Preston North End 0 Wolves 1 (Gonzalez 64)
Wolves under-21s added a further three points to their 26/27 Premier League Cup tally as they beat Preston North End 1-0 at Victory Park.
A spectacular Enso Gonzalez free kick secured Wolves all three points in what was a dominant performance against Premier League Cup Group E opponents.
The Old Gold started the cup clash on the front-foot, dominating a fiercely contested midfield and dictating the early stages in Chorley.
Despite a lively start, clearcut chances were hard to come by for either side, with Wolves coming closest through a Tom Edozie free kick that curled narrowly wide of the right-hand post after 23 minutes.
Wolves’ composure continued throughout the first half, with their backline standing firm as Preston increased their presence high up the field.
It was the home side who registered the first shot on target in the 43rd minute, when George Gryba’s tame header was claimed comfortably by Josh Gracey in the Wolves net.
Gonzalez, who had looked the Old Gold’s brightest spark going forward, then saw his low-drilled free kick effort saved by Preston goalkeeper Latham on the stroke of half-time.
Half-Time: Preston North End 0 – 0 Wolves
Gonzalez continued to show his attacking flare after the break, with his lofted effort, which was deflected over the crossbar, testing the Preston defenders, helping Wolves regain their attacking pressure almost immediately.
It was the number seven who found himself on the scoresheet in the 65th minute, putting Wolves ahead when his curling free kick - with the ball rolled to him by Tom Edozie - nestled into the top left corner, following an earlier foul on Dani Angel.
After going ahead, The Old Gold remained in control of tie, with substitute Mackenzie Bradbury quickly getting involved in the action, showing his strength in midfield areas.
Preston thought they’d scored one of their own in the 78th minute following a goal-line scramble in which Gracey came out with the ball, but their claims were soon halted by the referee.
Despite The Lilywhites trailing on the day, it was Wolves who looked the likely scorers going into the final ten minutes, with their positive spells of possession keeping them high in Preston’s half.
A superb save from Gracey in added time kept The Old Gold’s ahead, seeing Rich Walker’s side win back-to-back games to begin their 2026/27 Premier League Cup campaign.
Full-Time: Preston North End 1 – 0 Wolves
Preston North End: Latham (GK), Nolan, Snowball, Stringfellow, Irwin, Lescott, Longson, Wilson (C), Gryba, Cameron, Reid
Subs: Swift (GK), Green, Whalley, Tarry, Garrigan, Ayodele, Tempest
Wolves: Gracey (GK), Okoduwa (Dayman 83), White, Olagunju, Lochhead, Rawlings (Bradbury 66), Gonzalez (Ballard-Matthews 66), Xu Bin, Angel, Ji (Anunlopo 58), Edozie
Subs: Benjamin (GK), Ashworth, Ojinnaka
By Amy Russell
