Walsall 2-2 Salford analysis: Saddlers stop the rot in a potentially season-defining comeback

It's not always the free-flowing, handsome victories which form the foundations of a promotion-winning team. Sometimes it's the gritty, determined displays which change the course of a campaign. 

This team hasn't faced many setbacks. There were the pair of 1-0 defeats earlier in the campaign at Tranmere Rovers and MK Dons, and of course, the 6-2 drubbing at the hands of Fleetwood Town in October. 

Then followed a 16-match unbeaten run which included a club record nine-match winning streak. Some were calling it a foregone conclusion but every team faces bumps in the road, and the past week has seen Walsall experience theirs. 

Back-to-back defeats at Bradford City and Fleetwood have invited the chasing pack to close the gap. Walsall's 12-point lead has been cut to seven but the draw against Salford has at least stopped the rot. 

Not only that, but it was the manner in which they earned the point that demonstrated the character still seeping from this squad. 

Mat Sadler constantly preaches the importance of his squad and even the fringe players have installed key chapters along the way this campaign.