Walsall Under-18s were back in EFL Youth Alliance — North action on Tuesday afternoon as they welcomed Harrogate Town to the Birmingham County FA's headquarters on Ray Hall Lane.Looking to build upon Saturday's goalless draw with near-rivals Shrewsbury Town, Ryan Simmonds' young Saddlers took on a Sulphurites side that head also drawn at the weekend — two late goals rescuing a point against Hartlepool United.
WALSALL TEAM
Kilroy; Beckford, Owen, Bennett, Pawlawski, Wilkes, Oben, Webb, Wragg, Preece, Leydon
Substitutes: Barber; Harris, Etheridge, Makavore, Eli
HARROGATE TOWN TEAM
Shepherd; Barnes, Pow, Hindle, Etherington, McClarin, Wilson, Obarotimi, Robinson, Lang-Burns, Parker
Substitutes: Mudinhi, Lumsden, Harley, Latter, McCombe
The match was one of few chances until midway through the first-half, when Walsall goalkeeper Jenson Kilroy felled Town attacker Charley Parker inside the area, resulting in a spot-kick to the visitors.
Parker was the man to take the penalty, as he returned to his feet before striking the ball beyond Kilroy and into the back of the net.
Harrogate held their lead until the break before adding to it in the opening stages of the second forty-five when Oli Robinson cut inside from the wing before crashing the ball home from the edge of the area.
Walsall didn't allow their two-goal deficit get them down as they were quick to mount a comeback. Just three minutes after the visitors doubled their lead, Charlie Wragg took advantage of Louie Webb's hard work to cut the lead in half before Jaiy Leydon showed plenty of composure to level the scores with fifty-two minutes played.
The Saddlers' goal-scoring exploits didn't end there either, as Webb, who played a major role in the equaliser, scored one of his own from the edge of the area, as the ball looped over Town 'keeper Frankie Shepherd and into the back of the net.
The usual string of second-half substitutions wasn't enough to disrupt the Saddlers' desire to get among the goals, as hot-prospect Leydon grabbed his second of the game, stretching his side's lead to two.
Harrogate eventually found their feet as the match neared full-time, when Robinson joined Leydon in the brace club when he rounded a stranded Kilroy to slot the ball home, but that wasn't enough to take any of the points as Walsall held their ultimately narrow lead.
| WRAGG (50') LEYDON (52') WEBB (58') LEYDON (75') |
PARKER [P] (24') ROBINSON (47') ROBINSON (83') |
| AT | RAY HALL LANE |
