A chance to redeem ourselves after yesterday's horror show in West Yorkshire, but we could not have tougher opponents to face. City demolished Burnley 3-0 yesterday to move into third place in the league, two points behind the automati places. They have been a bit patchy on their travels recently but will pose a very stern test for North End. Their only worry at the moment is the upcoming transfer window which may see some of their top earners depart. They beat us 2-0 at the KC earlier in the season, another of our poor results against Yorkshire sides, however the first goal scored by them was a clearance which went in off the backside of Hernandez. Livermore in midfield seems to be playing exceptionally well at the moment following off the field problems earlier in the year. Hernandez rattled in two against the Dingles yesterday and seems to be in a rich vein of form. They have a fairly young back four but Maguire looked a classy player when he was at Sheffield United and Curtis Davies has been more than a decent player. Tough ask for North End but we have to play better than we did yesterday. Expect Grayson to make changes, might be a doubt over Pickford who seemed to be carrying a thigh strain late on yesterday. Vermajl who was substituted after having a go at the manager following a woeful back pass, seems to be a likely change, would expect Welsh to play to actually give us a midfielder who can tackle. Strangely pressure may be off North End as the vast majority will expect to win, personally will consider a point a good result. Large following expected from Humberside should be a decent atmosphere let's hope we actually put in a better performance.
What a difference 48 hours made following the dross we produced at Huddersfield to todays top performance against a disappointing Hull side. A major win for North End which gives us decent breathing space from the strugglers at the bottom. The only disappointment being the finishing in the first 20 minutes a more clinical team could have banged in three or four. Both teams made changes, North End two and City three with Welsh and Wright coming into the side, City left Hernandez the top scorer on the bench. North End were on the front foot from the beginning, Keane firing narrowly wide from the Whites first attack. In the first 20 minutes ,Keane, Reach twice and Garner were denied by the keeper or had efforts which went narrowly wide, however the best chance fell to Garner after a lovely team move, although the move had broken down Vermijl chased down a loose Meyler back pass, squared the ball to Garner who from no more than six yards fired way over the bar, a shocker of a miss although as Garner was sporting the biggest black eye in the history of the game it's possible his vision may have been affected. City got more into the game with Snodgrass causing problems down the right hand side and his cross to the far post nearly found the head of Meyler. Reach was unlucky again just before the break as another effort also went narrowly wide. There was the worry with the catalogue of chances that the home side had missed that the quality of the Hull side would be the difference between the two sides. City made a change at half time bringing on Huddlestone who immediately made a difference, he was to have the first City effort on target which was well saved by Pickford. North End weathered the storm and took a deserving lead from a practice ground free kick. Johnson aimed to curl the ball in but found Gallagher who had peeled away to the edge of the box to fire home the shot past Mcgregor. City brought on Hernandez and he was unlucky when he could not fully control the ball in the home area, he later had a mishit shot comfortable saved by Pickford. North End were unlucky not to double the lead when Reach's effort was cleared from the line. North End began to drop deeper as City piled forward and in the dying seconds they nearly got a point which they would not have deserved, a corner from the left was met by a header which was heading for goal, the ball cannoned off several players and possibly crossed the line, the ball being cleared by Welsh. The lines man gave a corner which was taken and cleared as the referee blew for time. Both teams formed huddles City around the referee and the home team in front of the goal to celebrate the victory. Although there may have been some doubt about the clearance North End deserved to win. Now the waiting game begins will Reach and Pickford play for us again, as Sunderland and Middlesbrough both may recall their loanees. Preston North End 1 Hull City 0 Att 13891 Preston boss Simon Grayson: "I've seen on the TV replays that it's not over the line. John Welsh has made a great clearance and we're fortunate because sometimes them decisions go against you. "But it's the right decision, we've probably earned the luck today that we've not had over the last couple of weeks, like with the goalkeeper being sent off at Leeds a few weeks ago. "It's the right decision, a clear decision and a decision we are grateful (for)." Hull boss Steve Bruce: Bruce on Preston v Hull City "We needed a break when you're not playing well, like we didn't. We found it very difficult today and, to be fair, away from home it is too often that we're not performing anywhere near the level we're capable of. "It is three successive defeats and if you're going to win leagues or win titles then we've got to eradicate that quickly because it's not a great trait to have. "Unfortunately, the linesman has got a horrible decision with an offside and a horrible decision which he has got to see that (the ball crossed the line), even though he is 50 yards away. "The reaction of all the players tells you it is over the line. They've got away with it."
