Alan Hutton scored the only goal of the game as Aston Villa edged to a 1-0 pre-season victory over Walsall this evening.
Villa made a bright start to the encounter, with Hutton, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Kieran Richardson all having efforts on goal inside the opening 10 minutes.
Walsall had an early chance of their own, however, with Ashley Grimes sending a volley over the top having been found by Malvind Benning's cross.
Karim El Ahmadi came within inches of breaking the deadlock in the 20th minute when his low free kick curled around the wall and skimmed just past the post.
The visitors did take the lead eight minutes later, however, as Hutton converted from close range.
Walsall almost responded in the 37th minute as Paul Downing found himself in a good position, but Brad Guzan stood tall to make the save from point blank range.
Fabian Delph and Agbonlahor both came close to adding to the lead in the second half, while Jack Grealish also forced a save from Craig MacGillivray.
The Premier League side had one final chance to double their advantage late on when a goalmouth scramble saw Leandro Bacuna have an effort cleared off the line before Gary Gardner fired over.
Barney Corkhill
