Albion boss Steve Coppell thought it the best performance of his reign while a long-serving local hack described it as the luckiest win he has seen in 40 years of covering Walsall.

As for the watching Pete Waterman, a lifelong Saddlers supporter, it was even more cruel than the way he and his fellow Pop Idol panelists dashed the aspirations of countless contestants.

Coppell must still be wondering today how on earth his side failed to come away from the West Midlands with all three points, yet alone not even one.

"Since I took over that's probably the best 90 minutes we have played," he remarked.

"And that's saying something, because we played Coventry off the park three weeks ago. We sustained our attacks, which is something we have not been very good at.

"They wanted to play with a back three but ended up with five or six back in their box.

"One of their players came in and said we were great, we deserved to win, which in a way is hollow praise.

"I don't want us to be admirable failures, but there was no more we could have done."

No more except convert at least one of a hatful of chances they created in a second half in which they overwhelmed Walsall, only to be confounded by a combination of the frame of the home goal and its agile custodian James Walker.

Coppell said: "We need a hired assassin up front," but somewhat disturbingly stated "we don't have the finances" when referring earlier to the need for more goals.

Some money should be slushing around for him to sign a front man and a midfield replacement for Steve Sidwell who, sod's law, scored twice on his away debut for Reading at Burnley on Saturday.

After all, chairman Dick Knight said Albion matched Reading's bid for Sidwell, a £75,000 downpayment rising to a potential £300,000.

He is now off the wage bill, while Ben Roberts and Dave Beasant have been added to it.

The Forty Note Fund has contributed £15,000 towards the wages of Roberts and, according to the flu-hit keeper, "quite a bit" is being paid by his parent club Charlton.

Beasant did not have a lot to do on his debut. As Coppell pointed out: "He made a couple of key saves, but he certainly won't get worn out playing in games like that."

He had no chance with Walsall's winner, caused, Coppell complained, by "a moment of sleepiness" and nodded in by Jorge Leitao after only seven minutes.

The Portugese front man rose above Robbie Pethick to head his tenth of the season at the far post from Darren Bazeley's cross.

Leitao was in seventh heaven. By strange coincidence he scored at exactly the same time to clinch Walsall's 2-0 win at Withdean in August.

Beasant made amends for failing to hold Steve Corica's first half shot on the run by bravely denying both Leitao and David Zdrilic as they tried to force in the rebound.

The veteran's other save of note was an even better one, an outstretched right hand diverting Zdrilic's goalbound low drive for a corner midway through the second period.

Albion must have already been sensing their luck was well and truly out by that stage.

Bobby Zamora (twice) and Simon Rodger were thwarted by the woodwork in the space of 14 minutes after half-time.

Zamora lobbed against the bar after exchanging passes with Paul Brooker, then hit it again with a header when Walker clawed away Brooker's cross. Rodger, making his first appearance since Boxing Day as an interval replacement for the injured Richard Carpenter, shuddered the upright with a shot from Paul Watson's low cross.

There was more, much more. Ian Roper cleared Brooker's toe-poke from close range off the line and Walker tipped over Watson's backpedalling header from a Nathan Jones centre before saving his best to last.

Ninety minutes were on the clock when Gary Hart, on in the closing stages for Graham Barrett, met Danny Cullip's cross with a bullet header which the twisting Walker somehow helped over.

Coppell said: "I thought we played terrific football. We dominated for spells, hit the woodwork three times and the goalkeeper made a terrific save at the end.

"I've been saying to my players for a couple of weeks they can't do any more. They have to have faith and belief that if they continue to play in that way they will have a run of successful games."

Zamora on another day could have helped himself to a hat-trick but needs more help. Graham Barrett, who kicked the turf on Walsall's newly laid pitch when substituted, continues to disappoint in the scoring stakes.

Coppell probably did not know whether to laugh or cry when Paul Kitson pulled out injured during the warm-up.

Results elsewhere mean that, after a few weeks of those at the bottom playing catch-up, it once again looks very much like three from four for the drop with Walsall eight points clear of the quartet.

It's about time Albion fluked a desperately needed victory after being pulverised. Tomorrow's crucial match in hand at home to Wimbledon would be an ideal time for the tide of misfortune to turn.

  • Albion (5-2-1-2): Beasant (gk) 7; Watson (rwb) 8, Mayo (cd) 7, Cullip (cd) 7, Oatway (m) 7, Brooker (m) 7, Carpenter (m) 6, Pethick (cd) 7, Jones (lwb) 7, Zamora (f) 7, Barrett (f) 7. Subs: Rodger 7 for Carpenter (injured 46), Hart for Barrett (withdrawn 78), Blackwell for Oatway (withdrawn 83), Packham, Rogers.
  • Bookings: Pethick (87) foul.
  • Walsall (5-2-1-2): Walker; Bazeley, Aranalde, Hay, Roper, O'Connor, Leitao, Corica, Zdrilic, Barras, Sonner. Subs: Ward, Carbon for Corica (withdrawn 60), Emblen for Roper (injured 60), Simpson for O'Connor (withdrawn 85), Javary.
  • Bookings: Carbon (68) foul.
  • Half-Time: Walsall 1 Albion 0.
  • Attendance: 8,413.
  • Fan's View: Mike 'Gullhanger' Ward (Brighton).

It was a match which summed up our season with the first half demonstrating just how poor we can be (one of those displays where you'd almost imagine the 11 blokes in Albion shirts had only met about ten minutes before kick-off), the second half reminding us that even when we have been getting our act together, the Gods simply have not been on our side.

Chance after chance rained in, but, frustratingly, Walsall's burly defence stood firm.

To add insult to injury at full time, Walsall's PA system played us out of the ground to the sound of Ken Dodd's song Happiness.

But then maybe they'd mislaid their copy of Kylie's I Should Be So Lucky.