North End signed off from their USA tour with a last ditch defeat against Portland Timbers at PGE Park thanks to late penalty awarded harshly against Matt Hill.
The Lilywhites did well on a difficult artificial surface and played some good football and looked the better side in the first half, but a second half double from the home side's Matt Taylor cancelled out Brett Ormerod's opener.
Paul Simpson's side, in all red, started brightly and Jason Jarrett broke onto a pass from Danny Pugh to get free in a left hand channel. He had support from Joe Anyinsah on the edge of the box and looked to slide it into the No.7 but it was blocked when a shot was perhaps on the cards for Jarrett.
North End won the first corner in the 11th minute and from it the opening goal came. Lewis Neal swung the ball in left-footed and it eventually found its way back to him in the right hand corner of the box. He jinked his way into space and stood the ball up for both Sean St.Ledger and Brett Ormerod six yards out who stood unmarked and showing striker's instincts Brett nodded over the Timbers' keeper into the top left hand corner.
The Timbers came into the game a little more after the goal and Lawrence Olum headed just wide from Matt Taylor's cross in the 19th minute, but North End continued to look the more threatening and Patrick Agyemang, again looking strong, saw a super effort from 40 yards fly just wide after controlling the ball on his chest and volleying the ball on the spin.
The home side's best moment of the first half came in the 28th minute. They were awarded a free kick 30 yards out and the Timbers' skipper Andrew Gregor, who looked their best player, curled a left footed free kick right off the stanchion of post and bar, beating Andy Lonergan. The ball came out to Tom Taylor who scissor kicked it back towards goal, but again it came off the bar and North End were able to clear.
The second half started well for the Timbers and they were back on level terms within 90 seconds when a long ball was played over the top for Matt Taylor to run onto. Andy Lonergan rushed out but Taylor managed to nick the ball past him and stroke into the empty net from 20 yards under pressure from PNE kipper for the night Liam Chilvers.
Brett Ormerod was booked for North End for arguing with the officials and Taylor almost made 2-1 with 52 minutes gone, his pace taking him again past Lonergan, but this time it was Chilvers who got back to make a great sliding tackle and put the ball out for a corner.
On the hour mark North End got a chance through Billy Jones, who headed just wide from Danny Pugh's cross and then Jason Jarrett played a superb 1-2 with Patrick Agyemang before chipping the ball to the back post to Ormerod. His volley was superbly saved by Elfvin in the home side's goal and Agyemang couldn't quite connect properly with the overhead.
Whaley, Alexander, Collins and Hill all got on in the closing stages, but it was the home side who finished stronger, firstly they had a goal wrongly disallowed for offside after a back pass by Billy Jones and then in the final minute of injury time the sucker punch.
Kreamalmeyer went down the right hand side past Matt Hill and went down in the right hand corner of the box, Mr Pfeffercorn the referee adjudged it to have been a foul and pointed to the spot. Matt Taylor stepped up and sent Lonergan the wrong way much to the delight of most of the 8,238 crowd.
North End still had time for one last chance and Brett Ormerod tested out Reese, the Timbers' sub keeper, from Danny Pugh's shot, but in the end it proved not to be their night and the tour ended with a defeat at PGE Park.
PNE line-up: Lonergan, Jones, St. Ledger, Chilvers (Collins, 83), Pugh; Anyinsah (Whaley, 63), Jarrett (Hill, 85), Nowland, L Neal; Agyemang (Alexander, 74), Ormerod. Sub Not Used: Henderson.
Portland Timbers line-up: Elfvin (Reese, 75), S Thompson (Meissner, 54), Knowles (Marcum, 45), Morrison, Higgins; Olum (Kreamalmeyer, 57), Dombrowski, Gregor (Hague, 45), T Taylor (Ready, 74); M Taylor, Harrington (Ambriz, 81).
Referee: Andres Pfefferkorn
Attendance: 8,8238
