After snatching defeat from the jaws of victory against Grimsby Town on Saturday afternoon, the Saddlers went into the match in search of both a return to winning ways and a strong start to this season's EFL Trophy campaign.
The match was a drab and dreary affair with the Saddlers struggling to create anything in the final third, as their recent slump in form showing no sign of coming to an end.
The first and only goal of the game arrived twelve-minutes into the second half as Kamarai Simon-Swyer put the ball past Adam Przybek in the Walsall goal.
Papa John's Trophy - Southern Group C
| WALSALL | 0-1 | WEST HAM UNITED U21s |
| GOALS | SIMON-SWYER (57') | |
| 53 | POSS (%) | 47 |
| 8 | SHOTS (TOTAL) | 6 |
| 3 | SHOTS (ON TARGET) | 4 |
| 8 | CORNERS | 1 |
| 8 | FOULS | 7 |
| 1 | YELLOW CARDS | 3 |
| 0 | RED CARDS | 0 |
| AT | POUNDLAND BESCOT STADIUM |
| ATTENDANCE | 1,582 (32 AWAY) |
| REFEREE | SIMON MATHER (LANCASHIRE) |
WALSALL
Przybek; Bennett, White, Monthé, Allen; Earing (Kinsella, 66'); Hutchinson 🟨, Maher; F.Clarke (Knowles, 59'); James-Taylor (Johnson, 59'), Abraham (Williams, 60')
Unused: Evans; P.Clarke; Comley
WEST HAM UNITED U21s
Hegyi; Greenidge, Laing, Forbes, Clayton, Ekwah 🟨, Potts 🟨, Appiah-Forson (Woods, 90+5' 🟨), Earthy (Coddington, 86'), Simon-Swyer (Kelly, 90+5'), Mubama
Unused: Kinnear, Cardoso, Peake, Casey