Barrow boss says facing Preston North End was a tough challenge over the weekend

Barrow boss Pete Wild said Preston North End provided a tough test for his side over the weekend. The Lilywhites were beaten 1-0 by the League Two outfit with David Worrall scoring the only goal of the game.

Ryan Lowe’s men travelled up to Holker Street on Saturday as they ramp up preparations for the new Championship season. The game was mainly about giving more minutes to players to build up fitness levels.

Preston didn’t play new signings Mads Frøkjær-Jensen, Duane Holmes or Calvin Ramsey. Their latest addition Will Keane, who has joined from Wigan Athletic, was on the bench against the Bluebirds.

Barrow’s manager Wild spoke after the match to their official club website: “It was a really good challenge, we wanted to increase the tempo, and that certainly happened today. We knew we were not going to have a lot of the ball against Preston today, so it was about having a good shape.

“We talked about not having a lot of the ball and not throwing it away when we did have the ball. We wanted to make sure we did something with it when we had it.

“I was also really pleased with how our wide overloads looked, and how we got in down the sides. There was loads of pleasing stuff that came out of today.”

Preston are back in pre-season action against fellow second tier club Ipswich Town at Deepdale in what will likely be their toughest friendly of the summer so far against the League One champions.

They then lock horns with Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen on Saturday. Away trips against Fleetwood Town and Stockport County follow on before the end of the month before the Lilywhites’ first fixture of the 2023/24 campaign at Ashton Gate away at Bristol City on Saturday 5th August.