Here is the latest round up from the academy!
England Under 21s Head Coach visits Academy
The Academy England Under 21s Head Coach Lee Carsley and Under 21s Analyst James Ryder to the club on Monday 25th September following their recent success at Under 21s European Championships. Lee and James delivered a classroom and pitch-based workshop for staff focused on developing adaptable players.
This was a fantastic night and opportunity for our staff and also an opportunity to collaborate with coaches/staff from Walsall FC Foundation, Walsall FC Women and WLV university.
U17s record emphatic victory
Walsall Under 17s maintained their 100 per cent record with an emphatic 7-3 victory over Bolton Wanderers.
Ethan Davies and Charlie Footes scored two each while Olly Nash, Cavan Edwards and a trialist also got on the scoresheet.
After the victory, Youth Development Phase Coach Duane Allen was pleased with the performance but still feels there is even more room for improvement despite the result.
"In possession we were okay, we created loads of chances, but we are looking at scholarship potential and who can make a difference on and off the ball, so yes it's a good win but the result is irrelevant,” he said.
“We need to work on our defensive game after conceding three, out of the first two games we have conceded five, we have also scored 12 so going forward we are doing really well.
“On the whole we are happy having played two and won two but we are always trying to get better performances out of the lads."
Heavy defeat for Under 18s
It was a day to forget for Walsall Under 18s despite a good start saw as they fell to a 6-1 home defeat to a rampant Bolton Wanderers writes Izaak Darvill.
A cagey start to the game for both sides soon changed within the first 10 minutes as Walsall broke the deadlock with a superb passage of play, involving Will Uchenna and Charlie Wragg, ending in captain Dylan Thomas putting the Saddlers ahead.
Thomas came close to turning provider moments later. The number 8 whipped in a pin point cross straight onto Tom Cox's head. The defender connected well with the ball but was only able to head narrowly over the bar.
Bolton came close to levelling half hour in as Walsall were caught napping after an initial high press.
The travellers were denied an equaliser after a ball across the face of goal was put behind for a corner by Cailen Beckford.
Walsall once again looked threatening from set pieces. This time from a wide free-kick delivered by Thomas, met by the head of the towering Cox. The centre half once again could only send the ball sailing over the bar.
Five minutes before the break, the away side would find their leveller. Walsall failed to pick up a run from deep by Jamie Grayson who picked out David Amimbola with a square ball.
The Trotters would then take the lead in very similar fashion, weak defending allowed the away side to get to the by-line and play a ball back into the box for Harrison Fleury to tap the ball in.
It almost got worse for The Saddlers in added time as David Amimbola was denied by a good reaction save by Jenson Kilroy in the Walsall net.
It would get worse for the home side, as Beckford's back pass was intercepted by Gio Loureiro.
The number 11 would round Kilroy and slot the ball home for the Wanderers' third.
Soon after half time the visitors stretched their lead to three following another misplaced pass out from the Walsall back line.
This led to Kilroy being rounded for a second time and Fleury putting the ball home for his second of the match.
Bolton then saw their fifth of the game go in similar fashion to the rest as another loose ball was picked up by substitute Daeshon Lawrence, making an instant impact.
Things would go from bad to worse for the home side as Fleury would score his third of the game with Walsall looking deflated, Bolton began to run the game and remained camped in the Walsall half.
With the damage done in the first quarter of the second half, Walsall had a mountain to climb and were able to muster a few chances late in the game in search of a consolation goal but they couldn’t find one.
Professional Development Phase Coach Ryan Simmonds reflected on the game: "I was frustrated because the norm this season has been we have started poorly and grown into the game well but on Saturday we made a good start to the game and scored a really nice goal and created a few good opportunities to score again, unfortunately we couldn't make them count which gives the other team hope they can get back into the game.
“And when three goals, in all honesty, that came from us making mistakes and similar at the start of the second half is really frustrating."
Elsewhere...
Dylan Thomas and George Barrett were named on the bench for the first team for the EFL Trophy match against Forest Green Rovers. Jenson Kilroy also featured in the warm-up as the trio gained more valuable experience within the first team environment.
