North End continued their positive start to pre-season with victory over Bamber Bridge.
At the newly christened Sir Tom Finney Stadium, Jordan Hugill scored his first goal for the Club after 12 minutes before Josh Brownhill extended the visitors' lead from the penalty spot in the second half.
The Lilywhites scored with the first meaningful attack of the match, John Welsh’s perfectly delivered free kick met by the head of Hugill who got across his marker to nod home from close range.
The goal seemed to be the catalyst for a slightly more open contest, Lee Dovey flapping at another Welsh cross from the left before Brig had their first sight of goal, Steel seeing his shot from distance deflected over Steven James’ crossbar for a corner.
The early goal had instilled Hugill full of confidence, and the summer recruit from Port Vale flashed his next effort just wide of Dovey’s left hand post from long range in the 25th minute.
On the half hour mark Chris Humphrey showed what he is capable of with a direct, pacey run before cutting inside and drilling his shot off the base of the Bamber Bridge post.
The hosts' goal was beginning to live a charmed life, and Hugill again came close, flicking the ball over his marker before Dovey smothered his shot.
That duo then teamed up in the 36th minute when the Jamaican international got to the byline before standing up a cross for the PNE No.25 but Hugill headed over.
Keith Keane was next to target the 22-year old who was terrorising the Brig defence, but he volleyed over from the penalty spot after finding space in the box.
The Lilywhites began the second half in the same fashion they finished the first, on the front foot, Joel Byrom firing wide before half-time substitute Nick Anderton, on for Will Hayhurst, caused the Brig backline one or two problems lurking at the back post.
Josh Sampson also entered the fray at the break for Scott Wiseman.
If the home side discussed finding ways to stop Hugill during the interval, they needed another plan, as this one was proving to be ineffective, the striker bursting clear from a long Ben Davies header before
shooting straight at Dovey.
Youngsters Alan Bronwe and Brownhill replaced Welsh and Scott Laird on the hour mark as Preston looked to convert their pressure in to goals.
And Jack Ryan came inches away from doing just that when he headed wide after Humphrey’s blistering run down the right.
Brig had a glorious chance to make the Lilywhites pay for their missed chances in the 65th minute when Buchan found space inside the six-yard-box but he headed over from a corner kick.
A flurry of PNE substitutions then followed, James, Keane, Humphrey, Byrom and Hugill being replaced by Ross Dalton, Sam Livsey, Luke Pritchard, Brad Roscoe and Clive Smith.
Ryan almost doubled North End’s lead in the 73rd minute when he fizzed a shot from the edge of the area over before the opportunity was presented to Brownhill to do just that.
Anderton showed fantastic skill to spin over the ball and into the area before being clipped, allowing Saturday’s goalscorer to smash the resulting spot kick down the middle to double North End’s lead.
Brownhill stung the palms of Dovey just minutes later from distance before Ryan once again came close, bending his side footed shot inches wide.
Dovey then made a smart stop, tipping Brownhill’s quick free kick from at least 30 yards onto the crossbar as PNE accelerated towards the finish line in what was a good workout for Simon Grayson’s men.
PNE line-up: James, Keane (Roscoe 71), Laird (Browne 60), Wiseman (Sampson 46), Humphrey (Livsey 71), Byrom (Pritchard 71), Welsh (c) (Brownhill 60), Davies, Hayhurst (Anderton 46), Hugill (Smith 71), Ryan
Bamber Bridge line-up: Dovey, Mahoney (Atherton 46), Bowyer, Lawlor (Doughty 46), Steel (Parish 46), Kay (c) (Reynolds 65), Waddecar, Thompson, Vasy (Johnstone 46), Bell (Buchan 65), Marlow (Alexander 46)
Attendance: 1,428
Referee: Neil Swarbrick