A North End XI capped off pre-season with a 3-0 win against Phil Brown’s Lancaster City at Giant Axe.
First year scholar Lewis Fensome opened the scoring midway through the first half, heading home fellow youth team man Dylan Davidson’s left wing corner at the back post.
Simon Makienok then picked up his first goal in PNE colours, coolly controlling and firing a low shot into the bottom right corner from ten yards out.
The third and final goal was a wonderfully crafted goal involving five youth team players, capped off by Melle Meulensteen’s strike into the top left hand corner from 12 yards out.
The Lilywhites with a strong starting line-up, containing summer signings Tommy Spurr and Simon Makienok, were the only real attacking threat in the first half, creating eight chances and nine corners all before the first 45 minutes were up.
Makienok went close to notching his first goal in PNE colours 12 minutes in when his downward
header was blocked on the line by a defender, after rising high to meet Jordan Hugill’s right wing cross.
The opener came on 22 minutes when Alan Browne won a corner with a deflected shot; Davidson pushed the ball deep and Fensome headed down at the back post, the ball bouncing up into the top right corner.
The young defender almost had two within 90 seconds as Makienok headed down Davidson’s corner from the left and the 16-year-old, wearing No.5, powered a shot goalwards that the Dolly Blues keeper made a fine save from at close range.
Just before the half hour mark Hugill was played in on goal by Alan Browne, after a surging run from midfield by the Irish No.8, but the striker fired over Luke Raybould’s crossbar from 20 yards out with a left foot shot.
Just before the interval the eighth Davidson corner came in from the left and Dane Makienok rose high again in the box to make a powerful downward header, but once again Raybould produced an excellent stop to keep the score 1-0.
Eight minutes after the break and PNE should have been given a chance to make it two when some poor officiating missed a blatant pull back on Dylan Davidson, whose trickery had got him free in the penalty area, only to have his shirt pulled back. It should have been an obvious penalty, but match official Emmanual Edit missed it and waved ‘play on’.
It was still all PNE and Jordan Hugill forced a flying stop out of the Lancaster No.1 when he volleyed Adam Robinson’s right wing cross towards the top left corner, only for the custodian to just get across and hold the ball.
With the hour mark approaching the Giant Axe faithful were given a chance to almost see their side draw level as Connerton met a cross from the right and Mat Hudson made a close range block.
But within seconds it was 2-0 as substitute Joshua Earl crossed from the left and Simon Makienok controlled the ball, pulled it down and slotted calmly into the bottom right hand corner for his first goal in PNE colours.
In the penultimate minute it was 3-0 and a brilliantly worked goal capped off by Melle Meulensteen. Five of the youth team players who had come on in the last 20 minutes combined with Tom Barry finally splitting the home defence for the midfielder to march through and fire hard and high into the top left hand corner – a fitting way to end pre-season.
PNE line-up: Hudson, Smith, Spurr (Wood, 82), Welsh (c) (Meulensteen, 78), Fensome (Kwateng, 82), Davies, A Robinson (Earl, 59), Browne (Smart, 78), Makienok (Barry, 76), Hugill (Howard, 73), Davidson. Subs: Roberts.
Lancaster City line-up: Raybould, Henry (Hudson, 70), Clark, Anderson, Davis, Russell (Waters, 63), Akrigg, Gregory (Crolla, 33), Connerton, Cummings (Wills, 55), Watson (Shearwood, 55). Subs not used: Westwood, Livingstone.
Attendance: 274
Referee: Emmanueal Edit
Simon Makienok then picked up his first goal in PNE colours, coolly controlling and firing a low shot into the bottom right corner from ten yards out.
The third and final goal was a wonderfully crafted goal involving five youth team players, capped off by Melle Meulensteen’s strike into the top left hand corner from 12 yards out.
The Lilywhites with a strong starting line-up, containing summer signings Tommy Spurr and Simon Makienok, were the only real attacking threat in the first half, creating eight chances and nine corners all before the first 45 minutes were up.
Makienok went close to notching his first goal in PNE colours 12 minutes in when his downward
header was blocked on the line by a defender, after rising high to meet Jordan Hugill’s right wing cross.
The opener came on 22 minutes when Alan Browne won a corner with a deflected shot; Davidson pushed the ball deep and Fensome headed down at the back post, the ball bouncing up into the top right corner.
The young defender almost had two within 90 seconds as Makienok headed down Davidson’s corner from the left and the 16-year-old, wearing No.5, powered a shot goalwards that the Dolly Blues keeper made a fine save from at close range.
Just before the half hour mark Hugill was played in on goal by Alan Browne, after a surging run from midfield by the Irish No.8, but the striker fired over Luke Raybould’s crossbar from 20 yards out with a left foot shot.
Just before the interval the eighth Davidson corner came in from the left and Dane Makienok rose high again in the box to make a powerful downward header, but once again Raybould produced an excellent stop to keep the score 1-0.
Eight minutes after the break and PNE should have been given a chance to make it two when some poor officiating missed a blatant pull back on Dylan Davidson, whose trickery had got him free in the penalty area, only to have his shirt pulled back. It should have been an obvious penalty, but match official Emmanual Edit missed it and waved ‘play on’.
It was still all PNE and Jordan Hugill forced a flying stop out of the Lancaster No.1 when he volleyed Adam Robinson’s right wing cross towards the top left corner, only for the custodian to just get across and hold the ball.
With the hour mark approaching the Giant Axe faithful were given a chance to almost see their side draw level as Connerton met a cross from the right and Mat Hudson made a close range block.
But within seconds it was 2-0 as substitute Joshua Earl crossed from the left and Simon Makienok controlled the ball, pulled it down and slotted calmly into the bottom right hand corner for his first goal in PNE colours.
In the penultimate minute it was 3-0 and a brilliantly worked goal capped off by Melle Meulensteen. Five of the youth team players who had come on in the last 20 minutes combined with Tom Barry finally splitting the home defence for the midfielder to march through and fire hard and high into the top left hand corner – a fitting way to end pre-season.
PNE line-up: Hudson, Smith, Spurr (Wood, 82), Welsh (c) (Meulensteen, 78), Fensome (Kwateng, 82), Davies, A Robinson (Earl, 59), Browne (Smart, 78), Makienok (Barry, 76), Hugill (Howard, 73), Davidson. Subs: Roberts.
Lancaster City line-up: Raybould, Henry (Hudson, 70), Clark, Anderson, Davis, Russell (Waters, 63), Akrigg, Gregory (Crolla, 33), Connerton, Cummings (Wills, 55), Watson (Shearwood, 55). Subs not used: Westwood, Livingstone.
Attendance: 274
Referee: Emmanueal Edit