Preston North End remain unbeaten this July after a hard-fought draw against Wrexham which saw Richard Chaplow bag his first goal of the pre-season in a dominant second half display.
It was a tough night for the Deepdale outfit with Dean Saunders' men pressing hard in the first half, Mansour Assoumani's headed effort in the fifth minute separating the sides at half-time.
But PNE were clearly the better team in the second half and after Richard Chaplow's headed equaliser on sixty minutes will count themselves unlucky not to have repeated their 2-1 win from the weekend.
Both substitute strikers Chris Brown and Jon Parkin went close in the dying moments to notching a winner and maintaining PNE's 100 per cent record but the score remained 1-1, with North End still unbeaten in pre-season.
There were five changes in Alan Irvine's line-up from the team who faced Tranmere with debutant Nicky Weaver, Darren Carter, Karl Hawley, Adam Barton, Neil Mellor running out to start for North End on a pleasant evening in North Wales.
And it was a first outing for Irishman Nolan in the midfield with Billy Jones partnering Neal Trotman in the middle of the back four and the Irish U21 captain prompting the play from the middle with Carter.
The home side's eagerness to make an impression resulted in early pressure for the North End defence to cope with, the fourth minute saw Adrian Cieslewicz almost converting an excellent cross from Welsh U21 international Neil Taylor.
It wasn't long before Nicky Weaver's goal was breached though and it was former Leeds defender and crowd favourite Mansour Assoumani who was on the end of Silvio Spann's corner at the near post to give the Dragons the lead with just five minutes on the clock.
North End gradually regrouped after the Dragons' fiery start and the effort to equal the score was typified by Chris Sedgwick's speedy run through the Wrexham midfield, the winger's final shot though went straight at Maxwell in the Wrexham goal - but notice was served of Preston's attacking intent.
But if PNE needed a reminder that they still had to overcome a goal advantage they got one in the tenth minute when summer signing Mark Jones unleashed a rasping hit from outside the box on ten minutes which Weaver did well to save.
As North End settled into the game, it was Eddie Nolan who began to look more accustomed in his new position in centre of the park. In the eighteenth minute the Irish International broke past the halfway line but with time on the ball his attempt on goal drifted wide of the left post.
His shot was the catalyst for more PNE pressure soon after with a clearance from Weaver reaching Hart on the halfway line. The right-back's excellent ball was played into the feet of Hawley and he laid it into the path of the onrushing Nolan who had the keeper to beat from ten yards but Maxwell got down well to thwart the former Blackburn man's shot. Fortunately, Nolan got a second chance but but he was falling over and his shot dribbled wide of the post for a corner.
From the resulting corner Darren Carter rifled a shot on goal which was deflected over and the small band of away supporters sensed a breakthrough. Sedgwick trotted over and swung in a well-measured setpiece, met by former Oldham defender Trotman but his downward header was inches wide of hitting the back of the Wrexham net.
By now, it was North End in the ascendency and on twenty five minutes Neil Mellor raced through from a Karl Hawley flick on and having shrugged off his marker looked set to equalise for Preston from eight yards but his low strike slipped agonisingly wide of the right post.
With PNE chasing an equaliser Wrexham sought to exploit their counter-attacks and the next two efforts on goal came from white shirted Wrexham players. Mark Jones, the main creative force for the Dragons, tested former Charlton keeper Weaver into a save fromlong distance on thirty three minutes and Neil Taylor was next to have a go from outside the area on thirty five minutes, however the terracing was the final location of his wayward shot.
Wrexham were intent on finishing the half strongly and it was their strikeforce who had the visiting goalkeeper on his toes in the last five minutes of the first half. Substitute Wolfenden picked up the ball with twenty yards and forced Weaver into a full stretch save with his low striker.
And the number 25 turned provider for Dean Saunders' men in their next attack, laying in Cieslewicz on the eighteen yard line and Weaver had to react well to his goalbound shot, palming it into the air before gathering it well.
