Just as the chequered flag was about to drop, Walsall were caught in the slow lane as Steven Schumacher hit the accelerator to put the skids on the Saddlers.

The midfielder’s 93rd minute header claimed a deserved point for battling Crewe after the hosts’ engine exploded yards from the finish last night.

Walsall stalled as they inexplicably let the ball bounce in the area for the midfielder to loop in a header from six yards.

Troy Deeney’s 10th goal of the season put them in pole position in the 57th minute, but if it hadn’t been for Clayton Ince there would have been no point at all.

The stopper, against his former club, displayed his full repertoire to form a one-man barrier as the visitors searched for parity.

One magnificent save from Clayton Donaldson in the second half was simply breathtaking and earned a standing ovation from all corners.

Another fine block to deny Donaldson looked to have claimed the points before the late drama.

What will rankle with fans and management most was the questionable amount of injury time added by Staffordshire official Anthony Bates.

Stuttered

With two minutes signalled, the referee extended it to three without reasonable explanation or justification and, in the extra minute, Schumacher pounced.

The Saddlers’ hopes of riding in the slipstream of the pacesetters to launch their late play-off bid have stuttered but there won’t be any concessions yet.

The words ‘until it’s mathematically impossible’ have been uttered more than once in the corridors of power but this result complicates things.

With the hosts looking to hit back following their 2-0 defeat at Southend three days previously, a home clash against a team who were still battling against relegation was ideal.

But Crewe boss Gudjon Thordarson had, of course, beaten Chris Hutchings to February’s League One Manager of the Month award and Alex arrived boasting five wins from their last seven games.

Promotion form, but the Saddlers’ haven’t been too shabby of late either with just one defeat in their corresponding seven fixtures.

Dwayne Mattis had piled on the pressure by talking up the successive home games against Crewe, Bristol Rovers and Brighton as must-win clashes and the Saddlers were seconds away from completing a third of their task.

Jabo Ibehre, recalled after the suspended Michael Ricketts’ latest bout of petulance, joined Deeney up top in the only change, with defensive duo Anthony Gerrard and Stephen Roberts still injured.

The opening exchanges saw Sofiene Zaaboub whistle a deflected third-minute effort over while Calvin Zola was blocked off by Paul Boertien.

Both sides were neck and neck early on, unsurprising considering their recent records, and while the football was nothing remarkable the differing dynamics of the respective benches was more interesting.

Hutchings barked orders at Ibehre with Thordarson stoically leaning against the dugout, nonchalantly voicing instructions.

Billy Jones’ ball skidded through to Byron Moore who sliced wide and Jones blazed one over with 15 minutes gone. It was all fairly standard stuff.

Five minutes later, Deeney forced John Ruddy into a smart save after Mattis bulldozed his way though as the game swung into the realms of the ordinary.

Zola tried to liven proceedings with an ambitious overhead kick which was never going to trouble Ince before Schumacher failed with a chip.

Eight minutes before the break, substitute Schumacher drove straight at Ince as the visitors just began to edge proceedings.

But Mr Bates then became centre of attention. Ibehre tumbled in the area under Danny Woodards’ 38th-minute challenge with Walsall’s spot-kick appeals dismissed and 60 seconds later the referee again waved away penalty protests after Crewe’s Moore was pole-axed by goalkeeper Ince.

Some you get. Some you don’t. And at first glance both sides had right to feel aggrieved.

But the official hadn’t finished there as, two minutes before the break, Manny Smith hauled Donaldson over and appeals were met with the same apathetic response.

Two minutes after the interval, Ibehre directed a header wide before Donaldson teased Chris Palmer but only succeeded in striking the top of the stand.

Strike partner Zola thought he’d better get in on the act, curling an 18-yard effort wide and while the duo had done well to fashion the chances, they were soon giving a finishing lesson by Deeney.

Twelve minutes into the second half, the hitman, who had been relatively quiet, plundered his eighth goal in 12 games.

Ibehre knocked the ball wide to Alex Nicholls and the winger swung in a delicious cross for the 20-year-old to get across his marker and bury a six-yard header.

It was the first clear-cut chance of the game and, on current form, the Saddlers wouldn’t have wanted it falling to anyone else.

It came at an important time as Crewe had begun to make the running and five minutes after Deeney’s opener Jones had Ince scrambling to save his 20-yard freekick.

Schumacher lobbed one over the top before Ince earned his man-of-the-match award on 66 minutes.

Julien Baudet hooked a hopeful ball downfield to send Donaldson clear of Palmer. The striker was held up by the right-back before he checked inside and curled the ball goalwards with his outside of his right boot.

The Banks’s waited for the inevitable equaliser but Ince had other ideas. He somehow, from somewhere, stuck out a right arm to tip the ball behind.

A save which would have graced any arena had to contend with a sparsely populated Banks’s but that should not lessen the achievement. It was world class.

As if that wasn’t enough, with 10 minutes remaining, Joel Grant played in Donaldson who was met by the now immovable Ince.

Ruddy, feeling left out, denied Ibehre with a fabulous save after he turned on Weston’s free-kick and fired at goal.

Excellent juggling skills from Ibehre then set up substitute Robin Shroot for a late chance as the sides entered the final straight.

And Walsall looked to have secured the win before Schumacher’s late intervention.

By Nick Mashiter.