The third round tie had been hastily brought forward from its scheduled evening slot at Stevenage after the Lamex Stadium pitch succumbed to the arctic weather, but that didn’t stunt our youngsters’ rhythm as we kept a game Preston side – quarter-finalists last year – at bay and took our chances well, attacker Rodel Richards bagging his second hat-trick in a week-and-a-half to add to strikes from Paris Maghoma and Phoenix Patterson.
Coach Scott Parker named an unchanged side to the one that drew 4-4 with Chelsea in the Under-18 Premier League on Saturday and the goals kept on coming, although Jonathan De Bie had to pull off a couple of key saves to prevent the visitors from getting off the mark.