Fleetwood Town’s Under-18s fell to a 4-0 defeat to Preston North End in the Youth Alliance at Springfields on Saturday morning.

Both sides created chances at the start of the game, with Rodwell-Grant’s effort for the hosts being deflected wide before Town almost hit the target from close range a few minutes later.

Preston took the lead 22 minutes into the game through a Holland-Wilkinson strike, who completed a quickfire brace two minutes after the opener.

Two more goals followed before the halftime break, with one coming from Coulton from open play and the other coming from the penalty spot just before the break via Rodwell-Grant, who found the bottom-right corner.

The second half saw chances created for both sides, but the scoreline would stay the same until the final whistle meaning Town drop points in their opening fixture for 2022. In their next outing, they are set to host Tranmere Rovers at Poolfoot Farm on Saturday 22 January.

Town XI: Rees (GK), Khela, Kearns, Johnson (C), Baker, King, Thompson, Smith, White, Leggett, Trialist.