Walsall Under-18s opened their 2025/26 EFL Youth Alliance campaign with a clash away to Doncaster Rovers on Saturday afternoon.Making their way to Rovers' Cantley Park training ground, the Saddlers named a team consisting of scholars and academy prospects.
WALSALL TEAM
Harrison Barber (GK), Ellis Harris, Marley Roberts, Finn Batham, Jakub Pawlowski, Stan Straw, McLoyd Oben, Louie Webb, Olly Nash, Will Etheridge, Paul Mackavore
Substitutes: Ethan Khan (GK); Lincoln Hunt, Sam Oliver, Archie Bunn, Levi Wain
The opening goal of the game went the way of the home side as Charlie Pinder hit the back of the net with twelve minutes on the clock.
Battling back to avoid defeat, the Saddlers went on to level the scores around twenty minutes later as captain Stan Straw crashed the ball home.
That was the end to the scoring, though not the controversy as Straw was later given his marching orders, picking up two bookings, whilst a late injury saw the Saddlers end the contest with nine men.
| PINDER | STRAW |