Squad
Alex Blackshaw (St. John's), Ryan Brough (St. Anne's), Liam Harpin (Ryders
Hayes), James Harris (Leamore), Ross Higgins (Leamore), Lewis Hucker (Holy Trinity), Ryan Jobbins (Leighswood),
Jacob Knox (St. Patrick's), Branden Maxfield (Rough Hay), Jak Morrell-Davies (Christchurch), Luke Oxley-Stokes
(Beechdale), Kieran Price (Walsall Wood), Jack Shaw (Blackwood), Craig Spellman (Beechdale),
Oliver Spencer (Cooper and Jordan).
Walsall SFA Under-11 Squad 2004-05
Press Reports
Redditch
U-11
1 Walsall U-11 3 - 19.03.05
Walsall
under-11s finished
their Burton Shield programme with a shock win at Redditch. The result summed up
Walsall's inconsistent season. Last week saw them miss a semi-final spot in the
same competition after losing to Halesowen and Stourbridge by the same score.
Defeat for Redditch sees them miss out on a semi-final and Halesowen and
Stourbridge going through instead. Walsall's hero was Branden Maxfield (Rough
Hay) who scored all three goals.
Halesowen and Stourbridge U-11 4 Walsall U-11 1 - 12.03.05
In the other game Walsall under-11s suffered a 4-1
defeat at Halesowen and Stourbridge in the Burton Shield. The result saw the end
of Walsall's semi-final hopes. Walsall now travel to Redditch next Saturday in
the same competition and the result will decide whether Redditch or Halesowen
and Stourbridge go through to the semi-final by finishing in second place in the
league section. Jacob Knox (St. Patrick's) was Walsall's scorer.
Brierley Hill and Dudley U-11 1 Walsall U-11 0 - 26.02.05
In
other games the under-14s crashed out of the
West Midlands
competition after losing 3-1at
Stafford
.
Walsall
found
themselves 3-0 down before Jack Skinner (Arthur Terry) found the net for
Walsall
. A 1-0
defeat at Brierley Hill and
Dudley
leaves
Walsall
under-11s
in a three-way battle for the second semi-final spot in the Burton Shield
competition. The result was enough to confirm the home side’s place in the
semi-finals.
Wolverhampton
U-11 2
Walsall
U-11 1
- 19.02.05
Walsall
under-11s
dominated this Staffordshire encounter for long periods but were made to pay for
two lapses of concentration. Aiden Malone (Rakegate) put Wolves in front when
the
Walsall
defence failed to clear the ball and keeper Jack
Shaw (Blackwood) made a fine save to stop
Walsall
falling
further behind before the break.
Walsall
dominated
the second half and Jak Morrell-Davies (
Christchurch
) grabbed
a deserved equaliser. Liam Harpin (Ryders Hayes) went close for
Walsall
and Craig
Spellman (Beechdale) ballooned the ball over the bar following a good cross from
Alex Blackshaw (
St.
John’s
). Wolves
made
Walsall
pay for
their missed chances with the last attack of the game, Jumaane Meggoe (Bantock)
nipping in to head the ball home.
Brierley Hill and Dudley U-11 2
Walsall U-11 3 - 22.01.02
Walsall managed to complete an improbable comeback in this
highly entertaining game. The home side got off to a terrific start and were
unlucky not to score from a free kick which was well saved by Jack Shaw
(Blackwood). Their superiority paid off however, mid-way through the half with
two goals in the space of five minutes. A lethargic Walsall were dragged into
life by a great James Harris (Leamore) run which resulted in him being pulled
down in the box. Jak Davies (Christchurch) converted the penalty. The second
half opened with Harris continuing in the same electric form. A wonderful run
and cross from him was turned home by Jacob Knox (St. Patrick's) for the
equaliser. Within minutes Harris himself put Walsall in front with a volley from
six yards out. Walsall took the lead through Lewis Hucker (Holy Trinity) and
Ross Higgins (Leamore) and then defended well to protect their lead.
