Walsall Under-18s returned to action on Saturday morning as they took on Bolton Wanderers Under-18s in their latest EFL Youth Alliance - North West outing of the season.
After slipping to a three-nil defeat at home to Blackpool last weekend, Walsall were looking to finally make some of their promise show on the scoresheet as they welcomed the young Trotters to the Birmingham County FA's headquarters.
Winning just one of their ten alliance outings of the season so far, the Saddlers were up against also lost their most recent outing as Stockport County secured the local bragging rights with a one-nil win last weekend.
WALSALL TEAM
Hedge; Angafor, Lawal-Olumegbon, Cox, Sawyers, Shaw, Cristofaro, Sarvari, Beckford, Toor, Mukuna
Substitutes: Barrett; Uchenna, Poskitt, Thomas, Timmons
The match was a close-fought affair with both teams working hard in midfield as they sought to gain an advantage over their opponents, and, as a result, goal-scoring opportunities were few and far between with the scores remaining level at the break.
Despite their recent form, the young Saddlers were able to thwart the visitors for the whole of the opening forty-five with the first goal of the game not arriving until the second-half where former Tottenham Hotspur apprentice Khalon Haysman put the ball past Walsall stopper, Zach Hedge to give his side the lead.
As is often the case, the second-half was disrupted by substitutions with Walsall seeing fit to take off Arjun Toor, Antonio Cristofaro, goalkeeper Hedge, Tom Cox, and Rio Sawyers in favour of Will Uchenna, Dylan Thomas, George Barrett, Zak Poskitt, and Sean Timmons as they went in search of a goal of their own.
However, that wasn't to be as the second goal of the game went the way of the visitors as Yestin Shakespear put the ball into the back of the net during the dying stages of second-half stoppage time, frustrating for Walsall who had done well to limit their opponents.
There were no further goals as the young Saddlers suffered their latest defeat of the season, though the result and overall performance will give them plenty of hope to take into their next game, which sees them take on Salford City next weekend.
FULL-TIME
| WALSALL | 0-2 | BOLTON WANDERERS |
| HAYSMAN (47') SHAKESPEAR (90+4') |
|
| AT | RAY HALL LANE |