Preston North End 2 Huddersfield Town 0: Terriers come up blank and tumble out at Preston

The Terriers were looking for a strong start to the competitive season ahead of their opening Championship game away to Cardiff City on Friday night.

But Grayson saw his team well-beaten at Deepdale by their lower league opponents as they failed to claim their first away win over Preston since a 3-1 triumph back in November 1969.

First-half goals from Jack King and Nicky Wroe did the damage and the visitors could find no way back in the second half.

Having made a fine save to deny King after just 45 seconds, Terriers’ goalkeeper Alex Smithies remained rooted to the spot as the striker’s looping header from Jeffrey Monakana’s cross nestled into the far corner of his net.

Then some slack defending from Grayson’s side allowed Wroe, a summer signing from Shrewsbury, to slot home from close range after Chris Beardsley’s cross had evaded three defenders.

Last season’s Town player of the year and top scorer Jordan Rhodes was absent because of international duty, as were Sean Scannell, Oliver Norwood and Murray Wallace.

But the quintet’s non-availability allowed new recruits Keith Southern, Adam Clayton, Paul Dixon, Anthony Gerrard and academy striker Jimmy Spencer to make their competitive debuts for the club.

It was also captain Peter Clarke’s 150th appearance for the Terriers but proved to be an otherwise forgettable evening for him in Lancashire.

Lee Novak could have pulled a goal back for the visitors after the restart had he not been tardy in reacting to Paul Dixon’s cross.

While seconds later Oscar Gobern’s meek effort wasted some fluid build-up play as the npower Championship side failed to make their league supremacy count.Smithies denied Beardsley with a smart stop to prevent the Lilywhites winning by more.

Preston manager Graham Westley left the dugout to a standing ovation after his new-look team’s win – he had fielded a starting XI which featured 10 summer signings, goalkeeper Thorsten Stuckmann the exception.

Preston North End: Stuckmann, Keane, Cansdell-Sherriff, Huntington, Laird; Wroe (Amoo 80), Mousinho, Holmes (Buchanan 46), Monakana (Welsh 70); King, Beardsley. Unused substitutes: James, Wright, Procter, Cummins.

Huddersfield Town: Smithies, Hunt, P Clarke, Gerrard (T Clarke 75), Dixon; Clayton, Gobern, Southern, Novak; Spencer (Lee 75), Ward (Arfield 46). Unused substitutes: Bennett, Woods, Robinson, Higginbotham.

Referee: R Lewis (Shropshire).