Job done Billy boy
Job done for North End in a pulsating, emotional, nerve-jangling but ultimately outstanding result against the King of Spin and his boys from Nottingham. Darren Ferguson was quite correct when he said we annihilated Forest in the first half and the visitors can count themselves lucky they did not go in four or five down. North End had used a lot of fuel in that first forty five minutes and after the break it was another rearguard action that saw us go unbeaten in four games and collect eight points in the process. It was a sweet victory for Preston coming on the back of Davies comments during the week and the crowd were not shy in asking him what the score was on several occasions.
We started off quite gingerly for five minutes or so but it soon became obvious that the North End team were really "up" for this one and every man out there gave maximum effort in an outstanding first half display. From the minute Neil Mellor put Ross Wallace through we were on the front foot with the wee Scot making no mistake to put us one up. When St Ledger was wrestled to the ground by Gunter and Mr Haywood pointed to the spot it was Callum Davidson who was the calmest man in the stadium to smash the ball straight past Camp and into the net. Two soon became three when Matty James smashed home a goal of the season contender from 25 yards and Preston were on fire. Very significantly though Youl Mawene limped off just before the break with a muscle strain and we were left slightly wondering how this would affect North End in the second half.
After the break it was soon obvious the home fuel tank was low but we seemed to be doing fine until Billy Jones needlessly fouled Gunter in the box and McGoldrick shot past the outstretched arm of Andy Lonergan. It was game on and we were visibly tiring and creating little. After seventy six minutes Earnshaw weaved his way through and made it three - two with a good finish. Chaplow then came on for the burned out Mellor who had given absolutely everything to the North End cause and the manager adopted a 4-4-1-1 formation with Chaplow filling the hole behind Chris Brown. It was edgy and it was nervy but North End held on and the cheer at the end was the loudest heard at Deepdale for some considerable time.
A great three points then for North End leaving us to collect another six or maybe seven from ten games to hit the safety bar. We could certainly have done with the big fella on the bench for the last twenty minutes but massive credit to the boys for giving their all, again, in what was a great afternoon`s entertainment at a Deepdale that seems to be rejuvenated with an upturn in fortunes and the band constantly striking up. As for man of the match, well it was one of those days that all eleven could have had a shout but for me Chris Brown and Sean St Ledger were the two stand out players in a performance that showed both sides of the teams character. A great win for Preston North End - no doubt about it!
PRESTON 3-2 NOTTINGHAM FOREST
LONERGAN 7
JONES 6
ST LEDGER 8
MAWENE 7
DAVIDSON 7
SEDGWICK 7
COUTTS 8
JAMES 7
WALLACE 7
BROWN 8
MELLOR 7
Subs
CHILVERS 7
CHAPLOW 7
TREACY 6
Published Date:
14/03/2010
Modified Date:
14/03/2010
North End hang on in Roses battle
A point gained for my money at Deepdale last night with a nervy, bitty performance from North End against a well organised, footballing side in Doncaster Rovers. We were all at sea for long periods in the first half but still managed to go in level giving the fans hope for the second period. To be fair to North End we looked more at it after the break but we still needed Andy Lonergan to brilliantly save a Sharp penalty which kept us in the game but having said that we probably had the best two chances of the game late on which were spurned by Mellor and James.
We actually started the better for the first ten minutes but once Donny got a hold on midfield we were fighting a rearguard action for most of the first half. The visitors were dominating and it was no surprise when Hayter finished sweetly to put the visitors ahead. North End were having trouble stringing three passes together but did seem to be galvanised a little when Davidson replaced the limping Williams. Just before the break, and against the run of play we did level after Man of the Match Mawene put the ball across for Mellor to fire home.
After the break it was a more even affair but even so every time Doncaster got the ball you felt that they could create something - not the kind of feeling you were getting from North Ends pattern of play. When St Ledger fouled Chambers and the referee pointed to the spot you feared the worst but Lonergan saved superbly to his right and North End cleared the danger. James and Mayor came on for North End and the tempo increased noticeably in the home midfield and with young Coutts as well we must have had one of our youngest midfield fours for some time - only Grandad Sedgwick on the right wing kept the average age up. Danny Mayor twice played beautiful through balls for Mellor and James but we couldn't convert the chances into three points.
