Walsall 0 Tranmere 1

Walsall's League One future still hangs in the balance after a 1-0 defeat to Tranmere blew the survival race wide open.

Andy Robinson's winner left the 10-man Saddlers three points above the bottom four after Wycombe drew 2-2 with Oldham.

Lee Beevers was sent off for a second booking in injury time as the hosts were left to rue Kevan Hurst's first-half miss when the winger fired wide when clean through.

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But they didn't do enough to break down a stubborn, if ordinary, Rovers side and face a nail-biting trip to relegation rivals Exeter next week.

The Saddlers were unchanged from the 1-0 defeat at Charlton knowing a win would virtually guarantee safety.

And Emmanuel Ledesma twice fired over before Hurst missed a glorious chance to open the scoring after 13 minutes.

The winger seized on David Buchanan's poor back pass 15-yards out and he took a touch before rolling wide with just Owain fon Williams to beat.

It was an awful miss from the ex-Carlisle man and he followed it up by blazing from the edge of the area eight minutes later.

Hurst's miss aside it was an unremarkable start from both sides with Rovers well drilled but lacking any real quality.

But the visitors almost took the lead on the half hour through dangerman Robinson.

Beevers was booked for handball after cutting out the midfielder's pass and when the former Leeds man swung in his free kick from the left it bounced across goal and off the inside of the far post.

It was a massive let-off for the Saddlers as the teams began to cancel each other out as the game meandered until half time.

The points were there for the taking and the hosts stepped up a gear after the break and Ledesma fired over from distance.

Andy Butler saw a near-post header blocked before fon Williams tipped Sam Mantom's drive over after 55 minutes.

But six minutes later Rovers grabbed the winner when Robinson curled in a free kick after Butler had felled him just outside the box.

The Saddlers instantly rallied and Ash Taylor's block denied Jon Macken an instant leveller and Mantom shot a yard over from distance.

It wasn't enough though with Walsall failing to trouble Rovers and Macken lobbed over after Ryan Brunt had curled wide for the visitors.

Beevers was then dismissed in stoppage time after a second yellow as the Saddlers ended with a whimper.