Walsall dropped out of League Two’s automatic promotion spots for the first time in five months despite Liam Gordon’s 88th-minute equaliser rescuing a 2-2 draw against Harrogate.

The Saddlers slipped to fourth after their winless run stretched to 11 games while the draw inched Harrogate seven points clear of danger with three games left.

Walsall led after 16 minutes as Connor Barrett fired in a low shot that a backpedalling Anthony O’Connor could only bundle into his own net.

But the advantage lasted just six minutes as Harrogate ended a six-game away drought.

James Daly hit the post from 20 yards and although Tommy Simkin foiled Ellis Taylor’s follow-up, Josh March lashed home a glorious volley from a tight angle.

O’Connor struck the upright soon after for Harrogate, who went ahead after 62 minutes as Taylor’s 18-yard strike took a wicked deflection to beat Simkin.

Simkin kept Walsall in it with a superb double save to prevent a Taylor Allen own goal and deny Jack Muldoon’s follow-up before later foiling a Taylor curler.

And Ryan Stirk teed up Gordon to find the bottom corner from 15 yards to salvage a point.