Walsall Under-18s were back in action on Saturday as they took on Bradford City Under-18s in their second-outing of the 2026/27 EFL Youth Alliance North.
Heading into the match on the back of an opening-day draw with Burton Albion, the young Saddlers were hoping to pick up their first win of the season as they visited West Yorkshire.
BRADFORD CITY
Barrow; Cissa, Ackroyd, Lunn, Hewitt, Ryder, Gomes, Parr, Vipiond, Goodall, Whitehead
Substitutes: Atherton, Baldwin, Holt
WALSALL
Clowes-Elson; Tuitt, Wain, Worrall, Oliver, Batham, Khan, Bunn, Hunt, Sjoerdsma, Kandemiri
Substitutes: Nash, Kanyi, Griffiths
Taking place at Anytime Couriers Stadium, the home of Campion AFC, it wa the young Saddlers who would take the lead when Ryan Sjoerdsma put the ball into Harry Barrow's net with around seven minutes of the first-half still to play.
It was the Bantams, however, that would ultimately take the match to the break in the lead when Harry Parr would slot the ball beyond Riley Clowes-Elson from the spot, before Jack Ryder put his side into the lead in stoppage time.
It would prove to be an afternoon to forget for the travelling Saddlers as two more Harry Parr penalties and a well-placed curling effort from Leroy Gomes would see the home side ease to victory by five-goals-to-one.
Walsall's disappointment didn't just end with the scoreline, as after the referee had awarded three spot-kicks, the Saddlers were also reduced to ten men when goalscorer Sjoerdsma was dismissed with around five minutes of normal time remaining.
A difficult afternoon for Walsall, who will now look ahead to a clash with Notts County this coming Tuesday.
PARR (3) RYDER GOMES |
SJOERDSMA
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| AT | ANYTIME COURIERS STADIUM |