Wrexham suffered final-day jitters as they were beaten 2-1 by Stockport County to deny them lifting the EFL Youth North West Alliance title.

Knowing a win would secure them the title, it was Preston North End who pipped them to top spot after Saturday’s defeat at Edgeley Park.

Stockport, whose first team lifted the League Two title ahead of runners-up Wrexham, broke the deadlock from the spot through Christian Mulindwa.

Liam Hall made a brilliant save at point-blank range to keep Wrexham in the game going into the second half but Lee Williams’ goal 25 minutes from time put the hosts 2-0 up.

Harry Ashfield (pictured below) gave Wrexham hope with a late penalty but the Reds had nothing more to give as County held on to win.

Head coach Nick Chadwick told the club website: “Winning the league could have been a monumental achievement for the players, I just said to the players that the result doesn’t define their development or how far they have come.

“All season we have probably been the underdogs as a brand-new group, so it has always been about development and performances. The first-team players are used to playing in these high-pressure situations – part of our development are games like today.

“The players earned the right to put themselves in this position. We congratulate Preston, who are not only league winners but also Youth Alliance Cup winners.

“They are a strong club who are really well-established at this level. Hopefully our players are in more of these battles in future.

“In terms of the players’ character and personalities, this is an outstanding group of young people, coupled with an outstanding group of staff. It is a really exciting time for us all in the Academy.”