(Report from Andy Mills)
Walsall U-11 0 Aston U-11 1 - 8.01.05
A narrow victory for
Aston confirmed their place in the under-11
West Midlands
semi-final.
Aston took the lead very early on when
Walsall
failed to clear a corner and a
hopeful Aston shot drifted in under the bar.
Walsall
battled bravely in the remainder of
the half and went close to equalising on several occasions with Jak
Morrell-Davies (
Christchurch
) being especially unfortunate to
hit the post. The second half proved a struggle for
Walsall
as they couldn't convert possession
into scoring chances due to resolute Aston defending. As the half progressed it
was Aston who looked more likely to score with Jack Shaw (Blackwood) saving
Walsall
on two occasions.
South Birmingham
U-11 0
Walsall
U-11 2 - 4.12.04
Walsall
under-11s
kept their
West Midlands
hopes alive with an excellent display at
South
Birmingham
. The home
side nearly took the lead early on but Ryan Jobbins (Leighswood) cleared off the
line.
Walsall
always looked dangerous on the break and after three
close calls broke the offside trap for Brandon Maxfield (Rough Hay) to open the
scoring. With Jacob Knox (St. Patrick’s) bossing the midfield
Walsall
continued
to threaten the
South Birmingham
goal in
the second half. Midway through the half James Harris (Leamore) was brought down
in the box and Jak Morrell-Davies (Christchurch) scored
from the spot.
Walsall U-11 0 Brierley Hill and Dudley U-11 0 - 27.11.04
Walsall
under-11s
had to settle for a share of the points in their opening Staffordshire league
game against Brierley Hill and
Dudley
. In an
evenly matched contest it was 15 minutes before
Walsall
’s Luke
Oxley-Stokes (Beechdale) had the first shot on target.
Walsall
keeper
Jack Shaw (Blackwood) had to grab an overhead shot at full stretch but that was
the only other threat to either goal in the first half. The second half began
with a great run by Alex Blackshaw (
St.
John’s
) but his
shot was easily saved. Shaw saved
Walsall
with a
brave block before another shot from the visitors hit the side netting.
Walsall
’s Jak
Morrell-Davies (
Christchurch
) saw a
shot well caught by the keeper and a minute later another good effort brushed
the post.
Walsall
U-11 2
South
Birmingham
U-11 2
- 20.11.04
The
under-11s opened their Burton Shield campaign with a hard-fought victory against
South
Birmingham. The
visitors pressed
Walsall
hard in the first half and some backs to the wall
defending by Walsall
restricted the visitors to a single goal. Lewis Hucker (Holy Trinity) and Ross
Higgins (Leamore) played their part in keeping the visitors at bay. Jak
Morrell-Davies (Christchurch)
capitalised on a poor clearance to slot home
Walsall
’s
equaliser. This signalled a
Walsall
onslaught
and Jacob Knox (St. Patrick’s) went close before an Alex Blackshaw (St.
John’s) shot was
parried and Craig Spellman (Beechdale) turned the rebound into the net.
Walsall
U-11 0 Brierley Hill and Dudley U-11 3 (West Midlands County
7-a-side Final) - 16.10.04
Walsall
under-11s reached the
West Midlands
final of the ESFA/Sainsbury’s 7-a-side competition but
were well beaten by a good Brierley Hill and
Dudley
team. A terrific free kick from Matthew Adams (Church of the
Ascension) set B.H. and
Dudley
on the way. Second half goals from Joseph Stevenson (
St.
Mary’s) and Michael Brooks (Westfields) completed the
scoring.
Earlier, in the group games,
Walsall
went behind against
South Birmingham
but Jak Morrell-Davies (
Christchurch
) equalised within a minute. Second half goals from Oliver
Spencer (Cooper and Jordan) and Brandon Maxfield (Rough Hay) gave
Walsall
a comfortable victory. Maxfield scored the only goal in the
second game against Aston when he claimed the final touch on a Morrell-Davies
effort.
Walsall
played Brierley Hill and
Dudley
in the third and final group game with both teams having
already qualified for the semi-final stage.
