Under-18s Slip To Narrow Loss At Victory Park
: Shrewsbury Town v Wrexham (Football League Youth Alliance - North West league, Saturday 14 November, Shrewsbury Sports Village, 11am kick-off).NEXT FIXTUREBOOKED: Roberts (80), Earl (90).
GOALS: Boyd (4), Lunney (8).
UNUSED SUBS: Jack Burgoyne, Lewis Fensome.
: Matthew Hudson (GK); Oliver Crankshaw, Sean Whelan (C), Lamin Jagne (Josh Earl, 66), Ben Roberts, Adam Robinson, Dylan Davidson, Melle Meulensteen, Tom Barry (Michael Howard, 82), James Boyd, Jonathan Lunney. PRESTON NORTH END LINE-UP
BOOKED: Ryan Sears (81)
GOALS: Hassall (78).
UNUSED SUBS: Jacob Rammell, Nathan Millis.
: Leon Reece (GK); Jack Butts (Joel Bonner, 89), Callum Roberts, Ryan Sears, Callum Grogan (C), Joel Carta (Ryan Barnett, 45), Chris Gallagher, Tom King (Mathew Jones, 45), George Hassall, John McAtee, Ethan Jones. SHREWSBURY TOWN LINE-UP
FULL-TIME: Preston North End 2-0 Shrewsbury Town
The result was the young Shrews' first defeat in three.
Town were unable to carve out a clear opening in search of an equaliser and Reece had to pull off two superb saves to deny Preston a third in injury time.
Gallagher whipped in a corner from the left, Grogan headed against the bar, it fell for Ryan Sears who also headed against the bar before Hassall then drilled inside the six-yard box at the third attempt.
Town did manage to halve the deficit in the 78th minute, though, after a goalmouth scramble.
Ethan Jones then thought he had made it 2-1 when McAtee squared the ball across goal from the right, but Jones was denied with an effort from close range at the far post.
Shrewsbury had the first chance of the second period as forward John McAtee turned and shot over the bar from the edge of the box in the 50th minute.
HALF-TIME: Preston North End 2-0 Shrewsbury Town
And North End held their two-goal advantage heading into the break.
Ethan Jones then went even closer to getting Town on the scoresheet but his powerful low strike inside the box hit the goalkeeper and came back off the near right post.
Hassall then had a chance to halve the deficit in the 38th minute but his low shot inside the box was straight Preston goalkeeper Matthew Hudson.
At the other end, Gallagher swung in a free-kick from the right and defender Callum Grogan hooked a volley just wide of the far post.
Town goalkeeper Leon Reece had to beat away a strike from Preston's Melle Meulensteen from the inside right in the 28th minute after some one-touch football from the Lilywhites.
There were then strong penalty claims for the young Shrews as Ethan Jones looked to be brought down from behind on the inside right of the penalty area by Adam Robinson, but the referee waved away the protests.
Town's first real effort saw Chris Gallagher bend a free-kick into the 'keeper's hands from the edge of the box in the 18th minute.
The Lilywhites then doubled their lead in the 8th minute as Davidson pulled the ball back across the turf from the right and Lunney arrived to smash low under the goalkeeper from just inside the box.
Dylan Davidson rifled in a cross from the right side of the penalty area and Boyd has a simple header to finish from inside the six-yard box to give the hosts the lead.
Shrewsbury kicked-off the match in rainy conditions in Lancashire although it was Preston who struck first inside four minutes.
FIRST HALF
Joel Bonner, Josh Agbozo and Joe Kenton all missed out in place of Callum Grogan, Tom King and George Hassall.
Head of Academy coaching Ian Dawes made three changes to the side which beat Wrexham in the Youth Alliance Cup a week before.
TEAM NEWS
Town did pull a goal back through striker George Hassall late on, but there was no equaliser to follow as the young Shrews suffered their first defeat in three (in all competitions).
First-half goals from James Boyd and Jonathan Lunney were enough to give the Lilywhites all three points in the clash at Victory Park - the home of Chorley Football Club.
Shrewsbury Town slipped to a narrow defeat at Preston North End in the Football League Youth Alliance - North West league on Saturday.