BURY hauled themselves off the canvas to rescue a battling point at Walsall after some fighting talk by manager David Flitcroft at half time.

Seemingly floored by three first-half goals, the Shakers scored a flurry of their own to draw level after the break.

Flitcroft revealed after the match he asked his players to replicate the same kind of commitment and spirit shown by UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor.

And he was delighted with their response.

“I talked to them at half time and just afterwards about Conor McGregor and why he's so good at what he does,” Flitcroft said.

“He's got so much belief. The only reason he has got the belief is because he has worked harder than any other UFC fighter. He's worked harder than anyone.

“When we showed that (same kind of) commitment to each other we completely dominated and out-powered them second half.

“It was an outstanding performance second half, full of the character that you want to see from the start of the game.”

Kieron Morris, Erhun Oztumer and Simeon Jackson all scored in the first half for the home side.

And it could have been worse for the Shakers, but for a couple of fine saves from keeper Ben Williams saves to deny Jackson when through one-on-one.

Substitutes Tom Pope and Jacob Mellis, along with a switch to a 4-4-2 formation, helped swing the match back in Bury's favour and they had the hosts pinned back in their own penalty area for the majority of the second half.

Summer signings Leon Barnett and debutant James Vaughan scored their first goals for the club within two minutes of each other to pull Bury back to within one goal after 49 minutes before Danny Mayor blasted in the equaliser 23 minutes from time.

The Shakers came the closest to a winner through Vaughan, who thoroughly impressed just three days after signing on a free transfer from Birmingham City.

But despite seeing the fight he demanded at half time, Flitcroft has warned his players there must be no repeat of the woeful first-half display that brought them to their knees.

“Hopefully it will be a landmark day for us,” the manager said. “The players put the pride back into the Bury badge in the second half and I'm disappointed not to go on and win it.

“It was a brave performance second half but it's not the second half that the coaching staff have got to look at, it's the first half that we have to undo and cover.

“The first half didn't represent what we are trying to build at the club. It didn't represent the supporters who came down.

“They attacked us five times and scored three, they could have had two more but Ben Williams kept us in the game with two one-on-one saves.

“Second half I'm disappointed we didn't go on to win it. It was a game of two halves.”

Match ratings

Bury (4-2-3-1): Williams 7; Jones 6, Barnett 6, Kay 5, Leigh 6; Soares 8, Maher 5 (Pope 27, 8); Mayor 8, Hope 5 (Mellis 45, 8), Ismail 8 (Dudley 90, 6); Vaughan 8. Not used: Rachubka, Clark, Burgess.

Walsall (4-2-3-1): Etheridge; Kinsella, McCarthy, Toner, Edwards; Chambers, Osbourne (Dobson 43); Morris, Oztumer (Kouhyar 73), Makris (Bakayoko 58); Jackson. Not used: MacGilivray, Preston, Ginnelly, Sangha.

Referee: Sebastian Stockbridge (Tyne).

Attendance: 4,393 (310 visiting).