Walsall
lost 3-0 in a rehearsal for the eventual final. The
semi-final victory against
Wolverhampton
was the highlight of
Walsall
’s morning. Goals from Jacob Knox (St. Patrick’s) and
Maxfield surprised a fancied Wolves side which had won all three group games.
Walsall U-11 2 Solihull 1 - 9.10.04
For the first time this season
Walsall failed to do themselves justice and were well beaten by a well organised
Solihull side.
The early exchanges contained good chances for both sides with Brandon Maxfield
(Rough Hay) coming close for Walsall. However, as the half progressed Solihull
took control and were denied by a string of fine saves by Jack Shaw (Blackwood)
and determined defending by Ryan Jobbins (Leighswood). The second half saw
Solihull turn their superiority into goals and it was no surprise that Walsall
conceded two in quick succession. Walsall did hold a late rally with both Jacob
Knox (St. Patrick's) and Alex Blackshaw (St. John's) going close. (Report from
Andy Mills).
Walsall U-11 3 Gloucester
U-11 4 - 2.10.04
Walsall
under-11s
were involved in a thrilling game against an unbeaten
Gloucester
side.
Walsall
took the
lead when Luke Oxley-Stokes (Beechdale) turned home a corner from Brandon
Maxfield (Rough Hay). Niall Wellington equalised for
Gloucester
following
a good run down the left.
Walsall
keeper
Jack Shaw (Blackwood) made a good save before Alex Blackshaw (St.
John’s) restored
Walsall
’s lead.
He received the ball from Liam Harpin (Ryders Hayes) and his great run ended
with a shot into the top corner. Two goals in five minutes from Jon Blackwell
saw
Gloucester
turn the
game round just before half time. A minute into the second half a Kieran Price
(Walsall Wood) penalty was tipped over the bar to deny
Walsall
an
equaliser. Blackwell completed his hat trick to make the game safe for Gloucester. Jak
Morrell-Davies (Christchurch) scored
Walsall
’s third
with a minute left.
St.
Helens
U-11 2
Walsall
U-11 3
-
18.09.04
Walsall
under-11s built on last
week’s promising start to come from behind to beat a strong
St. Helens
side.
Walsall
conceded two quick goals
midway through the first half and but for keeper Jack Shaw (Blackwood) it could
have been worse. Then a long-range effort from Ryan Jobbins (Leighswood) found
the net to reduce the deficit. Within minutes
Walsall
were level when an Alex
Blackshaw (
St. John’s
) cross was turned home by
Brandon Maxfield (Rough Hay).
Walsall
grabbed the winner in the
second half when Jacob Knox (St. Patrick’s) latched onto a Jobbins through
ball.
Walsall
held on thanks to some
good defending from Lewis Hucker (Holy Trinity) and Ross Higgins (Leamore).
(Report from Andy Mills)
Walsall
U-11 2 Wirral U-11 4 - 11.09.04
Walsall
under-11s made an
encouraging start to the season against a strong and experienced Wirral side.
Wirral made a strong start to the game and were unfortunate not to take the lead
in the opening exchanges. It was Walsall however who came closest to scoring
when Kieran Price (Walsall Wood) broke away and neatly converted, only for it to
be ruled out for offside. Midway through the first half constant pressure from
the visitors told as they before took the lead. Walsall nearly equalised
in the closing moments of the half only for the volley to be well saved. Walsall
opened brightly in the second half twice going close. Wirral however doubled
their advantage with fiercely struck penalty. Almost immediately Walsall pegged
back the visitors when Brandon Maxfield (Rough Hay) was put clean through and he
duly slotted home. Walsall were denied an equaliser when a long-range effort
from Oliver Spencer (Cooper Jordan) was superbly tipped over the bar. The
visitors then took complete control as they began to take advantage of fatigue
in the Walsall defence. Two late goals had seemed to cruelly undermine Walsall's
effort until Jacob Knox (St. Patrick’s) converted an Alex Blackshaw (St. John’s) cross. (Report from Andy
Mills).
Walsall
schools' football