Walsall Head Coach Brian Dutton described Saturday’s match at Grimsby Town as a game of two halves.
The Saddlers came from behind to earn their second successive draw as Caolan Lavery’s seventh goal of the campaign cancelled out James Hanson’s opener.
Dutton was keen to see determination and desire from his players on what was a difficult test for both sides given the windy conditions.
“It was a game of two halves,” Dutton said.
"They got the early goal, we reacted well, put the pressure on and got the equaliser.
“The wind was strong so in the first half we were able to pin them in a little bit and get the ball out wide, put crosses in the box and recycle it again.
“In the second half it flipped and they got the advantage of the wind.
“They needed to fight. It was a horrible pitch, horrible conditions and we needed men out there and we got that.
“It wasn’t one for the purists. I want to play this lovely brand of football but you can’t do that unless you meet teams in the middle of the pitch, win your battles and stand up like men and be counted.
“I wasn’t interested in a footballing performance, I was interested in grit, determination and desire to see Walsall Football Club over the line in EFL League Two next season and to do that we needed to come away from Southend with at least a point and we needed to come away from Grimsby with at least a point. We’ve managed to do that and now we focus on Harrogate.”
The Saddlers host Harrogate Town on Friday afternoon at the Banks’s Stadium and you can watch all the action live on iFollow by purchasing a match pass here.