Honours
; Staffordshire runners-up
Squad
Tom Billingham, Ritchie Dean, Martin Robinson (Aldridge); Michael
Hollyhead, Christopher Maxwell, Brendan Poole, Daniel Swann (Barr Beacon); Neil
Reeves (Brownhills); William Poulton (Frank F. Harrison); Darryl Bird, Stefan Davies, Ben Young (Pool Hayes); Andy
Bough, Wayne Moseley (Shelfield); Luke Sampson (Sneyd); David
Conroy, Andrew Smart (Streetly);
Press Reports
Walsall U-14 1 Cannock U-14 0 - 13.04.02
The under-14s clinched the runners-up spot in the
Staffordshire league with this victory against Cannock. Walsall made a good
start creating a couple of chances before Chris Maxwell (Barr Beacon)
capitalised on some hesitancy in the Cannock defence to score the only goal.
Cannock replied by hitting the bar after keeper Andy Smart (Streetly) deflected
it enough with his fingertips. Cannock blazed over from a golden chance midway
through the second half but Walsall replied with a good ball from Andy Bough
(Shelfield) to Maxwell whose chip was inches over. Bough hit a spot kick
narrowly wide after a foul by the keeper on Maxwell.
Press Report - 10th April 2002 (from the Express and Star)
Walsall kids finish on unbeaten record
Walsall under-14s returned home with an unbeaten record at the
English Schools' FA Festival of Football campaign on the Isle of Wight, writes Graeme Hollinshead.
They started the Festival in fine form with a 2-1 victory against the Isle of Wight.
Trailing 1-0 at the break, they hit back with a Chris Maxwell (Barr Beacon) goal
ten minutes from time and Andrew Bough (Shelfield) clinched victory five minutes
later.
Walsall hit the goal trail in their next match beating Allerdale 5-1. Maxwell and
Brendan Poole (Barr Beacon) grabbed a goal each in the first half to lead 2-1 at
the break. Maxwell rifled home another couple after the restart to complete his
hat trick. Then Bough coolly converted from the penalty spot late in the game to
complete the scoring.
Walsall were hoping to make it a hat trick of wins against Yeovil and they went
into a 2-0 half time lead with goals from Michael Hollyhead (Barr Beacon) from
the penalty spot and Poole but Yeovil hit back with two second half goals to
claim a share of the spoils.
Walsall completed their Festival programme with a 2-1 win against Bury. Neil
Reeves (Brownhills) and Maxwell gave Walsall a 2-0 lead before Bury made a late
reply through Bruce.
Walsall U-14 0 Cannock U-14 2 - 23.03.02
The under-14s slipped to a second successive West Midlands
defeat to end any hopes of a semi-final spot. Despite dominating the first half
against Cannock the visitors took the lead just before the break when a free
kick was headed in. Walsall had missed several good scoring opportunities as Ben
Young (Pool Hayes) in particular caused problems for the Cannock defence. The
second half was more even but Cannock grabbed a second goal midway through the
half to leave Walsall facing an uphill battle. Bad luck and a lack of care in
finishing undermined a good Walsall performance.
Brierley Hill and Dudley U-14 1 Walsall U-14 0 - 16.03.02
Walsall under-14s saw their West Midlands semi-final hopes all
but disappear with this narrow defeat against main rivals Brierley Hill and
Dudley. Ben Walker broke Walsall with a goal three minutes from the end of an
even game. The goal came following a clearance from a Walsall free kick. Earlier
Walsall had seen a header cleared off the line but chances to score were rare.
Keeper Andrew Smart (Streetly) kept Walsall in the hunt with a couple of good
saves.
Stoke-on-Trent U-14 2 Walsall U-14 4 - 9.03.02
Walsall under-14s kept up their push for second spot in the
Staffordshire league with this excellent result at Stoke. Stefan Davies (Pool
Hayes) gave Walsall a perfect start with a goal after two minutes but Stoke came
back with an equaliser just five minutes before half time. Walsall were then
bombarded by Stoke during the first fifteen minutes of the second half and it
was no surprise when Stoke took the lead. Walsall hit back with two breakaway
goals in five minutes from Andy Bough (Shelfield). Davies sealed the game for
Walsall with his second five minutes from the end.
Halesowen and Stourbridge U-14 1 Walsall U-14 0 - 2.03.02
Walsall under-14s crashed out of the Wolves Cup at the
semi-final stage with Richard Parks scoring the only goal ten minutes from time.
