The under-18 side were away at Preston on Saturday morning as they kicked off their league campaign with what is always a difficult fixture.
And the away side played their part in what was an excellent game as Preston edged it with a late second half goal.
Youth boss Eric Kinder said: "We're disappointed with the result but there's nothing else for us to be disappointed about today.
"We played some really good football, created some really good chances and we matched what is a very good side stride for stride.
"Preston, once again, will be one of the teams who set the benchmark and it was a fascinating game to watch as it went from end-to-end.
"We hit the bar, we had shots going inches wide and we never let up, even when they scored with about 12 or 13 minutes left to go.
"With the way the game went it was always going to come down to who made the mistake or took the chance and, in the end, credit to Preston for doing that.
"The lads should feel really pleased and, if they keep playing like this, there'll be some good results coming their way."
We'll have more reaction from the opening youth game of the season on Monday.