Walsall Football Club Walsall Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Walsall, West Midlands, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club's nickname, "The Saddlers", reflects ...

in England are represented at Reserve and Youth team level by the Walsall Development Squad and Walsall Academy. The Development Squad currently compete in the Central League North-West Division and the academy team compete in the Youth Alliance North-West Division. Both teams play the majority of their home games at the Birmingham County FA Headquarters at Ray Hall Lane in Perry Barr, although some games are played at the senior side's Bescot Stadium home. The Development Squad is currently managed by

Miguel Llera Miguel Ángel Llera Garzón (born 7 August 1979) is a Spanish football manager and former professional player who played as a centre back. He is currently assistant manager of club Maltby Main. He played mostly in the lower leagues of his co ...

and the academy side by Kyle Kirby. The make up of both sides is usually very similar, with Walsall's Academy side joining more experienced first team players on the fringes of the matchday squad and those who are returning from injury, in the majority of Development Squad fixtures. Walsall Development Squad also compete in the Birmingham Senior Cup and

Walsall Senior Cup The Walsall and District Football Association Senior Cup is an English football competition for clubs in and around Walsall, with the Final taking place at Walsall F.C.'s Bescot Stadium. The current holders are Chasetown, who won the 2013-14 compet ...

, winning each competition on a number of occasions.

Players

Current squad

:''As of 1 July 2021. ''

Notable academy graduates

Walsall's Youth Academy has produced a number of first team players throughout the club's history. In recent years, notable graduates to go on to play in higher divisions include

Matty Fryatt Matty may refer to: * Matty (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the nickname, given name or surname * Matty, Hungary, a village in Baranya County * Matty Island, a Canadian arctic island * Former name of Wuvulu Island * Matty, ni ...

, Julian Bennett,

Scott Dann Scott Dann (born 14 February 1987) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre back for club Reading. He began his Football League career with Walsall, before moving on to Coventry City and then to Birmingham City in 2009. Af ...

, Jamie Paterson,

Will Grigg William Donald Grigg (born 3 July 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL League One club Milton Keynes Dons. Grigg began his professional career at Walsall and came to prominence during the 2012–13 season, winni ...

and

Troy Deeney Troy Matthew Deeney (born 29 June 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for and captains club Birmingham City. Deeney started his professional career at Walsall. He spent a brief spell on loan with Southern Leag ...

. Two graduates have gone on to play full international football for England: Allan Clarke and

Michael Ricketts Michael Barrington Ricketts (born 4 December 1978) is an English former footballer. He played as a striker and was capped once by England, in a friendly against the Netherlands in 2002. Ricketts had a 14-year career which saw him play for W ...

. Clarke had a hugely successful career, scoring a winning goal in an FA Cup final while at Leeds United.

References

External links

*
Saddlers A-Z, player biographies and appearance info – Official Site
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Walsall F.C. Sport in Walsall