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Match Day Thread PNE v Norwich City 21/4/2018 Deepdale

Discussion in 'Preston' started by themaclad, Apr 19, 2018.

  1. themaclad

    themaclad Well-Known Member

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    The penultimate home game of the season or is it? Norwich City are our visitors, what do we know about them, it's miles away, their owner cooks food and has made a fortune and occasionally rocks up bladdered on the pitch, did she ever find them that question was never answered.
    Our manager was their last manager and they play in yellow they also won at Deepdale last season 3-1 and Maddison has scored in the last two games against us although methinks he won't be at Carrow Road longer as the bigger clubs are hovering with 25 million being quoted.
    Been a season of change for the Canaries with German head coach Daniel Farke given the responsibility of trying to get them back to the Premiership however it has not quite worked for them this season as at the moment they lie mid table with 56 points. We drew 1 all at Carrow Road in a match we should probably have won denied a cast iron penalty when Hugill was brought down in the box.
    Given the stage of the season this is a must win game for us although the opponents have nothing to play for depends on how much they want it on the day. Keep Maddison quiet and we have a chance although Murphy can be a handful as well.
    Memo to the lads given we have no gripper up front these days play it on the floor much more sensible.
    Maguire only doubt possible hamstring after Leeds game.
    Must win game although all eyes will be on Fulham v Millwall on Friday.
    Playing cricket so won't be there cut and paste match report this week.


    Stat Attack: Norwich City





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    We welcome Alex Neil’s former employers to Deepdale this weekend on what might seem like a rare Saturday fixture for the travelling Canaries fans.

    Six of the last 12 occasions we have met each other here have involved them making the 525 mile round trip in midweek, whilst we have only had to do the reverse trip twice during the same period.

    Despite winning on both their previous two visits, Norwich have only five victories to date from the 20 occasions this fixture has been played, set against ten North End wins and five draws.

    The biggest of our wins came in 2001, when Graham Alexander’s second minute penalty set us on the way to a 4-0 scoreline by half-time on the only occasion we have faced each other on a Wednesday night. We must have taken pity on our visitors as we failed to add to our goals in the second period, despite continuing to dominate the game.
    Norwich first experienced Deepdale in a league game in 1962 and after ten games in 11 seasons, we didn’t meet again for 29 years, with a further ten games since 2000. In the interim, the theme of long distance midweek trips was established in the League Cup as we were drawn together over two legs in 1984, 1985 and 1988. After scoring twice against us in our 6-1 defeat at Carrow Road in the second leg of our 1984/85 tie, Asa Hartford scrounged a lift back to the north west on the North End team coach. Hopefully he was not left to sit on his own for the long journey back!
    David Healy has featured several times this season as someone who has played for both PNE and our opponents and Norwich are no exception, having spent two loan spells with the Canaries whilst on our books.

    Chris Brown, Stephen Elliott and Simon Whaley also scored goals for both clubs, whilst the most recent player to follow Chris from East Anglia is of course Declan Rudd. Academy coach Andy Fensome began his career as a trainee with Norwich whilst former centre half Mike Flynn also joined us from the Canaries, although neither player featured in their first team.

    Mike made a memorable debut for North End in December 1989, having signed from Norwich earlier in the week. He was named on the bench for our second round FA Cup tie at Northern League Whitley Bay and when we found ourselves trailing 2-0, Flynny was sent on to play up front. He somehow contrived to hit the post from two yards out and any chance of a comeback had gone. Fortunately for him, he recovered from featuring in one of most embarrassing defeats in our long history to become a firm favourite as he made over 150 appearances before leaving for Stockport in 1993.

    On This Date
    The last time we played at home on this date, we came out on top of a seven goal encounter with Shrewsbury Town in 2014. Goals from Lee Holmes and Bailey Wright gave us a two goal advantage that was halved by Shaun Miller just before half-time, but a second half hat-trick from Paul Gallagher saw us comfortably home by 5-2.

    That was Gally’s second treble of the season, after his hat-trick against Barnet in the FA Cup five months earlier. That was the first time a loan player had scored a hat-trick for North end and Paul remains the only loanee to achieve the feat twice.
    A key member of our 1986 promotion side reaches the milestone of his 60th birthday today. Oshor Williams was one of a number of signings made by manager John McGrath to add experience to the squad he rebuilt after the disastrous re-election campaign of the previous season. Despite persistent knee injuries, Oshor managed 49 games in his two seasons with North End before retiring to take up a role with the PFA’s player education programme in Manchester, where he still works.

    Sean Gregan made the last of his 251 appearances in a North End shirt on this date in 2002 in a 2-1 home win over Nottingham Forest. During the summer he moved to West Bromwich Albion who had just been promoted to the Premier League, having spent six seasons at Deepdale. Signed from Darlington in 1996, Greegs of course went on to captain our 2000 championship side and also led us out at Cardiff for the 2001 Play-Off final versus Bolton. His central midfield ‘Little and Large’ partnership with Mark Rankine is remembered fondly by fans from that time and he is always assured of a warm welcome when he returns to North End.