I`ll say it again that I was happy at the end with a point based on the 90 minutes and not what we expect to do against "teams like Doncaster". We don't have a God given right to beat any side in this division and last night was another reminder of what this Championship can throw up if you lower your standards. Youl Mawene apart I thought Coutts had a good game in midfield and Davidson looked good, as he always does for a few games after he returns from injury. Credit too must go to Danny Mayor and Matt James for the way they lifted the game in our favour after their introduction. Not the result we were looking for in the first of these three home games but in my opinion a point gained all the same.
PRESTON 1-1 DONCASTER ROVERS
LONERGAN 8
JONES 6
ST LEDGER 6
MAWENE 8
WILLIAMS 6
TREACY 5
CHAPLOW 4
COUTTS 7
SEDGWICK 6
MELLOR 6
PARKIN 6
Subs
DAVIDSON 7
MAYOR 7
JAMES 7
Published Date:
09/03/2010
Modified Date:
09/03/2010
Pilgrims slow progress for PNE
A point at Home Park for the 341 travelling North End fans and all in all a fair result in my opinion. Some will say we should and been two or three up at half time but in fairness we were under pressure if not quite under the cosh for long periods in the second half. A goal from St Ledger cancelled out by a second half penalty from Johnson just about right but North End have Andy Lonergan to thank for two excellent saves, one at either end of the pitch.
Preston started the game in the ascendancy and certainly settled the quicker. Matt James, in particular, was running things in the centre of the Park for North End on a soft rough looking pitch certainly not conducive to play flowing football on. North End scored from their first corner just before the 20 minute mark when Sean St Ledger rose to head home. It was no more than we deserved but later in the game we would rue not talking further advantage when Plymouth were down and almost out. To be fair to the Pilgrims they started to come back into it towards the end of the first period with Lonergan making a fantastic save close to half time from a Plymouth header that looked goal bound.
The second half was a different story and the home side must have had the Paul Mariner hair dryer treatment at half time. They adopted a much more route one policy and with the long throws from the touchline they started to create more problems for North End. We were certainly working hard enough it was just that we weren`t seeing much of the ball. With 20 minutes to go the home side got the equaliser through a Johnson penalty after Matty James had needlessly raised his hands in the box for what was a clear spot kick. North End rallied a little after the Plymouth goal and Chris Brown inserted some energy into the away side after coming on for Neil Mellor. Plymouth were again in the ascendancy in the final stages and after a Noone shot shot hit the crossbar Fallon looked certain to win the game but his header was somehow saved by Lonergan who was outstanding on the day.
A point away then for North End and while some will say you have to beat teams at the bottom to make any impact in this league, I would just say that, in my opinion, this was a point won for North End and not a disasterous result particularly if we can overcome Doncaster on Tuesday evening. As far as Saturday went it`s an easy call for man of the match with Lonergan putting in a great performance on the day. Credit also to the stalwarts of the the rearguard in St Ledger and Mawene. Mention too for Matty James who I thought dictated things for a period in the game before tiring a little towards the end. Not our best performance of the season but certainly not our worst as Darren Fergusons Deepdale transition moves another step forward.
PLYMOUTH ARGYLE 1-1 PRESTON
LONERGAN 8
JONES 6
ST LEDGER 7
MAWENE 7
WILLIAMS 6
TREACY 6
CHAPLOW 6
JAMES 7
WALLACE 6
MELLOR 6
PARKIN 6
Subs
CARTER 6
SEDGWICK 6
BROWN 7
Published Date:
07/03/2010
Modified Date:
07/03/2010
Deepdale Beast slays the Dragons
Joy at last for the North End faithful with a result and performance that new manager Ferguson has been searching for since his arrival. It is all too easy to get carried away with one result as we at Deepdale know all too well having had our fair share of false dawns in recent years. What we witnessed on Saturday though was a team playing for each other and playing to a plan that they certainly looked like they understood yet being flexible and adaptable in the face of adversity following the sending off. Cardiff had a fair share of high profile players in their eleven but on the day they were no match for Fergie`s boys in what was quite probably the best home display of the season all things considered.
