The Saddlers took on a Trinidad and Tobago Pro League XI at the Ato Boldon Stadium this evening.
The match kicked off at 6.30pm as a women's cup final was played before the main event.
The Saddlers lined up as follows:
Liam Roberts, Ben George, Andy Butler, Dean Holden, James Chambers, Ashley Hemmings, Nicky Featherstone, Jake Heath, James Baxendale, Danny Griffiths, Rundell Winchester.
Our hosts made a lively start to the game, almost as lively as the steel band that played, at great pace, from the opening whistle.
Liam Roberts did well to palm away a Mikhail Awai drive from close range after five minutes.
Danny Griffiths almost opened the scoring when he turned on the edge of the 18 yard line. However his rasping drive was tipped over by Kevin Graham.
T&T took the lead on the half hour mark when Jomal Williams slotted home from 18 yards.
Mal Benning replaced James Chambers as The Saddlers reverted to a flat back four just before the interval.
The Saddlers lined up for the second-half as follows:
Liam Roberts, Ben Purkiss, Mal Benning, Paul Downing, Dwight Pope, Reece Flanagan, Sam Mantom, Omari Sterling-James, A Triallist, Gem Gordon.
Tobagan Triallist, Gem Gordon, almost made an immediate impact when he was played in by Omari Sterling-James. However, the youngster's shot was easily gathered by Graham.
Paul Downing was next to threaten the T & T goal when he connected with a Reece Flanagan centre. However, his header went just wide of the back post.
Our hosts doubled their advantage soon after as Neil Benjamin Jr timed his run to perfection to latch on to a well-placed through ball and slot home.
Credit to The Saddlers though who, despite an early start and intense strength session, continued to press and compete in the humidity of the Trinidadian evening.
Tobagan triallist, Gem Gordon, pulled one back for The Saddlers with 20 minutes to go when he coolly slotted home.
And Gordon quickly levelled proceedings when he made it two in two minutes after being played in by Reece Flanagan.
A. Triallist was next to try his luck as he spotted Graham off his line he attempted to lob the T & T keeper only for Graham to recover in time and tip the ball over the bar.
If that wast drama enough, The Saddlers completed a stunning comeback to snatch a deserved victory with just minutes to go.
A. Triallist and Gordon linked up well on the edge of the box before the former curled home to give Dean Smith's Men a second successive victory.
Afterwards, The Saddlers were presented with the Challenge Trophy along with medals for each player to mark their victory on Trinidadian soil.
Walsall 3 vs T&T Pro League XI 2
Challenge Trophy
Sunday, 7th July
Ato Boldon Stadium, Trinidad
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Brief match report.
Walsall started off quite well with Central F.C.'s Rundell Winchester having some good early touches. The Pro League XI played some nice football and the teams appeared evenly matched. The Siparia Rhythm Section seemed to be having an effect and the Pro League team made the breakthrough when Jomal Williams slotted home from 18 yards.
Winchester seemed to struggle to find his role in the formation. Walsall had sold one of their top strikers two days before they left for T&T and their other top striker moved away as a free agent, so Walsall didn't have much striking power. The teams went in with Walsall trailing by a goal and things got worse after the break when Neil Benjamin jr scored a second for the Pro League.
It was a huge confirmation of the strength of the Pro League when you consider that Walsall put four past Coventry in April and only lost two games between January 1st and the end of their season in April - a total of 20 league games.
However, Central F.C.'s Dwight Pope was brought in to add strength to the defence as Centre Back, while Phoenix 1976's Gem Gordon replaced Winchester. It was Gordon who began the Walsall fight back with a well taken goal and 2 minutes later, the 19 year old equalised to give him 3 goals in two games for Walsall.
The fitness of the West Midlands club bore fruit as they managed to control the game with Pope always looking confident and in control. Gordon could not quite complete the fairy tale of a hat trick, but did provide the pass for Walsall's winning goal.
The game ended 3-2, with Gordon being presented with the MVP trophy by Pro League CEO, Dexter Skeene, which earned the Tobagonian a huge cheer from the Walsall players and staff, who were obviously very pleased for the young striker.
All in all, the game completed one of the aims of Central F.C. when they decided to bring across an English club; it is clear that the standard of the Pro League is very much upper English League Two/lower League One. I don't think any player from the Pro League was out of his depth and Walsall Manager Dean Smith was very impressed with the standard of play from the Pro League team.
Two negatives: The attendance was less than 500 and at the end of the game, Walsall's technical area and bench was spotless while the Pro League's was littered with empty bottles. Perhaps on the pitch their is some parity, but off the pitch, professionalism is still lacking in T&T.
Walsall now have to prepare for Tuesday's match vs Central F.C. but meanwhile will be holding a coaching clinic on Monday morning at Ato Boldon before hosting a coaches seminar in the afternoon at the same venue.