Dean Smith shocked by late, late strike

Boss Dean Smith today questioned referee Andy Haines after Walsall's Hillsborough heartbreak.

Gary Madine's 95th-minute leveller denied the Saddlers a priceless win as they drew 2-2 at Sheffield Wednesday last night.

Jamie Paterson's goal looked to have won it before Madine struck and Smith felt Haines got it wrong after the Owls scored when the initial four minutes of injury time had expired.

"Sometimes you don't get decisions when a big crowd can influence officials," he said.

"He put four minutes up and they scored in the fifth, or 56 seconds into it. We made two substitutions – one when the ball was dead so that doesn't count – and another and I was led to believe it's 30 seconds for a substitution.

"We're hard-done-by because they scored in the 95th minute."

Jon Macken and Paterson twice fired the Saddlers ahead in the second half – with Ryan Lowe hitting Wednesday's first leveller – but the point couldn't keep them out of the League One drop zone.

Wycombe's 3-1 win at Exeter pushed Walsall into the bottom four but Smith urged his men to stay positive.

"I've told the lads not to let their heads go down because it was a fantastic performance," he said.

"If Sheffield Wednesday had equalised 10 minutes before the end it would have been a point gained. Because they have scored right at the death it feels like two points lost.

"We've only had one defeat in eight now, our form isn't bad. There's more disappointment because it's the 95th minute but we'll dust ourselves down and we've got two home games we're looking forward to.

"Everyone would have had it down as a home banker so it's a point gained in that respect and the players will take confidence from it. The top teams will be happy with the result – Charlton, Sheffield United and Huddersfield – so it shows what a hard place it is to get a result.

"You know you have to go there and weather a storm and we did that. In the second half once the game got stretched our players got on the ball.

"You can't turn up and think you're going to have slick passing all the time because there are other players trying to stop you."