North End started the brighter and produced the better football in the opening half an hour and were duly rewarded when a linesman spotted Quinn pulling Ross Wallace to the ground. After some consultation referee Hall duly gave a penalty that Man of the Match Jon Parkin stuck away to Enckleman's left no problem. It looked like being two as a sweeping move saw Mellor score only to be flagged offside and North End went into the break with only one goal to show for their efforts.
After the break we once again started brightly but there was a dramatic twist when Paul Coutts was sent off for a second bookable offence with only eight minutes gone of the second half. I have to say I feared the worst but I shouldn't have worried because just two minutes later a Wallace free kick was headed on by St Ledger and Parkin turned and shot to make it two-nil with an excellent finish. Ferguson then substituted Mellor and Treacy for Sedgwick and Carter in what proved to be a tactical master stroke. Although Cardiff were having more possession with the one man advantage we were defending well and even causing the Bluebirds problems on the break. With four minutes to go, and North End holding on, Enckleman dropped a boo boo on the left when he mis kicked the ball only for Chris Brown to say thank you very much and score a delightful third from a very narrow angle.
Congratulations all round at the end for a job really well done against a team still occupying a play off place and for many watching the thought of what might have been. The season, now, is about consoildation and for the first time since his arrival I think we saw the kind of play and level of effort that the new manager requires from his players every week. For my money Pakin was out on his own in terms of performance but on loan full back Williams, Ross Wallace and Neil Mellor all put in excellent shifts for North End in what was a real team effort. It's looks to me like the boys are getting the message regarding what Darren Ferguson wants and long may it continue. Lets just get the ten or eleven points needed for safety and then the shackles can really come off in the final part of the season.
PRESTON 3-0 CARDIFF CITY
LONERGAN 7
JONES 7
ST LEDGER 7
MAWENE 7
WILLIAMS 8
TREACY 6
COUTTS 6
JAMES 7
WALLACE 7
MELLOR 7
PARKIN 9
Subs
CARTER 6
SEDGWICK 6
BROWN 7
Published Date:
27/02/2010
Modified Date:
27/02/2010
Visit to the Geordie nation ends in frustration
Not an unexpected result to the outsider looking in but for my money North End can count themselves a little unfortunate to come away from the Geordie Cathedral with nothing more than their tails hanging between their legs. There is no doubt that Newcastle had some superior quality on display but I think that 3-0 slightly flattered the home side and that with some cooler finishing we could have easily troubled the scorers. North End played some good football in each half and although the scoreline doesn`t reflect it, I think that Saturdays performance was certainly not the worst we have seen this season. Certainly the elevated view at St James Park gave a different perspective than sitting 13 rows back in the Invincibles Pavilion and the roar of the 2,800 travelling fans sat somewhere in the Tyneside stratosphere was certainly heard and appreciated by the players below.
North End were up against it after just 2 minutes 12 seconds when a cross come shot from Lovenkrands somehow evaded Andy Lonergan and floated into the far corner to give the Geordies the lead. To their huge credit the players didn`t crumble and started to get into the game and to pass the ball around. Maybe it is Newcastle`s style to sit a bit deeper and let the opposition play but we seemed to have much more time on the ball than in recent weeks. It was in the final third of the field that we failed on Saturday and although Jon Parkin had one attempt brilliantly saved by Harper we were not threatening the Newcastle goal enough based on the amount of possession we had.
North End started brightly again in the second half but a clever one-two by Nolan saw him clip Newcastle into a 2-0 lead and we were certainly up against it. Although we continued to match the home side in the middle of the park we were not penetrating enough to give Harper any real problems. Ferguson then sent on Treacy for Sedgwick and a little later sent on Mellor for Danny Welbeck, who I have to say almost looked disinterested for some periods of the game. No good being too harsh on a lad of 19 and maybe the experience will help his football education. Mellor certainly lifted North End and Parkin again had a shot saved low down by Harper and the Geordie stopper looked a class above the Championship in my opinion. An excellent strike by Ryan Taylor in injury time condemned us to a second away defeat in four days and sent the travelling army home for another miserable weekend.
