The Holy Trinity: Aston Villa conclusions from pre-season friendly v Walsall

Villa beaten 1-0 by Mat Sadler's Saddlers in first preparatory fixture of the summer

Our annual visit to the newly rebranded Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium ended in defeat but it's become one of our most satisfying club traditions.

Aston Villa play Walsall in a pre-season friendly every year and it’s a great way to ease into the preparations for a new season, balancing local competition and the more relaxed timbre of a friendly on and off the pitch.

Taking off my Villa hat for a moment, Walsall are a club I watch in person for work occasionally and I keep an eye on what they’re doing. After a horrible end to 2024/25, I thought they showed some encouraging signs of recovery against Villa on Wednesday.

Let’s get this out of the way right now. There’s only so much we can take from the first pre-season friendly with half the squad missing and players dotted around the team who won’t be at the club when the Premier League season begins. This one was about running around.

Nevertheless, here are my three observations from the press box at the Bescot.