Walsall 2 Sheffield Wednesday 1: Wednesday toss away points in late collapse

Ryan Lowe’s classy 60th-minute strike looked set to close the gap on leaders Charlton.

But stoppage-time goals from Claude Gnakpa and Manny Smith stunned Wednesday who had also squandered the chance of victory in injury time in their previous game against Huddersfield.

Megson fumed: “That is five points we have dropped in the last two games going into injury time.

“We need to show more quality by keeping the ball better.

“We had got the game won going into stoppage time. The first goal was a fluke but after that you have to make sure that you get something. There are a lot of individual issues that need sorting in the team framework and that has to be done quickly.”

It had all looked so good for Wednesday when Lowe converted a cross from Chris Lines, only seconds after Walsall winger Jamie Paterson had rattled the bar.

The Owls were in command at this stage but they had no answer to a late Walsall bombardment that turned the game on its head.

Gnakpa’s long-range drive was deflected past stranded goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell before Smith then pounced from close range in a crowded goalmouth to stab home Sadler’s free-kick.

Walsall: Walker, Beevers, Smith, Butler, Sadler, Taundry (Gnakpa 78), Peterlin, Chambers, Paterson (Bowerman 78), Macken (Halliday 90), Nicholls. Unused substitutes: Westlake, Grof.

Sheffield Wednesday: O’Donnell, Tavernier, Batth, Jones (Llera 56), Johnson, Prutton, Semedo, Lines, Marshall, O’Grady, Lowe (sub 86 Morrison). Unused substitutes: Jameson, Watt, Johnson.

Referee: D Coote (Nottinghamshire).