No joy then for North End on the road this week and maybe the full week on the training ground coupled with quite a few positives, even in defeat, will lift North End for a real go when Cardiff visit Deepdale on Saturday. As for this week well I think Jon Parkin was easily man of the match for North End followed by a very solid performance at left back by Tom Williams. No faulting most of the other boys for effort and commitment but we need to get another 14 points as quickly as we can to take any sort of pressure off the players and to let them express themselves a little more.
NEWCASTLE UNITED 3-0 PRESTON
LONERGAN 6
JONES 5
ST LEDGER 6
MAWENE 6
WILLIAMS 7
SEDGWICK 5
COUTTS 6
JAMES 6
WALLACE 6
WELBECK 4
PARKIN 8
Subs
TREACY 6
MELLOR 7
Published Date:
21/02/2010
Modified Date:
21/02/2010
Pride Park comes before a big fall
A nightmare night in the East Midlands for the six coach loads of North End fans who made the trip to Pride Park last evening. Horror defending in the second period saw us ship four goals in 41 minutes against a Derby side visibly growing in confidence as the game wore on. Two or three times during the game I felt we could have gone on to win but the fates and Kris Commons conspired against us to leave the manager shaking his head as to which defensive line up he chooses for Gentry Day on Saturday at St James Park. Newcastle. What the fall out from this game will be goodness only knows but we cannot keep shipping goals at this rate and just to rub salt in the wound we scored three very good goals to boot.
North End started brightly seemingly full of confidence and looking ready for the battle ahead. When Parkin put us one up, after a great ball from new left back Williams, we seemed to be on our way. The home side equalised with a fortunate goal after a Lonergan save hit Billy Jones and went into the net. One all at the break then and Preston good value for that score but nobody could have dreamt what was to come for North End after the interval.
Within 4 minutes of the restart Commons had made it 2-1 to Derby but Chris Sedgwick then scored the goal of the night to equalise ten minutes later. Just about this point I honestly believed that we could go on and win the game as Derby looked shaken. Nothing could have been further from the truth as we pressed the self destruct button and within a minute Hulse had made it 3-2 after being given far too much time by Collins in the North End box. Commons then floated a free kick onto Barkers head and it was four and then eight minutes later it was five via another Hulse goal. To be fair to Lonergan he looked like he had been fouled just as he lost the ball but it mattered not. The referee had not given Preston one 50-50 decision all evening and he was not about to to change his mind. 5-2 down and looking all at sea but we did manage to regain some dignity late on when a Chris Brown header made it 5-3 deep into stoppage time.
Just where to start with this schmozzle is anybodys guess but again we were outfought all over the field at crucial times in the game. Williams started well on his debut but tailed off after the break and the two young lads in midfield seemed scared of tackling Robbie Savage, who was outstanding for Derby. Up front Parkin worked hard but Danny Welbeck did not have one of his better evenings. Very very disappointing then for the travelling fans and good luck to Darren Ferguson as he tries to sort out the mess for Saturdays game, which I believe will be the last day of his honeymoon period with the club.
DERBY COUNTY 5-3 PRESTON
LONERGAN 6
JONES 6
ST LEDGER 6
COLLINS 4
WILLIAMS 5
SEDGWICK 6
COUTTS 4
JAMES 4
WALLACE 5
WELBECK 4
PARKIN 7
Subs
BROWN 7
TRACEY 5
Published Date:
17/02/2010
Modified Date:
17/02/2010
Honours even in Deepdale derby
Honours even at Deepdale in a high octane, mediocre quality Lancashire derby on Saturday lunchtime with neither North End or Blackpool able to find the one piece of magic to settle the affair. Chances were fairly even throughout the game with Campbell`s looping header the pick of the visitors efforts and a couple of one on ones for Danny Welbeck being our clearest attempts. Almost 20,000 turned up and I have to say that the atmosphere was as good as we have seen at Deepdale recently and credit must go to both sets of fans. These early kick offs can often be very dull passionless affairs in terms of atmosphere but this certainly wasn`t the case on Saturday.
