Liam Edwards successfully came through 45 minutes as he made a long-awaited return to action.
Edwards has battled back from a serious knee injury which has kept him out since the end of January, 2020.
And a first-half run-out for the Reserves at Euxton represented another major step forward on his comeback trail.
The central defender couldn’t help a youthful line-up suffering a first defeat Central League defeat of the season.
But his re-appearance was one of a number of plus-points for the side overseen by Academy manager Mark Litherland.
Trailing 2-0 at the break, Wanderers had been second best to a North End side captained by the vastly experienced Paul Huntington and including ex-Wanderers' youngster Jamie Thomas.
But the Whites responded impressively after half-time and didn’t go down without a fight before Preston made sure of the points with a late third goal.
Edwards got valuable game-time into his legs and was involved early on with a vital block to keep out an effort from Jacob Holland-Wilkinson.
Wanderers’ trialist keeper also had to be alert to make a couple of decent saves, including one from a rising Thomas effort.
But he couldn’t stop North End going ahead with almost half an hour gone when Michael O’Neill swept in a cross from summer signing Matthew Olasunde on his own comeback mission.
The hosts then quickly doubled their lead when the powerful figure of Joe Rodwell-Grant hooked the ball home after Huntington had nodded down a corner.
But Wanderers, whose best first-half effort had been a strike from Arran Pettifer which went just over the bar, looked a different proposition after the break.
The Whites saw much more of the ball as they looked to force the issue.
And they would have had a route back into the game had they pulled a goal back from an excellent opening 10 minutes after the re-start.
Mitch Henry – who like Pettifer had a taste of senior action in the Papa John’s Trophy earlier this month – was far more involved.
And when the wingman pinched possession just outside the penalty area he went close with a low drive which Mathew Hudson could only parry to Matthew Tweedley, who sent the rebound against the foot of a post.
Wanderers kept pressing but couldn’t find a way through, Sonny Sharples going closest with an effort from a tight angle he couldn’t steer goalwards.
And with 10 minutes to go North End wrapped up their first league win when a deflected effort from Adam O’Reilly looped into the net.
Wanderers: Trialist; Burgess, Edwards (Halford HT), Toure, Conway; Pettifer, Sharples, Tweedley; Olawumi, McEvoy (Jones HT), Henry. Substitutes: Alexander, Kamara, Frimpong.
Preston: Hudson; Olasunde (Nevin 60), Huntington, Blanchard (Mfuni 84), Coulton; Holland-Wilkinson (Cross-Adair 73), Leigh (Lewis 82), Thomas, O’Neill; O’Reilly, Rodwell-Grant. Substitutes: Pradic.