Enzio Boldewijn scored twice as the Saddlers fell to a pre-season defeat at National League side Notts County.
Dan Scarr put Darrell Clarke’s men ahead on the stroke of half-time but Boldewijn’s second-half double ensured the Magpies emerged victorious.
The first flurry of activity came in the eighth minute when Elijah Adebayo’s fierce shot was blocked by a County defender, with an off-balance Stuart Sinclair scuffing the rebound harmlessly wide.
Notts almost took the lead in comical circumstances as Jack Rose miscontrolled Danny Guthrie’s 15th-minute back-pass but the Saddlers keeper recovered to hack the ball off the line.
Walsall’s front two combined to good effect on 28 minutes, Adebayo nodding the ball down to Josh Gordon, whose shot on the turn trickled wide of the near post.
The Saddlers were enjoying most of the play and opened the scoring five minutes before the break.
From Guthrie’s corner, Mat Sadler headed the ball down into the path of Scarr, who rifled into the roof of the net from six yards.
The Magpies thought they had equalised just past the hour mark when Owen Betts expertly volleyed home Will Patching’s inviting free-kick, but the flag was up for offside.
Notts did find a leveller just four minutes later as Mitch Rose teed up Boldewijn to calmly stroke the ball into the bottom corner from close range.
Alfie Bates came close to restoring the visitors’ lead with a curling long-range shot which brushed the top of the netting.
Instead, it was the hosts who snatched victory six minutes from time as Boldewijn drove a powerful low free-kick into the bottom corner, after Trialist A had upended Nathan Tyson.
Saddlers team: Rose (Trialist A 45’), Norman (Facey 62’), Sinclair (Kiersey 62’), Clarke (Trialist B 62’), Scarr, Guthrie (McDonald 62’), Adebayo (Hardy 62’), Cockerill-Mollett (Pring 62’), Sadler, Gordon(Candlin 62’), Kinsella (Bates 62’).