The half ended with PNE retaliating with some pressure of their own. First, Chris Sedgwick saw his cross headed wide by Neil Mellor, signalling a final surge from North End. And the former Liverpool man started the final move of the half, sliding in the captain Davidson on hte left flank and the Scotsman's cross found Karl Hawley at the near post but the striker couldn't get enough power on his flicked effort and Maxwell collected.
Four substitutions at half-time meant chances for Chaplow, Wallace, Brown and Parkin to attempt to turn it round for North End in the second half however it was a member of the starting line-up on forty eight minutes who almost equalised first for PNE. Carter picked up the ball with twenty yards to goal and unleashed a wicked strike which just missed Maxwell's net.
North End's high-tempo start to the second period was briefly quelled by Cieslewicz a couple of minutes later with the number nine dribbling at the North End defence and giving Weaver an early test in the PNE goal and the debutant had to dive down quickly to make sure PNE stayed only a goal behind.
Chris Sedgwick was another of the starters to try and rectify the situation for PNE with an instinctive strike on goal in the fifty-fourth minute, Chaplow was the provider on that occasion but six minutes later it was a reverse of that combination which would reap rewards for PNE.
A poor clearance from goalkeeper Maxwell allowed North End to move the ball to Sedgwick in the right corner and with the freedom of North Wales, the former Rotherham winger found Chaplow at the near post and he easily headed past the Welsh U21 international to equalise for North End.
While North End were proving ever more enterprising on the flanks, they had to be wary of the threat of Cieslewicz, on seventy minutes he shot over Weaver's goal from outside the area and sixty seconds later he fed in the energetic Neil Fleming but the central midifielder could only shoot over for Saunders' men.
The substitutes had definitely made an impact for PNE with the midfield four having more possession. First Chaplow drove forward and cut his pass back to Brown but the Wrexham goalkeeper was equal to Brown's shot and got down well to keep his team in the game.
North End were putting together some lovely passing moves, and none more easing on the eye than one on seventy eight minues which saw substitute Parkin back heel a pass into the path of Carter but with the midfielder set to burst into the penaty area a white shirt got in the way and the score stayed 1-1.
It was another two replacements who combined on eighty minutes, Wallace taking advantage of a mistake from right-back Silvio Spann to dart to the byine, the winger looked set to pick out the free Parkin in the area but a lunging challenge from goalscorer Assoumani denied the big man a certain goal.
Wrexham threatened late on, and unsurprisingly it was the number nine Cieslewicz who was the threat, backheeling into the sidenetting from a Spann cross on eighty minutes and when through on goal on eighty five minutes he couldn't release his fellow striker Wolfenden and North End were safe.
The visiting side weren't ready to settle for a draw though and in the final moments both substitute strikers could have scored to get another 2-1 win. Parkin finding space brilliantly in the penalty area in the eightieth eighth minute to shoot but his curled strike, which has Maxwell beaten, went inches wide.
Parkin's strike partner Brown was the last player to have a chance to force a win for either side, Wallace breaking on the left wing and his first-time ball found Brown but the height made it awkward for the big man and his shot was saved by Maxwell.
Wrexham: Maxwell, Spann, Williamson, Assoumani, Mike Williams, Jones, Fleming, Taboubi, Taylor, Cieslewicz, Marc Williams. Subs: Leach, Edwards (For Williamson, 63), Anoruo (For Wolfenden, 84), McCluskey, Fairhurst (For Taboubi, 45), Smith, Baynes (For Cieslewicz, 88), Wolfenden (For Marc Willians, 10) Medinilla-Cabottis
Preston North End: Weaver, Hart, Davidson, Trotman, Nolan, Sedgwick, Jones, Carter, Barton, Hawley, Mellor. Subs: Lonergan, Brown (For Mellor, 45)., Chaplow (For Trotman, 45), Wallace (For Barton, 45), Smyth, Collins, Quirk, Parkin (For Brown, 45).
Referee: M. Jones, Assistant Referees: J. Swindley, P. Roszkowski
Match Stats
PNE:
Shots On Target - 7
Shots Off Target - 11
Fouls - 7
Corners - 4
Offside - 1
Possession - 53
Wrexham:
Shots On Target - 5
Shots Off Target - 7
Fouls - 8
Corners - 4
Offside - 3
Possession - 47
