It's been a season of frustration at the Banks's this time around, and this game really did epitomise why we again find ourselves scrapping against the drop as the season draws to a close.
The reality of the situation was (and still is) that one win would keep us up. With that in mind, a full-blooded approach and a fast tempo would have given us the best possible chance of beating a Tranmere side with nothing to play for. Did we see either of those? No.
The first half was an even encounter, with both sides spurning half chances in a bitty game. The best chance for either side however fell to Kevan Hurst, as a lucky rebound put him one on one with the Rovers 'keeper before he somehow managed to miss the target completely. One of the lowest scoring teams in English football can't afford to miss golden chances like that one.
In truth, the game simply lacked quality. Ledesma never found himself with the ball in threatening areas, whilst the game seemed to completely pass Cuvelier by. Our two best performers over recent weeks were stopped by Rovers, who gradually gathered momentum as we struggled to get enough bodies forward to test their back four. To make matters worse, by half time the referee seemed to have concluded that 4000 people had all paid to watch him & the whistle barely left his lips.
As the second half began, it was more of the same, but at a slightly higher tempo, which gave both sides decent chances to score. A whipped Ledesma free kick only needed a flick from a Walsall player to guide it home, but all it got was a scrambled clearance, then Ledesma drilled a 25 yard effort inches over the bar.
A rash moment at the back then gave Tranmere a free kick right on the edge of the box. A predictably portly Andy Robinson stepped up and guided the ball into the back of the net via a massive deflection. At that point, you just knew we weren't going to get the win we so desperately needed.
We did huff and puff going forward, but with no real method. A scramble in the Tranmere area resulted in Macken bringing the ball down in front of an open goal, only to see Tranmere's Ash Taylor somehow clear off the line.
Shortly after bringing Paterson on for Hurst, we resorted to sending Andy Butler forward and looping long, hopeful balls forward a la the Walsall side of late 2011. The approach suited nobody in our side and Dean Smith has to take responsibility for that.
The open nature of the game lent itself to Tranmere looking to counter with pace, and they did threaten once or twice, with Grof's late save denying McGurk. That was before everyone's favourite right back, Lee Beevers, opened his mouth one too many times for the petty referee who showed him a yellow card to go with the one he'd picked up in the first half.
Result: Walsall 0 Tranmere Rovers 1 (Robinson 62')
(Attendance: 3,895)
(Referee: M, Brown)
The grievance this afternoon wasn't that we lost, nor was it that we're still not safe - it was that despite having the opportunity to secure safety, we just didn't turn up. The team selection was no different to the one which had worked so well of late, but the lack of impetus and drive amongst the players was frankly unacceptable.
We might only need one more point to stay up given that Wycombe still have to go to the Valley & Hillsborough, but performances like that won't cut it. Thank God for Robbie Simpson's last minute equaliser against the Chairboys.
By: Rob Jones