Educated in Dutch football, Ruben Rodrigues used the lessons to good effect to set up a final friendly win for Wanderers, writes Pete Oliver.
Raised in the Netherlands, Portugal-born Rodrigues cut his teeth in the Dutch leagues and his first-half goal was enough to beat the visitors from Holland.
NAC will be playing in the Dutch second tier this season following relegation from the Eredivisie last term and kick off their campaign next Friday night.
To that end they should be oven-ready but adopting tactics that sometimes saw just two defenders in play they were often vulnerable at the back.
Wanderers should have punished them more heavily before the break and Thierry Gale – the goalscorer in a mid-week draw at Fleetwood Town – will rue the fact he didn’t help himself to a hat-trick.
Ultimately, though, Rodrigues’ fourth goal of pre-season was enough to give Steven Schumacher’s men a confidence-aiding victory and take them into next Saturday’s Carabo Cup opener at Sheffield Wednesday unbeaten in their four public work-outs on home soil.
Gale’s eventful first half saw NAC keeper Kostas Lamprou make one good block from the winger but other chances were left out there and, not for the first time, it was up to Rodrigues to break the deadlock.
Playing an attempted one-two with Sam Dalby, the play-maker got a lucky bounce of the ball but still had the composure to steer home a volleyed finish to extend his recent good run with nearly 20 minutes gone.
NAC – superbly supported by close to 1,000 members of the ‘Yellow Army’ – might have been nervy at the back but did pose Wanderers problems at the other end where they sometimes had men to spare.
Jack Bonham picked up where he left off a week ago against Everton with a couple of smart stops to secure a second successive clean sheet as Paul Gladon threatened for the visitors and Cherrio Valerius looked dangerous out wide.
It was Valerius who rattled the crossbar as NAC pressed for an equaliser early in the second half after Ben Davies had blocked a goalbound shot from Kamal Sowah during the visitors’ best spell of the contest.
Wanderers had been granted far less freedom and took their time to re-assert themselves, although there were chances to increase the lead in the final 20 minutes.
The best of the came to Dalby, although the pace on an excellent cross from Gale didn’t make it an easy finish at the near post. A goal would have done the striker a world of good but with the new season just a week away, when he does find the scoresheet it will really matter.
Wanderers: Bonham; Stephenson (Larrazabal 75), Forino, Davies (Toal 75), Famewo (Conway 90); Simons (Watson 84), Sheehan; Ritchie (Dong 60), Rodrigues (McAtee 72), Gale (Warren 81); Dalby (Fordss 81). Substitutes: Broome, Harrington, Temple, Christie, Inwood.
Booked: Rodrigues, Davies
NAC: Lamprou; Valerius, Greiml, Brouwers; Oldrup Jensen; Ghalidi, Sowah; Nassoh; Gladon, Seuntjens. Substitutes: Thomassen, Lucassen, Candelaria, Balard, Paula, Versluis, Reulen, Erat, Nazih, Aarst, Ikpia, Aachir.
Booked: None
Referee: Matthew Donohue
Attendance: 4,989 (945 away)