Although North End’s youngsters lost the Premier League Under-21 Cup game at Victory Park, they can take a great deal of credit from their battling performance against Premier League 2 side Wolves.

It was their second of their six group matches in the the competition, in which teams play each other home and away.

It followed on from their 2-1 win at Fleetwood two weeks ago.Opponents Wolves had also begun their campaign with a 2-0 win against Burnley the other side making up the four-team group

Wolves controlled the early stages of the game having plenty of possession without creating any clear-cut chances but after a tentative start PNE soon grew into the game.

The teams line up before kick-off (photo: John Smith)

placeholder image — The teams line up before kick-off (photo: John Smith)

They had their first real chance in the 15th minute when centre-half Issac Irwin played a superb crossfield ball out to Marshall Longson on the right wing. His centre into the box was met by George Gryba but his downward header was pushed round the post by Wolves keeper Josh Gracey.

PNE had given an U21 debut to 15-year-old Bermudian goalkeeper Nuri Latham. He had been coached up until the age of 12 at Bermuda's Brazilian Soccer School by Toni Robinson, father of Fulham and USA international Antonee Robinson.

After crossing the Atlantic to try his luck in England, he had joined the PNE Academy in March 2025 after a brief trial. He has already stated that his ambitions are to establish himself as Bermuda's senior keeper while also one day playing for Liverpool.

The young keeper was called into action on the stroke of half-time when he dived to push away a free-kick taken from the edge of the area by Wolves’ lively winger Enso Gonzalez. The 20 year old Paraguayan had got up off the floor to take the kick himself after he had been fouled by Ed Nolan.

Wolves continued to press almost straight from the kick-off after the interval, with Latham doing well to push a well-struck volley from Bin Xu round the post in the opening minute of the second half.

Wolves kept up the pressure with Gonzalez continuing to cause the PNE defence problems. Irwin had to bravely put his body on the line to deflect his fierce shot over the bar.

The visitors took the lead in the 65th minute when they broke fast on the counter-attack which ended when the speedy Gonzalez was fouled on the edge of the area.

The dead-ball was then back heeled to him by Tom Ebozie with Gonzalez then hitting a stunning strike into the top corner of the net .

Latham saved his team again when he stopped a well-struck shot from the edge of the area from Wolves centre-forward Dani Angel with his feet.

In the closing stages of the game North End managed to get on the front foot.

Twelve minutes from time a curling cross from Nathan Snowball caught out Gracey and appeared to have been forced over the line from close range. However the referee disagreed, waving play on despite strong appeals from the North End players .

PNE fought hard until the end having two good chances as the game moved into five minutes of added time.

The first began when a fantastic crossfield ball by substitute Charlie Whalley from near the halfway line reached Nolan on the opposite flank but Gryba then headed his perfectly-flighted cross into the arms of Gracey.

Wolves then countered, hitting the post before PNE went straight back upfield with Gracey making a brilliant save, tipping Michael Ayodele's powerful header from Snowball's cross over the bar, with time eventually running out for Ryan Taylor's plucky young side.