[themaclad]

PNE U18 4 Port Vale U18 1
13 March 2021
Preston North End completed back-to-back wins in the North West Youth Alliance league following a 4-1 victory against Port Vale.

An own goal from Port Vale's Will Tam, Vaughn Green's strike and a Mikey O’Neil brace completed a professional performance from the young Lilywhites.

There were three changes from last week's resounding 6-0 win against Accrington Stanley, as Harry Huddart, Vaughn Green and Mikey O'Neil came into the side, with Joe Blanchard, Josh Seary and Noah Mawene making way.



PNE started the game well and had good spells of possession early on despite the harsh weather conditions. Bennett and captain for the day Lewis Leigh dictated the play for much of the opening stages.

And the home side's persistent early pressure prevailed, and they got the opening goal on eight minutes. Leigh produced a dangerous cross into the box that was converted into his own net by the helpless Tams.

Port Vale almost had an equaliser ten minutes later, springing Oliver Lombard into a smart save as he tipped a deflected header onto the bar, preventing what would have been another own goal.

The visitors looked threatening again going forward, this time clipping the outside of the post before Huddart cleared the danger.

Taz Chibaya did level it up for the away side just before half time after he curled an audacious attempt into the top corner.

Nothing separated the two sides at the break, but North End started the second half similar to the first, pressing and looking threatening every time they went forward, and their pressure was rewarded on 50 minutes.

Bennett dribbled towards the backline before threading a delicate through ball to O’Neil who converted coolly past the goalkeeper to reinstate the Lilywhites' lead.

Vale were unlucky not to be level again moments later after hitting the crossbar for the second time in the match.

As the closing stages of the game drew closer, PNE reasserted their dominance and regained a foothold in the game. Ben Dooley came close to scoring after good work from Levi Lewis, but his effort was just wide.

At the other end Lombard produced the best piece of defending of the match as he made a last-ditch sliding tackle – a challenge any centre back would have been proud of.

The only substitution of the game came with 20 minutes left to play as Ellis Jones replaced Rhys Waiters for Port Vale.

After a nervy final 10 minutes North End made sure of all three points with two minutes of regular time left to play - Vaughn Green calmy slotted home a one-on-one past Joe Collinge in The Vale goal.

It was the late-late show for Nick Harrison’s men as they added a fourth with the last kick off the game. Joe Rodwell-Grant so very often the goal scorer - turned provider for Mikey O’Neill as he had the easy task of heading home into an empty net.

Speaking after the game, Academy manager Nick Harrison reflected on what he said was a ‘well-deserved victory’.

He told PNE.Com: “It was another good result on the back of last week’s win, we showed a lot of our qualities today and you could see that from the goals we scored. It was a well-deserved victory but more importantly, I thought it was a very good performance.”

Despite having scored ten and conceded just one in their last two games, Nick said that his team are still constantly striving to improve.

“It’s a good stat,” he continued. “I do feel, though, that we could have prevented the goal we conceded, we were just a bit slow to get the block in to stop the shot.

“We are always looking at ways to create chances and score goals, we have done that well these past two games, but hopefully we can do that for the rest of the season.”

Nick also gave his thoughts on how well his side have developed so far this season.

“I’ve been pleased with how the team has developed so far throughout the season, what’s been most pleasing is we have been able to accelerate a number of young players throughout the year and they have developed well.

“We actually had two games today, we had the U18 and U16s, giving more players more opportunities and chances to play and progress.”

“Overall, I am pleased with how we have developed, I think we have played some really good football, although we have conceded some silly goals which we continue to work on, but in terms of our play and our approach, I am really pleased.”

North End will look to continue their winning run with a midweek trip to face Tranmere Rovers.

PNE line-up: Lombard; Nicholson, Mfuni, Huddart, Lewis; Leigh, Dooley; Green, Bennett, O'Neil; Rodwell-Grant.

Subs not used: Blanchard, Duggan, Amaral, Kelly.

Referee: Mr L Corns.

