Walsall boss Darrell Clarke was left disappointed after his side let a three-goal lead slip at Exeter City on Saturday.
An own-goal and further strikes from Caolan Lavery and Josh Gordon saw the Saddlers race into a 3-0 lead after just half an hour.
The Grecians fought back as Ryan Bowman scored a brace in the first half before Lee Martin equalised in the second half.
Clarke felt the hosts deserved credit for the way they battled back but he was frustrated not to come away with three points.
“We’re obviously disappointed,” said Clarke.
“Let’s not kid ourselves, we were 3-0 up.
“We have to give Exeter credit, that’s why they’re in the top seven.
“We get ourselves in a very healthy position and then our defending at the back end of the first half was shocking.
“We re-grouped at half-time.
“I thought the tactical change helped the team in all honesty.
“Their third goal comes from a little bit of fortune and we’re in it all the way with chances at the end of the game.
“We appreciate the fans coming down a long way, great support again today.
“We’re disappointed not to get the three points.
The Saddlers have now lost just one of their last 10 matches in all competitions, and they stretched their unbeaten run in the league to five.
Clarke feels there’s has seen a bit more consistency develop in recent performances and says spirits in the camp are still good.
“They’re working hard, they’re competing hard and the spirit in the camp is really good so we keep chipping away,” he commented.
“We’re disappointed not to hold on to the win and you could say we could have come back with four more points from the last two performances. Performances have been pretty consistent over a period of time; we’ve got to keep all areas of the pitch improving along the way.”
Walsall now turn their attention to their Boxing Day trip to Scunthorpe United.
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