Preston North End were beaten 1-0 by Tranmere Rovers in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Euxton.
PNE enjoyed the better of the chances, with Monday’s signings Ben Woodburn and Robbie Brady both coming close for their new side in the first half.
However, Jon Nolan scored the only goal of the game for the visitors with ten minutes to go.
North End were on top in the early stages in particular, with both Ben Whiteman and Emil Riis testing the goalkeeper in the opening ten minutes.
New signing Woodburn then had a good chance on 19 minutes, with a nice move culminating with the former Liverpool man hitting a first-time effort just wide.
Brady soon came close himself, seeing a left-footed strike from 20 yards parried by the goalkeeper.
Riis tried his luck with a speculative effort five minutes later, picking the ball up just inside the Tranmere half and attempting to catch the ‘keeper off his line, but his effort was high and wide.
Kieron Morris had two chances for Rovers, the first of which he fired wide, before on 42 minutes he weaved in and out of the North End defence, but a block on his shot took all the sting off it before it reached Freddie Woodman in goal.
Brady had the last chance of the half, getting on the end of Potts’ cutback, however his shot didn’t quite have the desired power and was saved by Mateusz Hewelt.
Lewis Coulton was one of four changes at the break and he was almost provider for Riis within three minutes, finding the Dane at the front post, but Hewelt collected his shot.
Another of the substitutes, Aaron Bennett saw a low strike saved at the near post, and the young professional continued to be involved in a lot of North End’s attacking play in the second half.
It was the visitors who made the breakthrough though, as a cross from the left was cleared only to Nolan inside the area and the midfielder fired past Dai Cornell for the match-winner.
PNE line-up: Woodman (Cornell, 45); Storey, Lindsay (Bauer, 45), Hughes (Cunningham, 63); Potts (Olosunde, 63), Whiteman (Seary, 71), Woodburn (O’Neill, 76), Johnson (Amaral, 63), Brady (Coulton, 45); O’Neill (Bennett, 45), Riis (Mawene, 64).
Sub not used: Pradic.