Pools’ Academy team had to settle for a point in their EFL Youth Alliance affair with Walsall at Blackhall Colliery Welfare.

The first chance of the game fell to Walsall as Dylan Thomas cut inside but his curling effort was palmed away by Harry Conyard.

Pools took the lead after a quarter of an hour when Joe Aungiers took a long ball in his stride and placed his shot into the top corner.

Thomas had a golden chance to equalise for the visitors as he went through on goal, but his low strike was stopped by the feet of Conyard.

Alfie Steel and Aungiers missed a couple of half chances towards the end of the first 45, but nevertheless Pools went into the break ahead.

Steel had a great chance to double Pools’ lead, but his header from Ashton Wood’s free kick sailed over the bar.

Walsall were pushing but never really troubled Conyard, that was until a low ball across the face of the goal was tapped home by Zion Tuitt to equalise.

The game fizzled out from there, and the points were shared in Blackhall.

“I thought we did enough to win the game.” said Alex Cross after the draw.

“Credit to Walsall they’ve had a big journey today, but we should have won the game.

“We had a good amount of box entries, we should have been in and around the final third better all round really.

“For the majority of the game we played the pitch really well and they showed maturity beyond their years in that aspect, but I felt as though we should have done more to create opportunities in the final third.”