[themaclad]

Not one tweet from the clubs official Twitter feed today most odd ?

[themaclad]

Shrewsbury Town U18 3 PNE U18 3

A late equaliser denied the youth side all three points in a thrilling 3-3 draw at Shrewsbury Town.

North End took an early lead through Josh Seary but were pegged back by half-time after right back Jamie Spiers finished from inside the box.

The Shrews went ahead shortly after the break but Jacob Holland-Wilkinson scored an equaliser soon after, and Noah Mawene thought he had won it with his poacher’s goal, but the victory was snatched from the young Lilywhites’ hands at the death.

Seary and Mawene were the two midfield changes to the team from the midweek win against Tranmere, with Teddy Mfuni also coming in at the back.

The visitors were rewarded for a bright start in Shropshire when Aaron Bennett capitalised on a loose touch and played through Seary, who pushed into the box and slipped the ball past Jaden Bevan in the hosts’ goal.

Holland-Wilkinson will have felt he could’ve doubled the advantage when he took Mikey O’Neil’s pass smartly and worked an opening, only to shoot straight at Bevan.

Spiers drew his side level just before the half hour mark, powering a strike into the back of the net after he’d been played in on the right side of the box.

As half-time approached, striker Tom Bloxham tried his luck after turning onto his right foot on the edge of the box, sending his dipping effort just wide.

An injury-enforced substitution saw Vaughn Green replace O’Neil at the interval.

There was an instant setback for the young Lilywhites in the second 45 when Nigel Aris’ deflected shot went in, despite the best efforts of Joe Blanchard and Mfuni.

They were straight back in it though five minutes later thanks to an impressive attacking move. Mawene flicked the ball around the corner to Green, who drove forward and fed Bennett in the box. He crossed low to Holland-Wilkinson, who tapped home.

At the other end, Blanchard got back in the nick of time to block Charlie Caton’s attempt away for a corner.

The resulting ball in caused danger in the PNE box and Oliver Lombard was on hand to save point-blank from Spiers, and then also claim Edan Sears’ shot.

The pressure stayed high but the defensive resolve remained, with Blanchard this time clearing off the line with his head.

The end-to-end action didn’t let up and Mawene was next to go close. Levi Lewis smartly took a free-kick quickly, chipping it into the box, but the youngster couldn’t keep his volley down.

He didn’t have to wait long to make amends though. A corner was taken quickly to Green, who floated a cross to the back post, where Seary headed back into the six-yard box. Holland-Wilkinson stabbed it goalwards, and Mawene was quickest to react as he prodded in to give PNE the lead for the second time.

The next change for the Lilywhites saw Lewis replaced by Lewis Coulton at left back, who is building up his game time after a spell on the sidelines.

Shrewsbury continued to bombard the North End goal and Sears went close again, hitting the post with a header.

Dana Amaral came on for Bennett and was straight into the thick of it, going into a 50/50 with William Thomas, which saw the latter sent off for a second bookable offence.

An inspired Lombard produced heroics to protect the lead as the clock ticked down. First, he threw out a strong hand to stop Aris’ fierce shot, and then he flew sharply down to his left to deflect what looked a certain goal onto the post.

North End looked to counter after the corner was claimed by Lombard. His long throw played in Amaral, who sprinted into the box, but put too much on his chipped effort.

The visitors were then dealt a cruel blow in the last minute of normal time as another Lombard save fell back to the striker, and he netted to ensure it was honours even in the North West Youth Alliance league.

Despite heartbreak at the end, Academy manager Nick Harrison was delighted with how his side performed.

“I think we’ve got to take the positives from the game, I think we do,” he said. “We created a number of really good chances. We score three goals, and two of those coming from two U16 players.

“We’re probably three senior players injured, and I thought all in all it was a large part of the game where we played really well.

“The way that they played and passed the ball and created the chances is the right way to develop players at the level that we’re looking at, and I think they did that in abundance today.”

Although conceding three goals would’ve been a disappointment for the young Lilywhites, their defensive performance was one that they can be proud of, and also one that Harrison feels will serve them well in the future.

