The home side bossed the game from the first to the final whistle and took the lead as early as the the 13-second mark when midfielder Jan Sztybel fired home from a narrow angle after an excellent solo run.
Adam Bradley again made some excellent saves in the United goal as Walsall created plenty of chances but the young keeper was helpless to stop the Saddlers increasing their advantage five minutes before the break. Sztybel doubled his own tally as well as the Saddlers' lead when the impressive 17-year old finished well from just inside the area after another good run.
The young Blues came out strongly after a stern half-time team-talk from coach Billy Barr and they reduced the deficit after 51 minutes through a cracking finish from Bainbridge who has also impressed when turning out for the reserve team. Some poor marking from the Saddlers defence left the Carlisle-based forward all alone to rifle home and pull the score back to 2-1.
The Cumbrians' fightback was short-lived however as the West Midlanders restored their two goal advantage bang on the hour mark. United were caught on the break as they pushed up looking for an equaliser, young midfielder Leon Quarles flying away down the wing and crossing a lovely ball in for Alex Nicholls to finish easily at the near-post.
The pace of the home side in midfield and upfront was now causing the Blues' youngsters all kinds of problems and it was only five minutes later that the Saddlers made the scoreline 4-1. Sztybel was this time the orchestrator as he played the ball into the United box for Nicholls to notch his second of the game when he headed home from ten yards out.
The Blues missed a chance to give the score some respectability shortly after as they wasted a free-kick in a dangerous position which had been given away by Philip Doran, the Saddlers left-winger receiving a yellow card for his poor challenge. United were made to pay further for wasting the set-piece ten minutes later in the 78th minute as Walsall went four goals ahead.
Good approach work by Saddlers centre-forward David McDermott led to the ball being fed in to his strike-partner Nicholls who finished crisply to complete his hat-trick, claim the match ball and round off a 5-1 victory for the home side.
All in all United were beaten by an impressive Walsall outfit but it was a still a very disappointing performance by the United youngsters and one which coach Barr described as : " Well up there in the top three worst performances by a youth team in my time here. It's also by far and away the worst from this group of players. "
A home game against Wrexham a week on Saturday now gives the young lads their first chance to return to winning ways after two straight defeats.
Walsall line-up :
James McKeown, Richard Taundry, Philip Doran (Junior - trialist 70), Emanuel Smith, Lee Clayton, Jan Sztybel, Leon Quarles, Mark Bradley, Charlton Davies, Alex Nicholls (Chris Hanna 80), David McDermott (Harry Harris 80).
Subs not used : Peter Doran, Luke Tilt.
United line-up :
Adam Bradley, Martin Graham, Matty Bell, Martin Stewart (Ashley Combe 46), Dan Kirkup, Paul Gardiner, Pete Ferris, Shaun Vipond (Matthew Blake 75), Andy Hardman, Rob Bainbridge, James Earl (Richard Hoban 70).
Other results in the division :
Blackpool 1-0 Port Vale
Bury 0-4 Tranmere
Chester 0-1 Wigan
Oldham 3-2 Rochdale
Shrewsbury 1-4 Preston
Stockport 0-2 Burnley
Wrexham 4-2 Macclesfield