Pre-season: Walsall 0-5 Aston Villa - Villans condemn Saddlers to heavy defeat

Walsall suffered a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Aston Villa at Bescot in Lee Grant’s first home game.

Brian Madjo grabbed a first half brace for the Premier League outfit and was joined on the scoresheet by fellow youngster George Hemmings.

Joao Gomes was introduced for his first Villa appearance at half-time following his £38million switch from Wolves.

Luka Lynch added a fourth with a deflected effort midway into the second half, before setting up Aidan Borland to make it 5-0 moments later.

Grant made his debut in the Bescot dugout and handed starts to new signings Declan Skura and Ryan Leak in the heart of defence.

Ian Maatsen, Lamare Bogarde, Ross Barkley, Leon Bailey and Emi Buendia were the first team regulars to start for Villa.

Walsall lined up nominally in a 4-2-3-1 - with Alex Pattison on the right and Andrew Dallas playing slightly behind Aaron Pressley, although there was good fluidity in terms of interchanging of positions.

It was the hosts who offered the biggest attacking threat in the opening exchanges, even if Villa goalkeeper Joe Gauci went untested.

Pressley sent a looping header over the crossbar and Mason Hancock’s low drive from distance deflected inches wide of the near post.

Bailey nearly opened the scoring when his curling effort had Jed Ward at full stretch before sailing narrowly wide of his right-hand post.

Villa did find the breakthrough midway into the first half when Madjo beat Skura to the ball and smashed Nedeljkovic’s delivery into the top corner from close-range.

The floodgates opened from that point onwards, and Ian Maatsen came close to doubling the Villans’ lead with a low drive from range, but it whistled just wide of the upright.

They did find a second on the cusp of half-time when Hemmings added the finishing touches to a ruthless attack.

Bailey found the underlapping run of Buendia, who squared for Hemmings to sweep an unerring finish beyond Ward.

Modjo grabbed his brace when Villa scored twice in quick succession, after the Villa forward pounced on a ricochet to score.

Emery made 10 changes at half-time and also gave Gomes his first Villa appearance, while Walsall initially remained unchanged.

Bradley Burrowes had two presentable opportunities for Villa early in the second half: drilling a low deflected shot wide of the near post and flashing another from a tight angle across the face of goal.

Lynch made his mark from the bench when he scored the fourth, after his effort took a wicked deflection to loop over Ward.

He made a decisive impact again moments later when he crossed for Borland to drive into the bottom corner and make it 5-0.

Next, Walsall travel to National League North outfit AFC Telford United on Saturday, while Villa travel to FC Porto on the same day.

Teams

Walsall XI: Ward, Browne (Ahui 70), Hancock (Harper 70), Sprangler (Sjordesma 80), Dallas (Sodje 61), Moore (Bunn 70), Pressley (Etheridge 80), Pattison (Clarke 70), Skura (Harris 80), Leak (Burke 61), Adomah (Simper 54).

Villa XI: Gauci (Wright 46), Barkley (Gomes 46), Buendia (Borland 46), Maatsen (Rowe 46), Bogarde (Broggio 46), Bailey (Alysson 46), Nedeljkovic (Cash 46), Madjo (Burrowes 46), Cisse (Iling-Junior 64), Hemmings (Lynch 46), Carroll (Mings 46).

Other details

Referee: Callum Jones