Jimmy Walker today warned Walsall to forget survival talk until they have saved their season.

The stopper still fears the drop despite a stunning sequence of events which have pushed the Saddlers to the brink of the League One safety line.

Plymouth’s 10-point deduction on Monday moved Walsall up to fourth bottom, where they stayed after Dagenham’s 1-1 draw with Huddersfield last night.

When boss Dean Smith took over seven weeks ago the Saddlers were no-hopers and eight points adrift.

They could escape the drop zone for the first time in four months with a win at home to Rochdale on Saturday but keeper Walker insisted they are still in deep trouble.

He said: “We’ve achieved nothing – we’ve put ourselves in to a decent position but we’ve got to work even harder to carry it on and come the end of the season make sure we’ve got enough.

“We’ve got the momentum and it’s a better way to be. I’ve been in situations before when you’ve been dragged down and it’s a horrible feeling because you don’t know where the next win is going to come from.

“The work has been great and it has put us in the position where we have got a chance but the hard work starts now.”

The Saddlers are a point behind fifth bottom Swindon – who they go to next weekend – and have yet to play Yeovil who are two points ahead of the Robins.

They have 14 games left to save their skin and Walker knows there can be no let-up.

“They are massive games, we haven’t got enough points to rest on any laurels,” said the 37-year-old.

“Every game is going to be massive and we’ve got to prepare right and prepare for a battle. We’ve got to be at 100 per every game. If we want to get out of it that’s what we have to do.”

But the stopper insisted the club’s desperate plight has galvanised the players.

“A few people wrote us off a few weeks ago which did us a favour because it brought us together,” he said. “Dean and Jon (Whitney) have been brilliant because they have rubbed off on us as they are positive people. The lads have responded, worked so hard and taken it into the games.”