Walsall to tour Trinidad and Tobago in pre-season

Dean Smith's men will spend a week on the Antilles islands, where they will play three matches against local opposition.

The Saddlers' longest trip of the pre-season looked set to be the July 16 journey to Derbyshire outfit Alfreton Town – but they will now fly 4,500 miles when the tour begins next Wednesday July 3.

Smith's side have been invited by Central FC, a TT Pro League outfit founded by former Dundee and Gillingham player Brent Sancho and currently managed by former England international Terry Fenwick.

The club's operations director Kevin Harrison is a friend of the Saddlers manager.

Walsall will play a Trinidad and Tobago XI and a League Select XI, while the blue-riband clash is against hosts Central FC who they meet at the Ato Bolden Stadium in Couva on July 9.

While on the islands, the Saddlers will also undertake coaching within the community and attend local schools as well as meeting the Mayor of San Fernando Dr Navi Muradali.

Smith said today: "This is a fantastic opportunity for the club. We had been looking for somewhere to go on tour since the end of last season and this fits in perfectly with our schedule.

"A mutual friend put Kevin Harrison, who I know from my time at Leyton Orient when he worked for the PFA and is involved with the Football Players' Association of Trinidad and Tobago, in touch with me.

"It has gone from there. We will take part in three games and also get involved with the local community, so it's going to be a really productive and worthwhile seven days.

"As good as our training ground is, it's always nice to be able to get away and spend some time in different surroundings.

"This experience is going to be extremely beneficial to us and hopefully those people that we meet along the way."