“Credit to Shrewsbury, they made the game really difficult, were very direct and played to their strengths, and created a number of chances, but I’m pleased with the way that the boys defended at times.

“We brought a couple off the line, Oliver Lombard also made a few saves, which is sometimes what you have to do so I’m pleased in terms of that.

“It’s obviously disappointing that we conceded in the last minute. I think the players have got to learn to go to an away game, a long trip, winning the game 3-2, they’ve got to learn to see that out, and for the most part they did it’s just when it really matters in the final minute.

“The message at the end was very positive, and hopefully something that the younger players, like we’ve got two young first year scholars at the back at centre half, and that’ll be a game that they can learn from. Definitely a game to learn from.”

PNE line-up: Lombard; Nicholson, Mfuni, Blanchard, Lewis (Coulton, 72); Dooley, Mawene; Seary, Bennett (Amaral, 78), O'Neil (Green, 46); Holland-Wilkinson.

Subs not used: Duggan.

[themaclad]

Salford City U18 1 PNE U18 3


PNE U18 sealed a comeback win with three second half goals away at Salford City.

The hosts drew first blood with an overhead kick which gave them the lead at the break, but a Jacob Holland-Wilkinson brace turned the game on its head.

Aaron Bennett added to the scoreline to make it five unbeaten for the young Lilywhites in March.



There were three changes to the team from last weekend’s 3-3 draw at Shrewsbury, as Lewis Coulton, Vaughn Green and a returning Harry Huddart slotted into the starting line-up.

A scrappy opening saw both sides competing to get a hold of the ball and push into their respective attacking thirds.

Captain for the day Noah Mawene attempted to get into the channels and found success from doing so, winning a free kick just outside the right side of the box.

Bennett dinked it to the far post and Joe Blanchard flicked it back across, but it was dealt with well by the hosts.

They went up the other end up and secured a corner, from which the opener was scored. The ball into the box wasn’t cleared and it fell to the centre half, who converted an acrobatic effort with 20 minutes gone.

North End sought an instant response and nearly struck back straight away when Josh Seary was played through and shot over the bar.

Seary had a clearer chance when Mawene picked him out in the box, but he could only place his strike straight at Brad Rose in the Salford goal.

An equaliser looked increasingly likely as the victors continued to press. Bennett went agonisingly close when his effort rolled just past the post.

Just before half-time Coulton whipped a teasing cross in from the left, but no one could get on the end of it.

The young Lilywhites did draw level shortly after the interval when Green sprinted down the left and crossed to Holland-Wilkinson, who finished first-time.

Both sides hit the woodwork following the goal. First, Ben Finley’s low shot bounced off the post and across the face to safety, and then Green’s fierce strike hit the outside of the upright at the other end.

The first change for North End saw Jacob Slater replace Coulton.

Salford nearly had success from a corner once more when a floated ball in caused danger in the six-yard box. Oliver Lombard appeared to be fouled but play continued and the goalkeeper recovered well to stop the eventual shot on the line.

That save proved to be crucial as Holland-Wilkinson completed the comeback soon after. The striker’s initial shot was blocked but the ball bounced back to him and he made no mistake at the second time of asking from inside the box.

Salford had barely recovered when PNE hit them with another blow. Bennett was played in and took a couple of touches before firing in off the post from just outside the box to make it two in two minutes.

North End defended their lead well and looked the more likely to score the fifth goal. Holland-Wilkinson had the opportunity to secure his hat-trick having cut in on his right but blazed over.

The full-time whistle brought the young Lilywhites their fourth win in their last five, during which time they’ve scored 21 goals.

Professional Development Phase Coach Andy Fensome put the free-scoring run down to a clinical edge in recent weeks.

“It’s not easy to score goals and we do seem to create a lot of chances in games, it’s just now that those chances seems to be paying off,” he said.

“It’s just a case of taking the chances when they come along. We’re sort of emphasising it, not particularly in training but we do obviously have crossing and finishing sessions and our forwards do their ILP’s and our midfield players take chances.