    Last Five Games At Deepdale
    Preston North End 1 (Spurr) Norwich City 3 (Dorrans, Murphy, Maddison), 17th April 2017
    Preston North End 2 (Gallagher, 2) Norwich City 0, 3rd January 2015
    Preston North End 0 Norwich City 1 (Holt), 18th September 2010
    Preston North End 1 (Parkin) Norwich City 0, 14th February 2009
    Preston North End 0 Norwich City 0, 11th August 2007




    Ref watch: Norwich City




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    Taking charge of his fifth Lilywhites game of the season, Geoff Eltringham will be the referee for our Saturday afternoon clash with Daniel Farke’s Norwich City at Deepdale.
    Having officiated our early season game at Derby County, Geoff also took charge of the Boxing Day trip to Barnsley and our January win at Nottingham Forest and then last month’s victory over Bristol City here at Deepdale.

    He also refereed one North End game last season, the home clash with our Barnsley, having also done one the previous season, the 1-0 home win over Reading.

    The year prior to that he took charge of three PNE games, including the 2-0 home win over Peterborough United in March. The previous season he also took charge of North End twice, both of those at Deepdale - the 1-1 draw with Tranmere Rovers back in November 2013 and then the goalless draw with Sheffield United in March.
    Th experienced referee who had taken charge of North End a number of times in the past including the very first game after the departure of Graham Westley, when John Dreyer took the team against an in-form Bournemouth side and ran out 2-0 winners.

    He also looked after a thriller back in 2010, when North End overcame Crystal Palace 4-3 at Deepdale.

    This will be the match official’s second Canaries game of the season, having refereed their 3-2 EFL Cup first round victory over Swindon Town at Carrow Road back in August. In his 33 games so far, he has issued 119 cautions and three red cards.

    For the game, the referee will be assisted by Billy Smallwood and Philip Dermott, whilst Ross Joyce will act as the fourth official.
     
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  2. themaclad

    themaclad Well-Known Member

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    With the final three games approaching, manager Alex Neil feels that focus will be the key for his squad as they look to deal with high pressure games in the final run in.

    North End sit just three points outside of the top six with three games to play, and the PNE boss wants his side to use the excitement and nerves in a positive way to ensure they get the results they need.

    "It’s about taking all those emotions and energies and using them in a positive way. I’ve been in a lot of high profile, important games and what we’ve managed to do is get the players focused and I think that’s the key word.

    "There’s going to be nerves, there’s going to be excitement, there’s going to be all of that but if that overcomes you that’s a problem. What we’ve got to do is get the lads focused and channel all that energy into an energetic display and go and try and play well.
    "As a player, as a coach, as a manager you want to play in as many high profile and as many important games as possible because you end up dealing with that pressure better. You’ve been there, you’ve felt that atmosphere, you know what it takes to go and try and turn a tight game into a victory.

    "What the lads will try and do, hopefully, is find solutions for the games where we came up a bit short when it was important, can we now take that next step. It’s a mental barrier as much as anything else because when you do take that next step it generates great belief. If we can get that, particularly with how young a squad we’ve got, I think it sets us up nicely for the future going forward.

    It's all to play for going into the final few weeks of the season, and with plenty of Play-Off chasing teams yet to face each other, Alex expects points to be dropped and hopes his side are able to capitalise that by winning their own games.

    "The teams that are around us, a lot of them, have to play each other. We’ve got Sheffield United still to play as well. It’s one of those ones at the moment, something has to give somewhere and if we can continually try to win our matches I think it puts you in great contention to try and sneak in there. I’m sure there’s another four or five teams thinking the exact same thing. It’s a great thing for us that we’ve got three games left and we’re still in contention to get there. We’ve got a huge game on Saturday that we need to focus on and make sure we win that one then hopefully, leading into the last two matches, anything is possible really."

    With the visit of Norwich City the penultimate home game of the regular season, the manager reiterated the importance of the Deepdale faithful in the remaining games.

    "The fans at times can underestimate how important they can be with the atmosphere. The Leeds game was a good atmosphere, especially second half when we scored a couple of goals, so that was great. QPR was fantastic - we really needed to drive on that second half and get a positive response and result.

    "Our away fans have been magnificent for the full season and I think we’ve responded well with good away performances. We’d like to generate that atmosphere at home and I think if we can do that there’s absolutely no question, that will help the players."
    Saturday's fixture sees the gaffer come up against former club Norwich City for the second time, and he feels it will be a different challenge to the one his side faced at Carrow Road back in November.

    "We’ve moved on in terms of personnel and the teams changed as it does most seasons. We’ve got a good, young, hungry team who have done really well this year but we want to take that next step so this is a crucial game and I’m sure Norwich will be much changed from the team that played last year as well. That’s just the nature of football nowadays, there’s a lot of coming and goings with players, with coaches and with managers.