In an even first half there were few clear-cut scoring chances but Halesowen and
Stourbridge gave Walsall a pounding for the first 20 minutes of the second half
and Walsall keeper Andrew Smart (Streetly) made two top class saves.
Walsall U-14 1 Newcastle-under-Lyme U-14 0 - 23.02.02
Dreadful conditions in driving snow at Brownhills saw Walsall
under-14s record a welcome Staffordshire victory thanks to a single goal from
Stefan Davies (Pool Hayes). The win keeps up the pressure on unbeaten
Wolverhampton at the top of the table with Walsall hoping they eventually slip
up. Walsall’s narrow 3-2 defeat against their deadly rivals in the first game
of the season could still prove decisive.
Walsall U-14 2 Stoke-on-Trent
U-14 0 - 9.02.02
Walsall under-14s made a huge step towards a West
Midlands semi-final spot with victory over Stoke. The first twenty minutes saw
little goalmouth action but then Michael Hollyhead (Barr Beacon) and Luke
Sampson (Sneyd) combined to set up Martin Robinson (Aldridge) for Walsall’s
opener. The impressive Sampson then had another good effort saved before the
break. The second half saw Stoke putting Walsall under more pressure but
Hollyhead, Brendan Poole (Barr Beacon), David Conroy (Streetly) and Neil Reeves
(Brownhills) remained firm at the back and keeper Andrew Smart (Streetly) was
faultless. With less than ten minutes left Sampson produced a piece of magic
with a run down the right before cutting in and chipping the keeper from a
narrow angle to make the game safe. William Poulton (Frank F. Harrison) then set
up Stefan Davies (Pool Hayes) but the Stoke keeper thwarted him with a good
block.
Warley U-14 0 Walsall U-14 2 - 19.01.02
The under-14s kept up the pressure for a top two place in
their West Midlands league section with this hard-fought win over Warley on a
mud bath of a pitch at Birchley. In a scrappy first half both sides found it
difficult to pass the ball on the sticky surface but Walsall had the advantage
thanks to a 25-yard effort from Darryl Bird (Pool Hayes). Bird completed his
brace in the first minute of the second half with a shot from the edge of the
box. With Martin Robinson (Aldridge) and Luke Sampson (Sneyd) linking well up
front Walsall always threatened to add to the lead.
Walsall U-14 4 Worcestershire North U-14 0 - 12.01.02
The under-14 game on a neighbouring pitch at Brownhills School
saw Walsall race into a 4-0 half time lead. Martin Robinson (Aldridge) opened
the scoring for Walsall and man of the match Ritchie Dean (Shelfield) added a
second. The hard working Brendan Poole (Barr Beacon) put Walsall in control with
the third as they continued to dominate proceedings. Dean completed his brace
before the break but in truth Walsall could have doubled the score. The second
half was an anti-climax as the visitors came more into the game and Walsall
changed things around with substitutions.
Tamworth U-14 0 Walsall U-14 1 - 8.12.01
How Walsall under-14s managed only a single goal in this
Staffordshire game is a mystery. They dominated the game and created so many
chances that Tamworth should have been buried by half time. As it was Walsall
had ace marksman, Stefan Davies (Pool Hayes), to thank for the only goal scored
ten minutes before the break. The second half started with Walsall missing two
golden chances in the first minute and the rest of the game continued to follow
a similar pattern. Daniel Swann (Barr Beacon) kept the Walsall defence firm on
the few occasions when Tamworth threatened to get something out of the game.
Halesowen and Stourbridge U-14 2 Walsall U-14 2 - 24.11.01
An injury time equaliser from Mark McDermott gave Halesowen
and Stourbridge a share of the points in this under-14 West Midlands game.
Earlier Walsall went behind to a first half goal following a corner when the
ball struck the post and the rebound was put away. Walsall had a much better
second half and Ritchie Dean (Shelfield) equalised with a left foot shot from
the edge of the box. Stefan Davies (Pool Hayes) was on the mark yet again to
score what looked like Walsall’s winner before McDermott struck.
Walsall U-14 2 Staffs. Moorlands U-14 1 - 10.11.01
In a Staffordshire game low on quality football Walsall
under-14s spurned several good opportunities before in-form Stefan Davies (Pool
Hayes) found the net near half time. The second half followed a similar pattern
with Walsall keeper Andy Smart (Streetly) having little to do and Walsall’s
forwards unable to make the game safe. The visitors equalised when Jay Ball
capitalised on a good throw in with ten minutes left. With just three minutes
left Walsall grabbed a deserved winner when Davies cleverly headed the ball past
the keeper and then tapped the ball in.
