Preston kicked of their pre-season preparations with an 8-3 victory over non-league Bamber Bridge – and Noah Mawene stole the show.
North End headed to the Sir Tom Finney Stadium for their first friendly of the summer, but the pitch was deemed unplayable after a torrential downpour.
The game was quickly moved to North End’s Euxton training ground, sadly being held behind closed doors rather than in front of fans.
Preston ran out 8-3 winners, with Lewis Leigh, Brad Potts, Tom Barkhuizen, Noah Mawene, Josh Harrop and Emil Riis were all on the scoresheet whilst Seani Maguire bagged a brace.
The likes of Declan Rudd and Patrick Bauer made their returns from lengthy injuries, but it was Mawene who really stole the show.
Mawene was only brought on as a first-half substitute as Frankie McAvoy gave short runouts to young players, but what an impact he made.
The attacking midfielder notched two assists and a goal inside just 11 minutes on the pitch. He came on after 28 minutes and was gone again at half time, but he made a stunning impact.
Fans are already excited about Mawene, partially because he’s the son of ex-Preston defender Youl Mawene.
Mawene was also outstanding in Preston’s youth setup last season, and his progress has already been rewarded with a professional deal which will kick in when he turns 17.
Mawene began pre-season training around the Preston first team, and having made such a huge impression today, you can’t bet against that continuing.