“It is good that the goals are getting shared around but when the ball goes into the box, we want people in and around it.”

Fensome believes the side recovered well from a poor start which saw them having to fight to get to grips with the game.

“It was a bit of a scrappy game, especially the first half. We didn’t start particularly well and for the opening 20 minutes I thought we were a bit slow and didn’t play to what we had talked about.

“[We were] a little bit sloppy which sort of gave them the impetus with the wind and put ourselves under a bit of pressure.

“Then the next 20 minutes we got a foothold in the game, started to pass the ball better, created some chances and caused them problems and that’s the main thing.

“What we’ve said to the lads is you’ve got to have resilience, you’ve got to show resilience. Obviously we want the results but performances are important.”

The U18s will be looking to round off an unbeaten month when they travel to Carlisle on Tuesday, which Fensome reckons will present a different kind of task.

“It’ll be very challenging,” he added. “It’s a team that will play another sort of set way. They’ll be sort of direct and have big, physically strong lads and our players have to be able to cope with that.

“That’s the biggest thing for me – we have to be able to cope with the demands that other teams put on us, and be able to emphasise our good points of play, which is our passing, our pattern of play, the movement that we have at times.

“That comes from having to battle and winning the ball back in the first place. It’s good to go into the game off the back of another win, but it’s also good that the lads are becoming a bit more resilient in the games now.”

PNE line-up: Lombard, Nicholson, Coulton (Slater 60'), Dooley, Huddart, Blanchard, Seary, Mawene, Holland-Wilkinson, Bennett, Green.

Subs not used: Duggan, Mfuni, Lewis

[themaclad]

Interesting comments by Ched that possibly some players down tools long before the end of Neil's reign Player power!!!!!

[themaclad]

Derby game 7 pm kick off

[themaclad]

Doug Holden who played in the 1964 final dies aged 90

[themaclad]

Oldham Athletic U18 2 PNE U18 4


Preston North End U18s picked up a vital three points away from home on Saturday as they defeated North West Youth Alliance League opponents Oldham Athletic 4-2.

Goals from Jacob Holland-Wilkinson, Kyi Nicholson, Noah Mawene and Mikey O’Neil completed a second half turnaround from the young Lilywhites, as they got back to much-needed winning ways.

There were three changes to the side from last weekend's visit defeat to Bolton Wanderers as Josh Seary, Lewis Coulton and Harry Nevin returned to the side – the latter making his first start since November after recovering from a long-term injury.



It was the hosts who started off the brighter of the two sides and they took the lead on five minutes after Ben Hough’s cross was glanced on by Isaac Modi – despite his best efforts, Oliver Lombard was unable to keep the looping header out.

The Latics almost added a second moments later through Modi again, this time Lombard won the battle of the two and managed to keep the forward's close-range strike from crossing the line.

It was not until the 27th minute that North End started to assert their authority on the game – Ben Dooley was becoming more influential on the ball and Nicholson had a curling effort flash just wide of the post.

In additional time at the end of the first half, Dooley made a bursting run into the box before being brought down for a spot kick. Holland-Wilkinson stepped up and coolly converted the ball past Mackenzie Chapman in the Oldham goal, seeing the sides enter the break level.

The second half began much like the first, bursting straight into life with yet another early goal, this time from James Simms, who tapped in from inside the six-yard box after the ball ricocheted off Lombard and straight back to the forward who couldn’t miss.

Oldham almost had daylight in the tie only to be denied by North Ends No.1 – diving low to keep out Hough on 51 minutes.

The move of the match came after 53 minutes when Dooley latched onto some loose defending from the Latics before releasing a pass to Mawene. He assisted Nicholson, who made no mistake in finishing the impressive move, sliding the ball into the bottom right corner.

The first substitutions of the game were made just on the hour mark as Vani Da Silva and Joseph Edwards were replaced by Jake Forshaw and Harry Vaughan for the home side.

