Aston Villa defeated by Walsall in their first pre-season friendly | OneFootball

Aston Villa’s first pre-season friendly of 2025/26 ended in a 1-0 defeat at the home of Walsall, where the Villans will take on Serie A giants Roma in the first week of August.

Villa visit the newly rebranded Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium every summer for a friendly that’s become a popular tradition for both sets of supporters.

For various reasons, Walsall suffered a horrendous collapse in the battle for promotion from League Two last season, a battle manager Mat Sadler conceded was a surprise development in the first place.

Nevertheless, when such a position of strength is allowed to slip through your fingers, you’re going to need your leaders to provide the emotional bedrock of the following season, and Walsall’s extensive activity in the transfer market did nothing to dissuade the Sadlers from extending the contracts of Jamille Matt and Albert Adomah.

Matt didn’t feature at the Bescot in Wednesday’s friendly but former Villa winger Adomah, now 37, captained the Saddlers and was in many respects the game’s central figure.

He attempted to score from 45 yards in the first half and with an overhead kick in the second, both efforts serving only to ignite renewed chants of his name from the Villa supporters who gathered in the shadow of the M6 for the friendliest of friendlies.

Action Images via Reuters/Ed Sykes

The fixture strikes the perfect balance for the middle of July, offering the spice of local competitiveness and a positive atmosphere in which to send out the kids for an early test of their fitness.

Villa’s internationals and new signings were unavailable so the senior players were few and far between in a matchday squad dotted with players who will most likely play their football elsewhere in 2025/26.

Emery named a different team for each half and might well have liked a lot of what he saw. While it’s obvious that no conclusions should really be drawn from a local derby friendly in which supporters mingle in the stands, observing the application and ability of young players in particular can be illuminating for a manager who knows what he wants to see.

Walsall’s goal was flicked home by Harrison Burke in the first half. He scored past Filip Marschall, who was introduced earlier than planned because first-half goalkeeper Joe Gauci picked up a knock. Hopefully, that won’t delay Villa’s plans for him this season.

Villa did next to nothing in the final third in the first half but positive showings from Ross Barkley and Lamare Bogarde in midfield hinted at the strength in depth that allowed Enzo Barrenechea to move on.

Chances came and went on the counter-attack, Charlie Pavey missed a presentable chance with a header and sent a chip over the Walsall goalkeeper but into the side netting, and Villa head into Saturday’s friendly at Hansa Rostock defeated but not deterred.