DAVID Flitcroft was impressed with the fighting spirit showed by his players after Bury came from behind to win 3-2 at home to Championship side Preston yesterday.

Tom Soares scored an early opener for the Shakers before goals from Joe Garner and Will Keane gave the visitors a deserved half-time lead.

Bury wrestled back control of the game after the break, however, and Leon Clarke’s second goal of pre-season and a late penalty from Andrew Tutte helped them clinch victory.

“They got the better of us first half, for sure, but then second half, after some positive words, we have ended up turning the game round and winning,” said Shakers manager Flitcroft.

“I am delighted with the response we got from the team. There was a lot more punch and vigour to our play and we hurt them quite a few times second half.”

Trialist Dean Furman helped set up Bury’s 11th-minute opener, laying off a Leon Clarke knockdown for Soares to rifle the ball into the roof of the net from close range.

But Garner levelled with a solo effort three minutes later, and the front man pressured on-loan Bury keeper Christian Walton to drop a high ball into the box on 31 minutes before Keane slotted it into an empty net.

Preston dominated possession and chances in the latter stages of the first half, but the introduction of Craig Jones for Joe Riley at half time and Tutte for Furman early in the second half changed the flow of the game.

As the visitors sat back, Tom Pope picked out a neat pass for strike partner Leon Clarke, who blasted the ball under the dive of Preston keeper Jordan Pickford on 67 minutes.

Tutte then slotted home the winner from the penalty spot with 10 minutes remaining after Greg Cunningham was adjudged to have dragged him back as he shot over the bar.

Bury used seven substitutes in total, with Jacob Mellis, Kelvin Etuhu and Tutte each seeing their first action of a pre-season campaign that also included a victory at Macclesfield and draws against Morecambe, Radcliffe Borough and Blackburn Rovers.

“The programme of games was designed to be tough, but today was the icing on the cake,” said Flitcroft after the victory.

“The tackles they put in, the way they moved the ball was real life.

“Sometimes in pre-season it’s a case of we have it, you have it and you get almost five-a-side football but it wasn’t like that, it was a real local derby.

“I have been happy with the intensity of all the games.

“The Morecambe game was the best we have looked on the ball, we were very disciplined against Blackburn but against Preston was a full-on onslaught from a winning machine.”

BURY (4-4-2): Walton; Riley (Jones 46), Cameron, Peter Clarke (Sedgwick 89), Pugh; Soares, Etuhu (Reece Brown 76), Dean Furman (Tutte 52), Mayor (Mellis 68); Pope (Hope 68), Leon Clarke (Nardiello 81).

Not used: Lainton.

PRESTON (4-3-3): Pickford; Smith, Cunningham, Huntington, Wright; Kilkenny, Johnson, Welsh; Keane, Gallagher, Garner (Hugil 74).

Not used: Jones, Browne, Reid, Little, Davies, Brownhill.

Referee: Darren Handley.

Attendance: 1,307 (366 visiting).