Match Day Thread Derby County v Preston North End Pride Park 26/12/2020

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LAST TIME OUT

DERBY COUNTY 2 SWANSEA CITY 0

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PRESTON NORTH END 1 BRISTOL CITY 0

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FORM GUIDE

DERBY COUNTY 12 PNE 7

RAMS TRANSFERS IN

Byrne, Kazim-Richards, Ibe and Jozwiak

HEAD TO HEAD

First meeting 29/9/1888 PNE win 2-3

Last North End league win at Derby 21/9/2002 won 0-2 I was there

Last season

Derby County 1 Preston North End 0

A team who in recent years we rarely beat although we did in this years league up our last league win against the was 12 years ago. Under Rooney they have becoe scrooge like at the back.
This is usually the best time of the year for football cannot beat a packed ground on Boxing Day, this year will be diffierent suspect in normal times there would have been 30,000 at this one, personally highly envious of those lucky souls who are actually allowed to go.
Things will return to normal.
And it seems appropriate to wish everyone well and compliments of the season and rememabr the Government mantra Drink Beer it is good for you.

 

Season's Greetings to you.
Found this good quote that goes beyond the normal:
May you be astonished by / the sheer generosity of being loved, and in the returning of it, may you see the miracle of your life / twice blessed.—Mary S.

 

This year’s festive fixtures begin with a trip to Pride Park to face Derby County, currently under the stewardship of caretaker manager, former England and Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney.

The Rams have been unbeaten in their last six games under the striker’s management and will go into the game after an extended break, their pre-Christmas game at Rotherham United postponed due to a Covid-break out in the Millers’ camp.

For North End, eight days since the last game – the win over Bristol City – has provided just as much of a welcome rest and the two sides will be relishing this Boxing Day clash – their second meeting at the home of the Rams this season, after North End’s 2-1 Carabao Cup win back in September.

That was Alex Neil’s men’s first win at Pride Park since Paul Simpson’s side succeeded in the FA Cup in the mid-noughties, whilst they will be looking for their first league win on the Rams’ home turf since their first visit under the management of Craig Brown back in September 2002.

Team News
Manager Alex Neil was without Andrew Hughes for the home win over Bristol City and the Welsh left back will continue to be monitored ahead of the trip to Pride Park.

Ryan Ledson and Brad Potts (both calf), Patrick Bauer (Achilles), Ben Pearson (ankle), Louis Moult (ACL), Billy Bodin (knee) are all still sidelined, giving the manager limited options.

Like the Lilywhites, Derby suffered a blow at centre half recently, when experienced defender Curtis Davies’ season was ended early, like PNE’s No.5 Bauer, by a snapped Achilles.

With no game since their home win over Swansea City, some of the niggles around the Pride Park squad, such as Tom Lawrence, should have had time to recover, giving Wayne Rooney options in his forward line, although Jack Marriott has only just returned to the grass.

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Match Officials
Darren Bond will take charge of the Lilywhites’ post-Christmas game, his second PNE game of the season, having visited Deepdale for the Millwall game in October.

Last season he refereed our July trip to Huddersfield Town and the Boxing Day draw with Leeds United. Prior to the clash with the Peacocks, he had not taken charge of a North End game since February 2019, when a previous game with Derby County ended goalless at Deepdale.

This will also be the Lancashire referee’s second Rams clash of the season, having officiated their 2-0 home defeat to Reading on the opening day of the season.

This will be his 14th game of this season, having issued 47 yellow cards and one red so far. The referee will be assisted by Nik Barnard and James Wilson, with Robert Massey-Ellis as the fourth official.

Opposition View
Caretaker manager Wayne Rooney said: “Preston are a good team. It will be a difficult game. They’ve played in different ways this season. They can play, or be more direct. We’ve had a bit more time to prepare for this game, so we’ll be ready to try and get three points.

“We’re getting better. Throughout the six games, there has been an improvement in all of our performances. I can see the confidence in their training, walking around Moor Farm, and you can see the belief in them.

“We can’t take our foot off the gas and think we’re out of the situation, because we’re not, we’re right in the thick of it. The players need to continue focussing and working hard to move us up the table.”

 

Sorry to be off topic. Just a quick message to wish you all a Merry Christmas.

 

Cheers Clingo

 

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Rams down to 10

 

Browne 96th minute 1-0 win

 

Derby County 0 Preston North End 1

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A brilliant strike by captain Alan Browne in the seventh minute of stoppage time gave Preston North End a Boxing Day win at Pride Park.

