Analysis of Walsall 0 Bristol Rovers 0

It's time to call the calvary and at 9am tomorrow the charge will sound.

The loan window swings open on Tuesday morning and represents the best chance for Walsall to save a slowly dying campaign.

They need help otherwise the season will end long before time. Already the Saddlers are in danger of seeing six months of graft disappear.

Boss Chris Hutchings knows this and while there are plenty of positives – the increasing defensive solidity for one – there are an equal number of concerns. A midfielder remains a top priority but a winger must be on the hit list after another fruitless day on the flanks.

The lack of penetration from the middle is a problem but, with Hutchings an advocate of using his wide men, the manager will recognise for all their efforts that Peter Till and Matt Richards are struggling.

The absence of the talismanic Steve Jones hasn't helped, as the forward is the driving creative force, and the Saddlers are simply not doing enough in his stead. They'll fight but haven't got the quality needed to really make a difference.

Additions will give the beleaguered squad a lift. Hutchings admitted they are becoming leg weary and new bodies will be both a mental and physical boost.

They will provide the spark which can inspire a turnaround in fortunes, after a winless streak of eight games derailed any promotion hopes. Without them the Saddlers will trudge on, riding the wave of inconsistency which has shaped their season to date.

Money is being made available, not before time, but at least there is the realisation Hutchings needs extra support.

Walsall are second bottom in the form table – with only already doomed Stockport below them – and must arrest their slide. But, while fans are becoming restless, they must recognise Hutchings is doing what he can. He can only do so much with what he has got and will be given.

Their expectations must be tempered. They must be realistic. If the players he brings in this week are not what they expected they must support them. Haranguing individuals is not the way to go.

But had Clayton McDonald's injury time header found the net instead of bouncing off the crossbar they would be whistling a different tune. It may be eight games without a win but it is three unbeaten and two clean sheets in a week.

A defence with an average age of just under 20, if you exclude 34-year-old Jamie Vincent, has impressed with their composure and attitude.

Darryl Westlake added another professional performance to his growing collection, but expectation must not be placed on his young shoulders. He is coming along nicely. Over hyping the 18-year-old is unnecessary as he will develop in his own time but judging by his debut season, he's got something.

Westlake and his defensive cohorts were at their best as a second consecutive Saturday stalemate ensued. Given Rovers hadn't won on their travels since September and the Saddlers were searching to end a run of seven games without a victory, a goalless draw shouldn't have been a surprise.

This was no grand prelude to tomorrow's rearranged trip to Bristol. Those who were in two minds whether to make the journey down the M5 will now be ensuring they misplace their car keys.

An instantly forgettable first-half was followed by an equally turgid second. Those expecting a calm before the storm were left wanting as a lull enveloped a frustratingly bland opening period. It was uncompromising, it was scrappy, it was tedious.

To their credit, the sides tried to play football on a patchwork surface which will certainly need replacing over the summer. But it was hardly wondrous stuff with possession continually wasted and touch regularly being found.

When chances arrived the door was firmly slammed shut. Westlake's crunching tackle on Wayne Brown set the tone of the afternoon. Richard Taundry had already flashed two wildly over before Stuart Campbell's drive found the crowd in an instantly forgettable first half.

Bryon Anthony caused the only other moment of note heading wide from six yards but there was little to get excited about. The lively Jo Kuffour was a constant threat to the Saddlers' backline, who stood up well in the face of pressure but it was at the other end where they struggled.

Darren Byfield and Sam Parkin, in for the suspended Troy Deeney, were unable to strike up a meaningful partnership – although were starved of decent service.

Parkin did his job, holding the ball up and bringing others into play but the targetman desperately needed more to feed off. Richards tried to end the monotony but found Mikkel Andersen's midriff early in the second-half, before Kuffour danced past two flimsy challenges only to be halted by the diving Ince in the Walsall goal.

Rovers made the running and, although the impasse was yet to be broken, they got close when Campbell threaded Kuffour through but when he chipped over the advancing Ince, the excellent McDonald was alive to cover.

Pirates skipper Campbell then forced Ince into the save of the game, when the veteran stopper pushed the midfielder's 25 yard drive wide. A winner, for either side, would have been unjust but the Saddlers almost snatched the game in injury time.

McDonald rose to meet Taundry's corner and his header smacked off the crossbar leaving Walsall wondering when their time, and the reinforcements, will arrive.

By Nick Mashiter