Chesterfield assistant manager Danny Webb was pleased to secure a 2-2 draw against a tough Walsall side, to continue their impressive undefeated home streak.
Nathan Lowe twice gave Walsall the lead but first Darren Oldaker and then Dilan Markanday equalised for the hosts.
Webb said: “We’re pleased with the overall outcome; we could have done things differently as a team but to get that late lifeline goal in the first half saved us.
“We are much different to the team we were last year. We can’t always have things our own way. The boys battled hard but conceded two poor goals.
“We knew it was going to be difficult, the scores don’t lie. They are a very good team, top of the league for a reason.
“They had a good game plan. We had a good game plan and good players, but we didn’t really showcase that. Hopefully the supporters appreciated the effort from the players and clapped the lads off.
“During some periods, they (the fans) saw sweat on the players’ shirts from them grafting and tackling. There were some mistakes, sloppy play and poor goals, but we are still new to this league.”
Commenting on Chesterfield’s record of just one home defeat in 37 games, Webb said: “it’s a great record. Against Cheltenham we took the lead and dominated. We didn’t do that today but sometimes we need to think about the positives.
“We got a point today and the biggest positive is that we didn’t get zero points.”
Walsall manager Mat Sadler was also content with a point.
Sadler said: “We had loads of opportunities to get loads of extra goals, but I think we played very well against a very good team.
“We were against a really big crowd and putting on the performance that we did, I’m very pleased.
“Lowe works so hard. He and Jamille (Matt) really created problems for the defence. They were really effective for us today.
“Jack (Earing) was important in that eight role. This shows we had brilliant options in the number eight role.
“Our defence was very good against a strong attacking team. We were against players who were experienced and well rounded, but we still came away with a point.”
Sadler took responsibility for the second-half comeback from the hosts, saying: “It was a bonkers second half.
“I take some ownership for that, because I made some changes on Tuesday ahead of this game.”