    "The game has ended up that way – where there isn’t many people that stay for a length of time. We’re trying to build a bit of stability here, Simon was here for a few years and I’ve got a really important job on at the moment. Our most important task is to try and finish this season strongly and put ourselves in good contention for the Play-Offs."

    ng Is What Matters For Neil
    14 December 2017



    Opposition View: Norwich City





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    Norwich City manager Daniel Farke says his side will be fully committed as they look to get a result at Deepdale in this Saturday's penultimate home game of the regular season.

    Speaking to the press ahead of the long trip north from Norfolk, the Canaries' German boss is expecting a competitive game.

    "We expect a game full of intensity and aggressiveness tomorrow because they probably need to win their next three games for the Play-Offs. It will be a tough game," said Farke.

    “They have nothing to lose, but they can gain a lot.

    "There are some clubs fighting for promotion you wouldn't have expected and some clubs fighting against relegation you wouldn't have expected, which shows how close and tough the Championship is.

    "My boys will have to be there with a lot of commitment, but we have to be cool enough to bring our football on the pitch and concentrate on our strengths.
    "It's important for the young players to learn in these games for next season, so we want to be as successful as possible in these matches."

    He spoke of his thoughts on North End's season and of meeting Alex Neil when the sides met at Carrow Road back in November.

    "I have only compliments for what Alex Neil has done at Preston this season. They have been very consistent," he continued."

    "I had a nice chat after the game with Alex Neil when Preston came to Carrow Road. It was good to hear his thoughts and hear about his time here.
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    "We had some sparkling water after the game in his old office; now my office!"

    And for his first trip to Deepdale the visiting gaffer has some positive news on the injury front, meaning some additional options for the Lilywhites to take into consideration.

    "[Harrison] Reed is available after a back problem and [Onel] Hernandez is back in team training and will travel with us tomorrow. It's good he's an option for us.

    "[Tom] Trybull has been back in team training for the last two days, but he won’t travel with us as it’s a bit early. But there’s a chance for Leeds to have him back on the pitch, which is good news.

    "[Christoph] Zimmermann won't travel as he hasn't been able to train due to a glute problem, but we hope he will back in training next week," he added.

     
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  3. themaclad

    themaclad Well-Known Member

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    PNE: Rudd, Fisher, Clarke, Huntington (Davies 46), Cunningham, Pearson, Gallagher, (Harrop 54) Bodin, Browne, Barkhuizen (Maguire 54), Robinson. Subs (not used): Johnson, Moult, Earl, Maxwell.
    Norwich: Gunn, Reed, Hanley, Klose, Lewis, Tettey, Vrancic, Maddison, Leitner (Hernandez 77), Murphy (Pinto 90), Srbeny (Oliveira 73). Subs (not used): Husband, Hoolahan, Raggett, McGoverm.
    Referee: Geoff Eltringham (County Durham).
    Attendance: 13,038 (697 away)

    Not having been have come to the conclusion that the bugger's are teasing us however gap o sixth down to two points however dark horses are Brentford with kinder fixtures, win at Blunt land will make the last day game against Burton who are staging a late rally a very big game.

    This is what BBC said about today interesting to note they even got North End's keeper wrong DOH, only two shots on target the entire game and Norwich had none of them

    Preston North End gained a little ground on the top six to keep their Championship play-off hopes alive after a goalless draw with Norwich City.

    Paul Gallagher's free-kick struck the crossbar in the first-half, as North End enjoyed the better chances.

    Josh Harrop went close for Preston in the second period, but Norwich were again able to contain.

    The visitors had opportunities late on but Timm Klose fired wide, as neither side were able to make a breakthrough.

    Alex Neil's Lilywhites began the day three points behind Millwall - who occupy the final play-off place - and despite dropping a place with this result, narrowed the gap to the top six to just two points.

    Despite their best efforts, clear cut chances were at a premium as Preston had just two shots on target, while Norwich failed to manage a single opportunity to test goalkeeper Chris Maxwell.
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  4. themaclad

    themaclad Well-Known Member

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    Preston North End manager Alex Neil:

    "We are all a bit frustrated because we certainly did enough to win the game. It's about putting those opportunities in the net when you are on top. I don't think Norwich had a shot on target all game.

    "Paul Gallagher showed great quality with that free-kick in the first half. You just need that little bit of luck at times.

    "One positive we can take is that before the game it was three points, after the game it's now two points so we've clawed some points back which is a bit fortunate. We've now got a really important game Saturday which we need to win. If we don't then unfortunately our play-off hopes have gone."

    Norwich City boss Daniel Farke:

    "I'm proud of my lads' behaviour but we would only be 100% content if we won the game.

    "I thought we were pretty much in control of the game, the weather was pretty warm but we showed that attitude and commitment, I'm very proud of the players.

    "The commitment is always there but the attitude to keep a clean sheet was there. In general we gave everything, to have this attitude at this part of the season is outstanding."
     
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  5. barnetpne

    barnetpne Well-Known Member

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    Farke, more like Farce with remarks like that. Controlled the game? With back passes?
     
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