Walsall Academy Manager Miguel Llera was disappointed to see his side exit the FA Youth Cup but is now keen to re-build momentum in North West Youth Alliance League.
The Saddlers suffered a 3-0 home defeat to Fleetwood Town on Tuesday 5th November as they bowed out of the FA Youth Cup in the second round.
The Under 18s had a weekend off last Saturday after their game against Grimsby Town in the EFL Youth Alliance Cup.
Llera insists the young Saddlers have put their cup disappointment behind the and are looking ahead to a busy period of football.
“We were disappointed to lose to Fleetwood but we have to accept it because there were a lot of issues around the game,” Llera said.
“We had suspended players, players who were sick so we had a small squad for the game but we did our best.
“We have a lot of games coming up to get some points in the league. We’re doing OK so if we win the games that we have in hand, we’ll be right up there.
“Looking forward, we’ve had a good season and we need to carry on.”
The Under 18s haven’t played a game since the Fleetwood defeat. They host Port Vale today and Llera is hoping to have a strong squad available and is hoping to see his side improve defensively.
“We have more focus on ourselves and we’re trying to improve the defensive side,” he commented.
“I think it’s about improving what we have at the moment and that’s what we’re focusing on at the moment.
“With the weekend off, hopefully we get players back who have been sick; it’s that time of year where there is a lot of illness. We’re looking forward to Saturday because it’s been nearly 10 days without a game.”