Preston North End U19s midfielder Noah Mawene scored the first of four goals as his side thrashed Accrington Stanley at Springfields.
After just four minutes, the 17-year-old was in the right place to sweep home Josh Seary’s cut-back and get his name on the scoresheet.
He played a pivotal role in the centre of the park for the rest of the match as the Lilywhites stormed to a commanding 4-0 victory.
But despite the resounding scoreline, Mawene felt they didn’t perform as well as they are capable.
“I feel like we’ve had better games in all honesty,” he admitted, speaking to PNE.Com after the game.
“We’ve managed to score four goals and keep a clean sheet so credit to the boys for that, but we’ve had better days for sure.”
It was an important win for North End to help them continue their pursuit of Carlisle United for the Youth Alliance League title.
Mawene recognises the importance of the competition, and he believes they can go on and seal the trophy.
He said: “We all want to win it and we know the quality we all have as individuals and as a group and we know we can get the title.
“It’s a big thing for us so we’re going to try our best to get over the line.”
In the meantime, the Lilywhites turn their attention to cup football and await the visit of Burton Albion to Springfields on Tuesday morning for the Youth Alliance Cup sectional semi-final.
Mawene is excited to see how they fare against the Brewers and believes they can go all the way in the cup, too.
He said: “We’re all looking forward to it. We all think we can win a lot this year as a group and it’s all about prepping for that tomorrow and Monday.”