Walsall 2 Bournemouth 2 - analysis

Walsall gave the Cherries a second bite – but if they're not careful they won't get one themselves.

Another lead lost and more precious points squandered in the fight for League One survival – the same, sorry story.

Saturday's 2-2 draw with Bournemouth means 17 points from winning positions have been blown to leave the Saddlers more charitable than Scope.

They may have only lost once after taking the lead – at Sheffield United – but their continued sacrifice of the advantage provides a constant concern.

This time Steve Fletcher – in the 93rd minute – was the beneficiary.

You can't keep dropping points and getting away with it. Add on the points squandered and the Saddlers would be challenging for the play-offs.

Yet they find themselves a place above the drop zone having played a game more than many of their rivals.

There are four worse teams in this division but Walsall must now start to prove they are better.

Saturday's display was arguably one of their best of the season – certainly during an astonishingly slick first half – but Walsall still failed to collect.

Yes, there were positives – Richard Taundry's performance, Jamie Paterson and some of the football – but when you cling to them your fingers will ultimately slip off the big prize.

Walsall now face an away-day triple-header with trips to Brentford, Carlisle and Scunthorpe after Notts County's visit on the 28th was postponed following the Magpies' FA Cup progress.

And the games start a season-defining run during which the Saddlers will either fly or fall. They simply cannot afford to blow their chance over the next six weeks with clashes against Oldham, Wycombe and Colchester also on the horizon.

Every game is winnable and Walsall must now cash in on the also-rans if they are going to survive.

It has been their Achilles heel this term but it's something they must shake to win the mini-league forming between the bottom seven clubs.

Tranmere, in 17th, are seven points ahead of the Saddlers who, along with several others, are in danger of being cut adrift by the mid-table plodders.

Similar collapses to Saturday will leave Walsall stranded with only Jimmy Walker's record-breaking marker as solace in a sorry season.

Saturday was supposed to be about the evergreen Walker equalling Colin Harrison's appearance record of 529.

But, at the final whistle, it was another leveller which concerned Walsall.

Fletcher's equaliser ended Walsall's stubborn resistance just as it looked like they would hold on.

The fact they didn't was their own fault. They had lost possession cheaply before but when Claude Gnakpa ran into a cul-de-sac it had devastating consequences.

Prior to that the Saddlers had dominated Bournemouth for an hour. Slick and cohesive they belied recent woes to string a complete first-half performance together.

But once Lee Beevers rashly dived in on Marc Pugh to concede a penalty – from which Michael Symes scored – there was an eerie sense of inevitability about the result.

Had Alex Nicholls' late volley gone in, rather than be saved by Darryl Flahavan, it would have been different.

At 3-1 Bournemouth had no chance but, in the end Jon Macken and Andy Butler's first-half goals weren't enough.

Taundry, the most accomplished player on the pitch, provided Macken for an early opener before Mat Sadler hit the bar.

The Saddlers' control was enforced when Butler's close range header made it 2-0.

But, despite a comfortable opening after the break, they handed the Cherries a lifeline through Symes' penalty.

Walsall survived the immediate storm and Flahavan's save from Nicholls kept Bournemouth alive before Fletcher's towering header three minutes into injury time squared things up.

Two points dropped, again, but the worse thing was that it was entirely predictable.

By Nick Mashiter