FOR the second Saturday in a row, Hartlepool United missed from the spot as they lost their second game of the season.
After Joel Porter and Ritchie Humphreys saw their spot kicks saved against Swindon seven days earlier, it was the turn of Gavin Strachan to do so on this occasion.
His effort, after Eifion Williams was tripped in the area, was saved by Walsall keeper Clayton Ince.
The chance came minutes after Walsall took the lead through Dean Keates, whose shot from 20 yards beat Dimi Konstantopoulos.
Confidence dented by the miss, Pools conceded a second - again Keates firing in from the edge of the area.
Pools created plenty of second half chances, but failed to take any of them.
Boss Danny Wilson has vowed to do all he can to get some new faces in after a disappointing start to the new campaign.
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