Blackpool started slightly the brighter although the bobbly pitch wasn`t conducive to a good flowing game of football. North End soon got into their stride though and began to force the game a little. A Wallace free kick and attempts from Welbeck and Sedgwick saw us give the visiting defence plenty to think about in the first half an hour of the game. One scary moment for North End when Mawene, St Ledger and Lonergan got into a tangle just before the break and Mawene only succeeded in kicking the ball into St Ledger will the ball going out for a corner. Both sets of fans gave their respective teams encouragement as the players trooped off at the interval but I must say I was hoping we would step it up a bit in the second half and be more positive in the way we would take the game to Blackpool.
The second period was very much as the first and while both sides had a couple of decent chances it was the visitors who had slightly more of the possession and certainly had us defending stoutly on a couple of occasions. The game swung end to end and Blackpools best chance came when Mawene headed Campbells looping header against the bar to save the day for North End. I actually though Blackpool went very tired in the last 10 minutes and that with cooler heads we could have sneaked a winner through either Wallace or James.
In the final analysis a draw was certainly a fair result in my opinion and although Ferguson will be the slightly more disappointed manager, because we were the home team, I don`t think either him or Ian Holloway can have too many complaints at the outcome. No bragging rights for either set of fans then till at least after the Summer and I suppose on the evidence of this 90 minutes neutral observers will say that these teams look just what they are - good solid but unspectacular Championship teams.
PRESTON 0-0 BLACKPOOL
LONERGAN 6
JONES 6
ST LEDGER 6
MAWENE 7
HART 6
SEDGWICK 5
JAMES 7
COUTTS 7
WALLACE 6
WELBECK 7
PARKIN 6
Subs
BROWN 6
Published Date:
13/02/2010
Modified Date:
13/02/2010
North End hold the cutting edge
A much better performance for North End on a chilly February evening at Deepdale. A deflected goal from new boy Matt James and a rebound from a penalty by Jon Parkin saw us take the points against a side who are fast becoming an old enemy in Sheffield United. The formation, which looked much closer to a 4-4-2, suited the North End style much more and the balance seemed to be back in the team with old warhorse Chris Sedgwick restored to his familar position on the right flank. Couple this with Wallace on the left and two willing workers in centre midfield in the shape of Coutts and James all of which gave North End a more traditional look to their play.
North End started brightly for once and soon took the game to the visitors. Most of the early play came down the right but on ten minutes Wallace and Parkin combined on the left with the Beast laying the ball off for Welbeck who calmly gave debutant Matt James a chance which took a fair sized deflection on its way into the net. Parkin then hit the crossbar with the goalkeeper beaten and North End continued to dominate for most of the first half having a loud penalty appeal turned down after Welbeck appeared to be fouled in the box. The Lilywhites went off to a great reception at the interval albeit from a meagre crowd of just 10,270.
We had put plenty of effort into the first period and for a while it was showing as the Blades got on the front foot early in the second period with two chances flashing across Andy Lonergans goal line just after the interval. Eventually we found our feet and started pressing once again. Welbeck was tormenting the visiting defence and Parkin had a very decent game for my money after being restored to the starting line up. With about 20 minutes to go it looked all over as Welbeck was fouled and this time the referee pointed to the spot. Parkin stepped forward only for Bennett to save down to his right. Fortunately the ball came straight back to the big fellow who made no mistake with the rebound. However, as usual with North End there was a sting in the tail and with ten minutes left the Blades pulled one back to leave a bit of a nail-biter for the home fans. We deservedly held out though for a well won victory and the boys went off with cheers not jeers ringing in their ears.
All in all then a good result against a decent Sheffield United side and for my money great promise for the weeks ahead particularly with young James and Welbeck in the side. Their pace and enthusiasm may well become infectious in these last 17 games and should at least give us something to get excited about as the manager goes about his transformation at Deepdale. On the evidence of last night I would say that his work in progress has moved forward a little by playing to North End`s strengths and by getting some new blood into the team. One Swallow doesn`t make a Summer as we all know, but this was better, much much better.
PRESTON 2-1 SHEFFIELD UNITED
LONERGAN 6
HART 6
ST LEDGER 7
MAWENE 7
JONES 7
SEDGWICK 7
JAMES 7
COUTTS 6
WALLACE 6
WELBECK 7
PARKIN 7
Subs
TREACY 6
BROWN 6
CARTER 6
Published Date:
09/02/2010
Modified Date:
09/02/2010