Burton U-14 1 Walsall U-14 2 - 20.10.01
Walsall under-14s had a poor first half in their game at
Burton and were lucky to only be behind by a single goal at half time. Stefan
Davies (Pool Hayes) continued his rich vein of scoring with Walsall’s
equaliser albeit from what was a poor header that somehow found the net. Walsall
rode their luck again with the winning goal which came after Burton were denied
a break for a marginal offside decision. Walsall’s quickly taken kick resulted
in Neil Reeves (Brownhills) grabbing the all-important winning goal with ten
minutes left.
Walsall U-14 3 Stoke U-14 1 (ESFA Wolves Cup Quarter-Final)
- 13.10.01
Walsall under-14s booked an early place in the
Wolves Cup semi-final with this victory against a plucky Stoke side. Walsall
dominated the first half but spurned several good scoring chances before Stefan
Davies (Pool Hayes) put them in front after nearly half an hour. Martin Robinson
(Aldridge) increased the lead in the final minute of the half. Chris Lawton
pulled one back for Stoke to give them hope in a more even second half but
Walsall were always in control. Andy Bough (Shelfield) made the game safe near
the end with Walsall’s third goal.
Walsall U-14 1 Wolverhampton U-14 0 (ESFA
Wolves Cup Round 2) - 6.10.01
Wolverhampton under-14s shut up
shop in this Wolves Cup game after their 5-0 drubbing by Walsall 5 days earlier
and looked the most likely side to score for most of the first half. After 25
minutes the four-goal hero from the previous game Stefan Davies (Pool Hayes)
finally escaped his markers but Wolves keeper Chris Brown smothered his shot.
Luke Sampson (Sneyd) set up Davies for another chance but Brown denied him
again. A ball from Andy Bough (Shelfield) set Michael Hollyhead (Barr Beacon)
free to run on and score Walsall’s goal with the last kick of the first half.
Walsall keeper Andy Smart (Streetly) saved the day with two good saves and a
last ditch tackle from David Conroy (Streetly) prevented a certain equaliser in
the second half.
Wolverhampton U-14 0 Walsall U-14 5 - 1.10.01
Walsall
keeper Andrew Smart (Streetly) was called on to make a couple of smart saves
early on in this West Midlands game at Aldersley Stadium. Stefan Davies (Pool
Hayes) then gave Walsall the lead after a brave attempt to save by Wolves keeper
Chris Brown. Brown excelled when he tipped over a 35-yard free kick from Brendan
Poole (Barr Beacon) and he denied Daryl Bird (Pool Hayes) minutes later. Smart
prevented an early second half equaliser with a full stretch save from Keith
Thomas (Heath Park) before an Andy Bough (Shelfield) free kick found the net.
Good work by Martin Robinson (Aldridge) and Ben Jones (Pool Hayes) set Davies up
for a terrific run and goal. Neil Reeves (Brownhills) then hit a post as Walsall
looked for a fourth before Davies completed his hat trick when he headed home a
Poole free kick. Reeves then set Davies up for his fourth goal to complete a
memorable first full game for Walsall.
Walsall U-14 3 Solihull U-14 2 (ESFA Wolves
Cup Round 1) - 29.09.01
Walsall under-14s had the worst
possible start to this Wolves Cup game when Craig Smart gave Solihull the lead
direct from a corner in the second minute. Walsall equalised on ten minutes when
Brendan Poole’s (Barr Beacon) free kick found the net. Ten minutes later Andy
Bough’s (Shelfield) free kick hit the bar but Michael Hollyhead (Barr Beacon)
was on hand to put away the rebound to give Walsall the lead. Luke Sampson
(Sneyd) increased Walsall’s lead before the break with a shot from the edge of
the box. Walsall controlled the second half but Solihull’s Nick Williams
reduced the arrears with an injury time free kick.
Wolverhampton U-14 3 Walsall U-14 2 - 8.09.01
Wolverhampton
under-14s always had the edge in this clash despite a brave performance from a
depleted Walsall side. Wolves took an early lead through Keith Thomas as they dominated the early
play but Walsall hit back when Andy Bough (Shelfield) blasted home a free kick.
Walsall then took the lead when Luke Sampson (Sneyd) lobbed the keeper. Wolves
equalised when Aston McInnes scored from the spot after the ball was handled on the line just before half
time. Wolves were the better side in the second half and Nat Paris grabbed a deserved
winner five minutes from the end.
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