The changes only seemed to motivate North End more as they completed the comeback to make it 3-2 on 62 minutes. Mawene was picked out by Holland-Wilkinson and he buried the chance on the volley from inside the box. It wasn’t an easy finish, but he certainly made it look that way.

With the scoreline a delicate one at 3-2, the away side remained positive and a change of formation and shape for the Lilywhites saw defender Harry Nevin replaced by O’Neil.

Just 30 seconds after entering the field of play, O’Neill had the ball in the back of the net after converting a cross from a corner, much to the delight of the coaches on the sideline, who helped play a part in the super-sub’s fast and effective contribution.

Holland-Wilkinson and Nicholson went close to making it five for PNE but neither could keep their shots down and on target.

The final change of the match with five minutes remaining when Lewis Coulton was replaced by Vaughn Green.

A big second half performance from the Lilywhites ensured they left Oldham with all three points.

Speaking after to PNE.Com after the game, Academy manager Nick Harrison said his side's game plan didn’t change in the second half despite trailing for the majority of the opening 45 minutes.

Nick said: “We didn’t change how we played in the second half compared to the first, the game plan didn’t change, I think second half we were just crisper with our passing and more clinical.”

“I thought the players responded brilliantly to going a goal down in the first half and also conceding just after half time, the players really stuck to the task, believed in themselves, and created good opportunities that allowed us to go on and win the game.”

Harrison played down credit to himself for the substitution of Mikey O’Neill that led to the fourth and final goal, insisting that full credit goes to the striker for his involvement.

Nick said: “Its brilliant from Mikey, this is what we expect from our forward players when we send them onto the pitch, it’s to score.

“Whether it’s with the first touch or 20th touch, we hope the players make an impact and credit to Mikey he has done that today and finished his chance nicely.”

North End next face Rochdale away in the North West Youth Alliance League on Tuesday afternoon.

PNE U18 line-up: Lombard; Seary, Nevin (O'Neil, 69), Blanchard, Coulton (Green, 85); Huddart, Leigh; Nicholson, Mawene, Dooley; Holland-Wilkinson.

Subs not used: Mfuni, Duggan, Bennett.

Referee: Mr K Hum.

[themaclad]

PNE U18 3 Rochdale AFC U18 1

Preston North End got back to winning ways after beating Rochdale 3-1 during Saturday's North West Youth Alliance league clash.

Goals from Noah Mawene, Jacob Holland-Wilkinson and Joe Rodwell-Grant ensured the lilywhites avenged their midweek defeat to the same opposition with a more clinical performance today.

Before kick-off, a minute's silence was observed by all in attendance in respect of the passing of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

The sides were facing each other for the second time in the space of four days, with two changes to the North End XI that narrowly lost out in midweek; Josh Seary and Noah Mawene returning to the starting fold, while Joe Rodwell-Grant was back from injury and on the bench for the first time in a month.

It was North End who started the brighter of the two teams when a lapse in concentration led to a mix-up in the defence for Rochdale – Noah Mawene had the easy task of heading home into an empty net to put the hosts 1-0 up.

The visitors responded well to going behind and almost drew the game level five minutes after the restart – Lombard producing his first save of the match with a blocked leg.

Moments later and North End were back in control, first as Mawene made a mazy run, dribbling past two Dale defenders before dragging a shot just wide of the post. Ben Dooley had a similar situation seconds later, but unfortunately, he couldn’t convert.

As the first half entered its closing stages, Rochdale began to threaten the PNE goal and almost levelled the scores just before the break, only to be denied by a sliding last-ditch challenge by Harry Nevin – The Irishman continuing his impressive comeback from injury.


The start of the second half saw the first change of the game when left back Lewis Coulton was replaced by Wales youth international Aaron Bennett on 50 minutes, and the substitute almost made an instant impact when he collected the ball in a dangerous area, but his strike was straight at The Dale No.1.

PNE did secure a two-goal cushion on 56 minutes when Holland-Wilkinson tapped the ball into an empty net after impressive link-up play by Bennett, who squared it across the box for his team-mate, leaving the ‘keeper with no chance.

