Last Updated: Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:09
Carlisle's play-off hopes took a knock when Alex Nicholls fired home a late penalty to earn draw specialists Walsall a share of the spoils in a 1-1 stalemate.
The Cumbrians paid the price for failing to put the game to bed after Lee Miller had been gifted an early goal.
The Saddlers' defence was caught napping in the seventh minute when Jon-Paul McGovern won possession before feeding Miller with a pass, which left the striker with a simple tap in for his 10th goal of the season.
McGovern was proving a livewire on the right flank for Carlisle and twice in the first half saw excellent efforts denied by the woodwork.
There was a wake up call for the Cumbrians in the 63rd minute when they failed to clear in a penalty area scramble and Saddlers' skipper Andy Butler was unlucky to see his low effort bounce back off the post with Collin beaten.
Walsall were rewarded for their persistence in the 81st minute when Carlisle defender Frank Simek sent Butler tumbling right on the edge of the box and although Collin guessed correctly, Nicholls drove the spot kick low and hard into the corner of the net.
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