Preston North End Reserves 0
Wrexham Reserves 1
Central League (West Division)

Match Report

Another strong reserve team travelled north up the M6 to Preston North End for this Pontin’s League encounter and returned home with three points. After surviving a number of scares throughout the ninety minutes the home side were finally undone thanks to a late penalty from Alex Darlington after Mike Carvill had been brought down in the box.

It was a game that also marked the return from injury of both Steve Evans and Rob Duffy, the pair having being sidelined for several weeks.
Carvill was quickly into the action, making himself a nuisance to the Preston defence, and getting a few shots away that needed keeper Chris Neal to deal with. From a Silvio Spann corner on 12 minutes, Evans rose to send a thunderous header inches over the home crossbar from 12-yards.

A long ball down the middle saw Rob Duffy out jumped, but the ball only carried as far as the lively Carvill who forced another good save from Neal. From the resulting corner Evans once again jumped highest, but this time the ball came rebounding off the crossbar! The Reds should have taken the lead on 21 minutes when Duffy’s header was knocked wide into the path of Josh Johnson, but with an open goal beckoning the Trinidadian side footed wide from five-yards.

On 35 minutes, Neal made a full-length diving save to cut out a Spann shot that looked certain for the far corner, and the Lilywhites hit back with their best effort on 41 minutes, when Lewis Neal crossed from the left wing and centre forward Tom Smyth got in an unchallenged header which passed only inches wide of the near post

A switch at the interval saw Lee Jones sent on for the impressive Steve Evans. On 51 minutes, Mark Jones surged into the home penalty box and as he prepared to shoot centre half Neil Trottman, a £500,000 January buy from Oldham, just managed to get a boot across him to nudge the ball away. On 61 minutes, the Reds were awarded a free kick just outside the box, but Spann’s effort deflected off the wall and away for a corner. The flag kick was sent towards the near post where Lee Jones pushed it on towards the edge of the area where Duffy sent in a goal bound effort that was cleared off the line.

Shortly afterwards, Robbie Garrett freed Carvill on the wing and his cross was knocked back only as far as Spann on the edge of the box, but the midfielder’s first time effort spun a yard wide of the target. The home side’s goal survived again on 67 minutes when Johnson broke on the left and drew keeper Neal wide, he lifted his cross to the back post where Spann headed back for Duffy, but the big striker wanted too much time and somehow Ray Shearwood threw his body in the way to block the effort from six-yards.

Wrexham broke quickly from a Preston corner and Johnson stretched the home defence and saw his rasping drive from the edge of the box sting the fingers of Neal in the North End goal. Then with five minutes remaining came the game’s crucial moment when Trottman tripped Carvill from behind in the box and the referee duly pointed to the spot. Up stepped Alex Darlington to take responsibility and send Neal the wrong way with the resulting penalty kick. Spann almost added a second goal when rounding the home keeper, but despite being forced wide he still managed to curl the ball into the goalmouth, only for full back Michael Hart to head off his own line.