It looked like North End were about to secure all three points just 30 seconds later when the in-form Holland-Wilkinson went through on goal - this time, the ‘keeper won the battle between the two.

After an eventful 10 minutes since coming on as a substitute, Bennett was forced off due to injury and replaced by Mikey O’Neill.

Rochdale managed to pull a goal back on 65 minutes after a teasing cross was met by the Dale forward who powered a header into the top corner, giving the visitors some hope of a late comeback, despite PNE's dominance.

Moments later, Kyi Nicholson found space on the right wing before chopping inside and attempting a lob that almost caught the goalkeeper out, but fortunately for the Rochdale shot stopper it sailed just over the bar.

A final Lilywhites change saw Ben Dooley replaced by Joe-Rodwell Grant on 76 minutes, and it took just ten minutes for the substitute to impact the game, and quite a big one it was. The forward made no mistake when he went through one-on-one with the goalkeeper, calmly slotting the ball into the bottom corner.

An impressive display by the young Lilywhites ensured they picked up all three points this time around against Rochdale, avenging for Tuesday's narrow defeat.

Speaking to PNE.Com after the game, Nick Harrison praised his players after a ‘much better performance’ against Rochdale, following on from the midweek defeat to the same side.

Nick said: “It was a much better performance today, we had a lot of players come back into the team that were absent from Tuesday’s game, which helped us, and the surface was different, I think it suited us more.

“On Tuesday, we conceded four poor goals, today we were much better defensively. We also played some really good football in parts. Of course, I’m pleased with the performance of the team, along with the result.”

Despite facing the same team twice in a week, Harrison said his team's approach to the game never changed.

Nick said: “It was different for us because we normally don’t play the same team so close together but the approach to the game was the same, we challenged the players in training as we always do.

“We talked about where we went wrong in the previous game and made sure we were better today and you could see that, we encouraged the players to get on the ball and create opportunities which enabled us to go on and win the game.”

PNE U18 line-up: Lombard; Seary, Nevin, Blanchard, Coulton (Bennett, 50 (O'Neill, 60)); Huddart, Dooley (Rodwell-Grant, 76); Nicholson, Mawene ©, Leigh; Holland-Wilkinson.

Subs not used: Mfuni, Duggan.

Referee: Mr M Clarke.

[themaclad]

PNE U18 4 Tranmere Rovers 4


A late Tranmere Rovers equaliser forced the youth team to settle for a draw in a thrilling eight-goal season-concluder at Springfields.

The young Lilywhites took the lead from the spot through Joe Rodwell-Grant and despite being pegged back they went into the break in front thanks to Noah Mawene’s tap-in on the stroke of half-time.

Jacob Holland-Wilkinson added another before the visitors fought back to make it 3-3, then Mawene’s second of the morning looked to have won it for North End, but it was spoils shared come the final whistle.

The line-up for the final match of the 2020/21 campaign was unchanged from last time out against Walsall.

Rodwell-Grant was making himself a nuisance for the Tranmere defence in the early going, backing into the opposition and winning a free kick which Lewis Leigh put over.

The striker should’ve got the opener when Holland-Wilkinson picked him out from the right, but the goalkeeper somehow saved his effort from a few yards out.

The hosts came even closer to going ahead when Lewis Coulton whipped an inch-perfect cross to the back post and Mawene headed onto the post. The ball came out to Holland-Wilkinson who opted to square it to Rodwell-Grant, but the defender intercepted.

Just before the half-hour mark Ben Dooley picked up on a loose touch from a wayward goal kick and pushed into the box, prompting the centre half to chop him down and the referee to award a penalty.

Rodwell-Grant stepped up and sent James Dinley the wrong way, placing the ball into the bottom right corner.

The PNE frontline continued to flirt with the Tranmere goalmouth and Holland-Wilkinson’s snapshot volley struck the bar and looped over.

