Walsall Under 18s recorded an impressive 3-1 victory against Accrington Stanley on Saturday.
Goals from Alex McSkeane and Danny Coogan saw the Saddlers storm into a 2-0 lead before they conceded from a penalty in the final 10 minutes.
Despite the late scare, Jayden Campbell sealed the victory for the Saddlers with a late strike.
Miguel Llera’s side were without Joe Willis and Sam Perry, who were on the bench for the first team, while Joe Foulkes was side-lined with injury.
The Spaniard was pleased to see the rest of the squad step up and record a fine victory.
“The team was without Joe Willis, Sam Perry and Joe Foulkes. The first game without them we suffered a massive defeat against Preston North End and we wanted an answer from the team without them and they made a great first 45 minutes,” said Llera.
“The second years stepped forward in leadership and managing the changing room.
“Hopefully it was the starting point for them and they will carry on week by week from now to the end of the season in the same way.”
After their 6-1 defeat to Preston, Walsall responded with a 4-0 victory against Rochdale last Tuesday (14th January).
Luke Zona, Luke Pearce and Alex McSkeane got on the scoresheet while the Saddlers were also helped by an own goal.