The Lilywhites' record of one win in their last 20 league games against the Rams was ended by the No.8 against the ten-man Rams, who had Martyn Waghorn sent off after 20 minutes for a foul on the match-winner.

Both sides went into the game unchanged from their pre-Christmas victories, but North End welcomed back Ryan Ledson on the bench.


The game was tight in the first 14 minutes, with the first chance coming the way of the visitors as Josh Earl broke down the left, pulled the ball back from the byline for Sean Maguire, whose shot was blocked by Andre Wisdom, but only as far as Paul Gallagher on the edge of the box, his effort flying inches over the bar.

But the match changed on the 20-minute mark as referee Darren Bond went straight for his pocket and the red card when Waghorn was sent from the field for a studs up challenge on PNE skipper Alan Browne’s ankle, the match official having no choice.

Patience was then key against the ten-man Rams, with Gallagher pulling the strings from a deep position and he was involved in some of the best parts of the first half.

On 37 minutes, the No.12’s free kick, after Darnell Fisher was brought down by Colin Kazim-Richards, from the right corner of area, saw a lovely cross to the back post to Josh Earl, whose shot on the stretch was into the arms of Rams skipper David Marshall.

Shortly after, more good play saw a Johnson ball from the right and Earl headed back across goal towards Maguire, Matthew Clarke heading behind for one of many corners going PNE’s way in the opening period.

Six minutes into the second half and PNE were denied an opener by Marshall, as they broke with pace, Scott Sinclair going forward and then finding Maguire, who in turn sent it on to Barkhuizen, whose vicious shot on the run was pushed behind the for a corner by the stopper.

The chances continued and again Marshall was needed to deny Maguire after a break down the left, where he was threaded in behind the Derby defence by Daniel Johnson in a right-hand channel on 57 minutes.

A double change on the hour mark saw Jayden Stockley and former Rams man Emil Riis on for Darnell Fisher and Maguire, with a switch to 3-5-2, with Sinclair and Barkhuizen operating as wing backs; Tom Bayliss and Ryan Ledson following for Gallagher and Sinclair nine minutes later, and Josh Harrop for Barkhuizen the last of all five changes.

Only five minutes were added on after Kazim-Richards needed treatment late on, and seven substitutes were made between the two sides, but in the seventh minute of added on time, the Lilywhites finally won it and a stunning goal it was, too.

It was pressure on the right and skipper Browne picked up the ball in the right corner of the area and looked up before curling a brilliant effort over Marshall into the top left-hand corner of the goal, practically the last touch of the game, giving PNE their first win in the league at Pride Park since their first ever visit in 2002.

Derby County line-up: Marshall (c), Wisdom, Shinnie, Bielik, Jozwiak (Sibley, 85), Waghorn, Byrne, Kazim-Richards (Hector-Ingram, 90), Clarke, Buchanan, Knight. Subs not used: Roos, Forsyth, Bird, Ibe, Evans, Holmes, Watson.

PNE line-up: Rudd, Fisher (Stockley, 60), Earl, Browne (c), Huntington, Davies, Barkhuizen (Harrop, 82), Gallagher (Ledson, 69), Maguire (Riis, 60), Johnson, Sinclair (Bayliss, 69). Subs not used: Ripley, Storey, Rafferty, O’Reilly.

Referee: Mr D Bond

 

Derby County caretaker manager Wayne Rooney told BBC Radio Derby:

"I think that's our best performance of the season. Going down to 10 men and digging in for so long, but always still playing on the break and trying to win the game.

"I'm really pleased with the players and the attitude and the work that they put in."

On Martyn Waghorn's sending off: "As soon as I saw the tackle I knew it was a red card. It's disappointing but these things happen in football. We had to adapt and adjust our system and I thought the lads did that brilliantly.

"I'm confident with this group of players and how they're performing. I'm confident we can get three points in our next two games."

Preston manager Alex Neil told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"The tackle comes very early in the match. It is a red card I think. I've seen it back, he doesn't try to hurt our player but it was reckless.

"From then until half time I thought we probed and we looked likely to score. They changed their shape a little bit and caused us some issues.

"If I'm being honest, in the second half I didn't see the goal coming. We didn't play well enough. But it was nice that Alan (Browne) popped up with a bit of quality to win the match.

"It's a strange feeling because the boys are ecstatic because we've won the game, but the performance comes first. And we didn't play well."