but had capitalised on two monumental errors.

Ince’s mistakes are few and far between, heck, he’s been their player of the season and all will be swiftly forgiven.

He gets the chance to forget his woes playing for Trinidad in their World Cup Qualifier with El Salvador on Wednesday – meaning he will miss Tuesday’s trip to Carlisle.

It meant Hartlepool took a fortuitous lead but there is a bit of fight about this Walsall side. It would be a fair bet they would have been dead and buried little more than two months ago.

But while there was little goalmouth action, apart from Ince claiming Palmer’s miscued header, the Saddlers forced themselves back into the game.

With eight minutes remaining, Mark Bradley sent Nicholls scampering away and the winger picked out on loan Villa youngster Williams to power a header into the bottom corner for his first Walsall goal.

Even then, the substitute could have won it when he headed over from Zaaboub’s centre. But the importance of his goal cannot be underestimated. Walking away from Victoria Park with nothing would have been soul destroying.

Hartlepool did little to suggest they had the required quality to win and now there is a degree of momentum heading to Carlisle.

By Nick Mashiter.