It had been one-way traffic for most of the opening 45 but Tranmere found a leveller as half-time approached. A low cross from the left went all the way across the pitch, where Dee Rhami picked it up and took a shot which deflected in.

They nearly completed the turnaround when Keyni Mills broke clear, but his low effort went just wide of the left post.

It was North End who made it 2-1, though. Leigh played the ball over the top to Holland-Wilkinson, who cut inside and, in the process, nutmegged the defender before curling an effort towards the top right corner. The shot was saved, but the rebound fell to Mawene and he took a touch before passing it into the net.

Tranmere got inventive after the break as they looked to get back into it, deploying a free kick technique which involved the two players stood over the ball pretending to both go to take it, before quickly crossing whilst looking at each other bemused. Their efforts were in vain though, as Ethan Gouldbourne headed over.

Holland-Wilkinson drew his side further ahead, tapping into an empty net from Dooley’s cutback after the midfielder had rounded the ‘keeper.

The two-goal lead didn’t last long, however. Mills once again broke clear and this time the striker did find the target, firing in at the front post.

The first change for the young Lilywhites saw Mikey O’Neil replace Harry Huddart.

Another chance went begging when Holland-Wilkinson stole the ball off Dinley and played it to Mawene, who took too much time to make his mind up on whether to shoot or pass, and his eventual ball to Rodwell-Grant was intercepted.

The missed chances caught up with the home side and another Tranmere break brought the game level once more. Oliver Lombard saved from Ryan Stratulis’ stinging shot, but Cameron Ferguson was on hand to head home the rebound.

Neither side held back as they searched for another goal. Rodwell-Grant’s deflected shot hit the bar, and a minute later Lombard produced an impressive double save at the other end.

Mawene looked certain to score again when he rode a challenge and had a clear sight of goal, but his shot was blocked and it bounced off a couple of bodies before going for a corner.

Leigh floated the set-piece to the back post and Mawene made no mistake this time, powering his header into the top corner to make it 4-3.

Two more changes were made after the goal, with Dana Amaral and Jacob Slater coming on for Dooley and Holland-Wilkinson.

It looked as though the three points were secured, but it wasn’t to be. The ball was cut back from the left to the edge of the box and substitute John James got on the end of it and shot low for his side’s third equaliser of the match.

O’Neil went agonisingly close to scoring the game’s ninth goal in added time when his curling left-footed shot was heading for the top left corner, but Dinley got his fingertips on it and diverted it onto the post.

The full-time whistle brought the conclusion of a nonstop, relentless contest, and also the season for PNE U18.

Speaking after the match, Academy manager Nick Harrison said: “We’re obviously disappointed to draw the game, but we’re pleased with how we performed in the game because I thought we dominated it.

“We passed the ball well, opened Tranmere up and when they were sat deep, we created some good chances. We showed some real quality. What we didn’t do enough is, we weren’t clinical.

“We should’ve had scored seven or eight. But in terms of the result, you shouldn’t have to score seven or eight to win a game, and probably the only disappointing bit about today, and finishing the season, is that we conceded the four goals and how we conceded them. All four could’ve been avoided.

“Ultimately, to win games, which is what football is all about, you’ve got to stop the opposition from scoring, and we just didn’t do that well enough today.”

Reflecting on the campaign as a whole, Harrison added: “Really pleased with the season. I think the positives are that we’ve seen a lot of the younger players step up, the likes of Noah Mawene and Josh Seary, both U16 players, and we’ve seen some of the first years really develop.

“It’s been a really difficult season with Covid and the restrictions. I think it’s been a real positive throughout the season, the way that we’ve played.

“We’ve scored lots of goals and we’ll continue to work on that and keep developing the players, and we’re already planning and looking forward to next season.”

PNE U18 Line-Up: Lombard, Nicholson, Coulton, Huddart (O’Neil 68), Nevin, Blanchard, Dooley (Amaral 85), Leigh, Rodwell-Grant, Mawene, Holland-Wilkinson (Slater 87)

Subs not used: Duggan, Mfuni