Swindon Town fell to late disappointment following a late winner for Walsall in a 2-1 away defeat to the Saddlers on Tuesday evening.
Walsall took an early lead through Mo Faal's header in the 11th minute before Paul Glatzel brought Town back on level terms with a fine strike midway through the second half.
Second-half substitute Danny Johnson frustratingly found himself on the scoresheet late on despite an improved second 45 from Swindon and left Town with points to learn going forward.
Going into Tuesday's fixture, Town made three changes to the side which defeated AFC Wimbledon last time out, with Tom Brewitt, Dawson Devoy and youngster Joel McGregor all coming into the team, with McGregor making his first start in a league fixture.
Rushian Hepburn-Murphy was also a welcome return to Town's matchday squad, with the speedy forward taking his place on the bench in his first matchday involvement since returning from injury.
It was a tricky start for Swindon which fell a goal behind after a bright start from the hosts, with on-loan forward Mo Faal scoring with his head from a corner, leaving Town looking to respond similarly to AFC Wimbledon last time out.
There was an opportunity for Town two minutes after Walsall's opener after Jake Cain picked out Paul Glatzel but the in-form forward was called back for offside as his low drive was also unfortunately saved by Walsall keeper Owen Evans.
A similar move almost paid off for Swindon two minutes after this Glatzel chance, with Dawson Devoy picking out Aaron Drinan this time around, but the Irishman couldn't quite get the ball under his control as Evans again was fortunate to gather with Town looking to kick on.
Drinan tried his luck from a distance in Swindon's next opportunity, but sadly the forward's effort went over the home side's crossbar.
Williams Kokolo tried to bring Town back on level terms in the 26th minute, but again, saw the low strike gathered by Evans.
Town thought they may have had the chance to equalise from the spot a minute later, but Dawson Devoy's claims after being brought down in the Walsall penalty area, were waved away by referee Matt Corlett.
The best chance for Swindon to level came in the 38th minute when a corner was headed back across by Frazer Blake-Tracy looking for Paul Glatzel, but his poked effort was again stopped by Evans, with Walsall unfortunately able to eventually clear the danger away.
One final opportunity fell Swindon's way when Dawson Devoy struck a powerful effort in the 40th minute, but Walsall captain Donvervon Daniels was, unfortunately, able to block the strike and left Swindon looking to the second half to bring themselves back into the game.
Half-time: Walsall 1 Swindon 0
There was a special moment for youngster Harley Hunt who came on to replace Tom Brewitt shortly after the second half began, making his both league and professional debut as a result.
Walsall created a good opportunity to double their lead with a low cross finding Josh Gordon in the 52nd minute, but thankfully for Town, his effort went over the bar and left them looking to bring themselves back on level terms in the remaining 40 minutes.
Town made a triple change just before the hour mark as they looked for fresh legs to get back into the game, with Charlie Austin, Rushian Hepburn-Murphy and George McEachran all making their way onto the pitch replacing Jake Cain, Aaron Drinan and Nnamdi Ofoborh.
These changes proved their worth as Town found themselves back on level terms with a stunning finish from in-form Paul Glatzel in the 68th minute.
Patient build-up saw the ball worked nicely from Town, as Williams Kokolo set through Glatzel down the left-hand side of the Walsall penalty area before the 23-year-old unleashed a spectacular effort into the far right corner and scored his fifth goal in his last six games.
Kokolo then nearly put Swindon in front with a well-struck effort that had to be blocked by the Walsall defence once again in the 71st minute.
Late opportunities fell Town's way with the likes of Zach Elbouzedi, Rushian Hepburn-Murphy and Conor McCarthy all coming close to finding a Swindon second, but unfortunately, none of the chances found the back of the Walsall net.
Things turned even more frustrating for Town as Danny Johnson came off the bench late on for Walsall to stab a close-range effort home and see the Saddlers come away with all three points in a well-contested Tuesday night fixture.
Swindon now looks to dust themselves down and reflect on where they can improve as they look to their final away game of the 23/24 season, with a trip to Grimsby up next on Saturday afternoon.
Walsall: Evans, Okagbue, Gordon, Daniels (C), Hutchinson, Foulkes (Knowles 77), Gordon (James-Taylor 68), Allen, Faal (Matt 77), Stirk, Tierney (Johnson 77)
Goals: Faal 11, Johnson 89
Subs not used: Barrett, Farquharson, Jellis
Swindon Town: Bycroft (C), Blake-Tracy, Glatzel, Brewitt (Hunt 48), Cain (Hepburn-Murphy 59), Kokolo, Devoy, Drinan (Austin 59), McCarthy, McGregor (Elbouzedi 74), Ofoborh (McEachran 59)
Goal: Glatzel 68
Subs not used: Brann, Aguiar
Attendance: 4,709 (309 away fans)
