TEENAGER James Vaughan’s season is in danger of being finished before it has even started after the striker was carried off with a dislocated shoulder just 15 minutes into last night’s 1-1 draw at Preston.

The injury, which came following a seemingly-routine challenge with home centre-back Youl Mawene, is expected to keep Vaughan out for months and overshadowed the debut of Phil Jagielka, Everton’s only major summer recruit to date, who made his first appearance in a royal blue jersey at senior level when coming on for Alan Stubbs at half-time.

Vaughan’s close friend Anichebe, who has progressed through the ranks with him at Goodison, cancelled out Simon Whaley’s early effort but there are fears that Vaughan will be out for a significant portion of the 2007/08 campaign.

The Premier League’s youngest ever goalscorer, who has already overcome a serious knee injury which punctuated his fledgling career for over a year, was paired up front with fellow teenager Victor Anichebe after the youngsters produced man-of-the-match performances on Saturday when Moyes split his first team squad in two for simultaneous games away against Bury and a Northern Ireland XI on Saturday.

The progression of Vaughan, who produced several eye-catching performances last season, earning admiration for his wholehearted style, is likely to have been one of the main factors why manager David Moyes was unwilling to gamble a significant portion of his summer transfer budget on lifelong Evertonian David Nugent, who earned a place in the England team earlier this year on the back of his form with last night’s opponents. But with Vaughan now facing a considerable spell on the sidelines, the manager may be forced to rethink his spending strategy and could opt to step up his efforts to bring in a new striker such as longtime target Alan Smith who has been told that he can leave Manchester United. Last night’s game at his old club gave Moyes his first chance of the summer to name a ‘full’ senior side.

Fresh from penning a new five-year contract at Goodison Park, Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta, rested as a precaution on Saturday, returned to action while goalkeeper Tim Howard, who has also pledged himself to the club on a long-term basis, started for the first time since a belated return to summer training after helping the USA to lift the Concacaf Gold Cup.

Last summer’s record £8.6million signing Andrew Johnson, who partnered Vaughan on Saturday, was rested from the squad due to a slight groin strain caused through fatigue.

Everton fashioned the first chance of the game when Preston struggled to clear a Tony Hibbert cross from the right, after a short corner by Arteta. Joleon Lescott headed across goal for Vaughan to pounce but the youngster mis-hit from point blank range.

Shortly after, Preston went close when Lescott struggled to read the bounce of a long punt upfield by goalkeeper Andrew Longergan and ex-Liverpool striker Neil Mellor headed just wide of Howard’s left hand post.

The burly frontman, who is rebuilding his career after failing to make the grade at Anfield and then falling victim to a series of injuries, was already being subject to his fair share of banter from the sizeable away contingent behind their custodian’s goal.

Their numbers were such that they would probably be glad to know that they completely covered the image of former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly who was a long-serving player with North End before later finding fame reviving fortunes at Anfield.

This ‘friendly’ match sparked into life just seven minutes in when Hibbert and Mellor fell out by the right-hand corner flag by Howard’s goal and became embroiled in some pushing and shoving. Alan Stubbs and Preston’s Adam Nowland joined in but were unpunished by Lancashire referee Neil Swarbick who booked the original two offenders.

Seemingly fired up by the incident, the hosts took the lead 12 minutes in with a well-worked goal as Patrick Agyemang picked up the ball in the inside-left position and squared to Simon Whaley who curled a crisp shot past Howard from just outside the area.

But while results in pre-season fitness builders are not the be all and end all, Everton suffered a crushing blow just five minutes later when Vaughan, who had looked so promising in Coleraine just four days earlier, fell awkwardly after a challenge with Mawene and was carried off with a dislocated shoulder to be replaced by James Beattie.

Howard had to be at his best to prevent Mellor from doubling the home side’s advantage when he tipped a powerful shot from the left-hand side of his area over the crossbar for a corner kick.

However, after promising to become a match as hot as the Lancashire sunshine which was making a rare appearance, the second half of the opening period petered out with a high and not-so-handsome effort by Andy van der Meyde the only other incident of any note before the interval.

Moyes’s only summer capture to date, Jagielka from Sheffield United, entered proceedings at the start of the second half at centre-half for Stubbs while Phil Neville replaced Carsley in midfield.

With only 16 players in his line-up, the same as for a regular Premier League fixture, the impending arrivals of Johann Vogel and Steven Pienaar seemingly can’t come soon enough and Everton’s lack of numbers were in stark contrast to their hosts, who despite plying their trade a division lower than Everton, were able to field an entirely different XI for the second half.

One of their replacements with top flight experience, Brett Ormerod, produced a scare when he rattled Howard’s crossbar with Lewis Neal heading over from the rebound but at the other end, Moyes’s men started to carve out a couple of chances of their own.

Beattie, who at least looks to have returned for this pre-season close to his ideal fighting weight, spun around Neal with his back to goal but his shot was straight into Wayne Henderson’s arms as was a well-connected header by debutant Jagielka from a right-wing Arteta corner kick.

Building up play in a patient fashion, Everton went close again when Anderson de Silva threaded through to Anichebe but the Nigerian-born youngster saw both his initial shot and rebounded effort blocked by Henderson.

Anichebe was not to be denied though and 10 minutes from the end he outmuscled the Preston defence, shrugging off several markers before slipping a low effort under Henderson in front of the delighted Everton supporters.

Despite most of them having played the entire 90 minutes, it was Everton’s players who had the most running in the latter stages and they looked the more likely side to go on and win the game.

Brazilian Anderson de Silva came the closest to clinching victory ahead of today’s trip to the USA when he nodded another Arteta corner kick from the right towards Henderson’s goal but his effort was well-held.

Match Facts

PRESTON (First half): Lonergan, Alexander, Davidson, Mawene, St Ledger, Whaley, Nowland, Nicholls, Pugh, Agyemang, Mellor. (Second half): Henderson, Jarrett, Sedgwick, Hawley, Chilvers, Collins, Ormerod, Hill, Jones, Neal, Anyinsah.

GOALS: Whalley 12

EVERTON: Howard, Hibbert, Valente, Lescott, Stubbs (Jagielka 46), Arteta, Carsley (Neville 46), de Silva, van der Meyde, Vaughan (Beattie 15), Anichebe.

GOALS: Anichebe 80

REFEREE: Neil Swarbick (Lancashire)

NEXT MATCH: Saturday, Real Salt Lake (a), KO TBA.