Walsall Under-18s returned to action on Saturday afternoon as they played host to Lincoln City Under-18s in their latest EFL Youth Alliance Cup outing of the season.
It's fair to say the young Saddlers have had a disappointing 2022/23 campaign so far, with the prospects winning just a handful of games across various competitions, though, it should be noted that teams have been made up of a mixture of scholars and underage players throughout the season, with varied results.
After a winter break, which gave the group a welcome opportunity to overcome injuries and just generally regroup, they welcomed the young Imps to Ray Hall Lane, with Walsall looking to get the New Year off to the best possible start.
WALSALL TEAM
Kilroy; Cox, Angafor, Beckford, Owen, Shaw, Sawyers, Thomas, Juliff, Toor, Onabirekhanlen
Substitutes: Francis, Cristofaro, Chakki, Mukuna
After winning just one of their previous three outings in Group 3, the young Saddlers enjoying a convincing 5-0 victory over Huddersfield Town, Walsall were looking to end their Alliance Cup campaign with a lashing of Lincoln.
However, in what has become all-too-familiar this season, the Reds were unable to taste victory as goals in either half saw the Imps home to victory, a victory which saw them finish the group in second place, with only goal difference keeping leaders Scunthorpe United on top.
Though far from a thrashing, the youngsters will no doubt be disappointed not to have opened the year with a win and will be looking to get back to winning ways when they return to Alliance action next weekend.
FULL-TIME
| WALSALL | 0-2 | LINCOLN CITY |