[themaclad]

Match Report: PNE Reserves 3 Huddersfield Town Reserves 3

A very young North End XI took a valuable point against the Terriers at Springfields on Tuesday afternoon in the Central League.

A brace from Jacob Holland-Wilkinson and a third from Kitt Nelson put the Lilywhites 3-1 up just after half-time, before being pegged back by the much more experienced visitors.

The West Yorkshire side are the only team to beat PNE in the Central League this season, having won 5-0 at Canalside back in September, but this time round the team of Academy youngsters – with six first-year scholars in the starting line-up – held their own and were unlucky not to record another impressive win.



They started on the front foot, with skipper Mikey O’Neill – playing slightly deeper due to a huge injury list amongst the Academy - making a driving run down the left and winning a corner, from which Aaron Bennett’s excellent in-swinging delivery caused problems, before being eventually cleared.

However, in the 11th minute they went ahead as Jacob Slater crossed from the left, Joe Rodwell-Grant had a shot blocked, but it fell to Holland-Wilkinson whose shot was deflected into the net from ten yards out.

The visitors drew level on the 20-minute mark; Connor Falls making a break down the left of the penalty area before firing across James Pradic and into the bottom right-hand corner of the young Welsh ‘keeper’s goal.

But parity only remained for three minutes as North End hit back with Bennett playing a superb slide-rule pass down the right of the penalty area and Holland-Wilkinson took a shot from a very narrow angle which took a deflection off a defender and into the top left corner of the goal.

The centre forward was inches away from a hat-trick just before half-time, as Rodwell-Grant held the ball up before releasing his strike partner down a right channel. He drilled a shot from 20 yards, but it was inches wide of the right-hand post, with Giosue Bellagambi, the Town captain, beaten in the visitors’ goal.

And within seconds of the start of the second half there was another big opportunity for the young striker to take home the match ball as he again ran through, bearing down on the goal, and firing on target, only for Bellagambi to make a brilliant stop with his legs and push the ball away.

But on 49 minutes it was three as Josh Seary made a probing run and delivered a superb low ball from the right and Nelson caught it on the volley sweetly and arrowed the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal.

The visitors, who were a huge team and included trialist and former PNE Academy player Lewis Earl, forced Pradic into a good save just before the hour mark, as he denied Ernaldo Krasniqi with his legs, but he could do nothing on 63 minutes to prevent Falls grabbing his second of the afternoon, as he raced through the middle and rounded the stopper, before slotting into the empty net.

The equaliser came with eight minutes to go and it was a fine finish that Pradic could do nothing about. Substitute Cian Philpott cut in from the right and curled a left-footed effort from the edge of the box into the top left corner.

It was harsh on the PNE side, who ended the game with another two first-year scholars on the pitch – finishing with eight U17s – but it was a great effort and another tremendous learning opportunity for the young team.

PNE line-up: Pradic, Wallbank, Slater, Bennett (Best, 83), Taylor, Blanchard, Seary, O’Neill ©, Rodwell-Grant (Cross-Adair, 86), Nelson, Holland-Wilkinson (Green, 83). Subs not used: Lombard, Lewis.

Huddersfield Town line-up: Belagambi ©, Johnson, Ondo, Kherbouche (Philpott, 46), Earl, Okpolukpo, O’Brien-Brady, Krasniqi, Falls, Whittingham, Jalla (Deru, 72). Subs not used: Taylor, Stone.

Referee: Mr B Lamb

Attendance: 48

[themaclad]

We have won the league

Match Report: Fleetwood Town 2 PNE Reserves 3


Preston North End reserves were crowned Central League champions with a 3-2 victory over Fleetwood Town.

The hosts, who were league leaders at kick-off, got themselves an early lead through Danny Edwards, before Harry Nevin drew level just before half-time.

O'Neill then scored a double in the second half to put North End in control and, despite a late scare after an injury-time goal from Edwards, PNE held on for the victory.



It was mainly a side made up of U19s, as well as Tom Barkhuizen stepping up his return from injury, and PNE knew only three points would seal the league title, with any other result meaning Fleetwood would finish top.

It was a frantic start to the game, with the hosts nearly taking the lead inside two minutes, as a short pass-back to James Pradic was intercepted, but Nevin came up with a vital block to deny an early opener.

After Pradic then saved a deflected Max McMillan effort and a trialist headed wide from close range, Fleetwood eventually took the lead on eight minutes, with Edwards firing low across the face of goal and into the far corner.

North End came close to levelling on 16 minutes, as Joe Rodwell-Grant saw his shot saved and as the ball fell to Barkhuizen he couldn’t quite direct his effort on target from close range.

PNE were growing into the game and they got their reward just before the break, with an Aaron Bennett corner not being dealt with by the goalkeeper, and Nevin slammed home from six yards to draw level going into half-time.

There was a close call for PNE inside the opening few minutes of the second half, as Edwards looked like he had an open goal to put his side back in front, but a last-ditch clearance denied him.

On 54 minutes, Seary was found with a fantastic ball over the top and the referee pointed to the spot after the wing back was brought down in the area by Drew Baker, and after O’Neill’s penalty was saved, he rushed to the goalline to get the rebound and poke home.

O’Neill then got his second almost ten minutes later, as another long ball from Dana Amaral found Seary, who in turn chipped the ball into O’Neill, and the attacking midfielder slammed home first time.

PNE could have had more before the final whistle, with the likes of Aaron Bennett and Ethan Walker having chances to kill the game off, but it was the hosts who got a late goal through Edwards as he tapped home from close range.

He then so nearly drew level but Pradic somehow got a fingertip to it to earn the victory which saw North End hold on to their lead to become Central League champions.

PNE line-up: Pradic; Olosunde, Nevin (Mawene, 84), Best (Slater, 73); Seary, Amaral, Bennett, O’Neill, Coulton; Rodwell-Grant, Barkhuizen (Walker, 45 (Holland-Wilkinson, 86)). Subs not used: Lombard.

Fleetwood Town line-up: Donaghy; Thiam, Hoyle, Baker, Trialist A; Thompson, White (Khela, 76), Raffie; Edwards, Trialist B, Edwards. Subs not used: Rees, Smith, Morrison, Leggett.

Referee: Mr S Robinson.