Match Day Thread Preston North End v Blackburn Rovers Deepdale 26/10/19

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LAST TIME OUT

PRESTON NORTH END 1 LEEDS UNITED 1

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BIRMINGHAM CITY 1 BLACKBURN ROVERS 0

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LAST TIME AT DEEPDALE

PRESTON NORTH END 4 BLACKBURN ROVERS 1

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BLACKBURN TRANSFERS IN
Rovers incomings
Gallagher £5 million
Holtby, Johnson and Downing on a free
Cunningham on loan although our ex Greg is now out for the season with an ACL injury

As the clocks go back this weekend it is apt that our match is against a side whose supporters are still stuck in the mid 1990's when they used to be relevant, having not won since beating Reading in late Setember rumblings of discontent have been coming from those on the terraces.
Happy Tony has actually been hit by a couple of injuries long term as stated above Cunningham out for the season and also Lenihan is out for about 6 weeks as well.
The odd thing about their squad was the loan of Mulgrew to the Pies extremely weird decision but they are strange from that area.
Apparently struggling to sell their tickets kind of reflects their form at the moment and losing on Tuesday night will not have helped.
Question is will Dack ever find his way out of Pearson's pocket.
Hopefully a win for North End and the away support can return to the 10 th century.

North End
Moult, Clarke long term, no idea on Bodin, Harrop got a knock in training as did Bayliss was good to see Green get some time on the pitch.

 

Without Moult, NE have become top scorers In the Championship. I think the preference is Bodin over Potts but Bodin is not available at the moment.

 

Match Officials: Blackburn Rovers Home

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For the third time this season Preston North End will have Steve Martin as the match official, when we face Blackburn Rovers at Deepdale on Saturday.
The match official was the referee for our opening day game down at Millwall and the 1-0 victory over Birmingham City last month.

Steve also had whistle for the Millwall away game last season as well, when Alex Neil’s men came out 3-1 winners, back in February at The Den.

That was one of the match official’s three games officiating both North End in 2018/19, the others being PNE’s wins at Nottingham Forest and at home to Ipswich Town – his last visit to PR1 back in April, when we ran out 4-0 winners.
Since coming onto the EFL lists back in 2012/13, the Staffordshire referee has officiated 14 North End games, at least one a season for all the years he has been on the league groupings.
His first game was a goalless draw against Leyton Orient back in March 2013, whilst other memorable games include our 3-0 win at Havant & Waterlooville in the FA Cup in 2014, a 3-0 home win over Cardiff City in 2016 and a 3-1 win at Oldham’s Boundary Park in 2014.

He has taken charge of 11 games so far this season, including our games with the Lions and Blues, issuing just 24 cautions in those game, five of which came in that game between North End and Neil Harris’ men back at the beginning of August, but none at St Andrews.

The other members of the third team involved in Saturday’s game are assistants Matthew McGrath and James Mainwaring and fourth official Ross Joyce.

 

Think he is back in training

 

Good.

 

Preston North End 3 Barkhuizen 2 Johnson pen Blackburn Rovers 2 Rudd og Gallagher
PNE line-up: Rudd, Fisher, Rafferty, Pearson, Bauer, Hughes, Browne, Gallagher (c) (Stockley, 29), Barkhuizen, Johnson, Maguire (Potts, 90). Subs not used: Hudson, Storey, Ledson, Bodin, Nugent.

Blackburn Rovers line-up: Walton, Nyambe, Williams, Armstrong, Rothwell (Graham, 84), S Gallagher, Bell, Dack, Adarabioyo, Evans, Bennett (c). Subs not used: Leutwiler, B Johnson, Downing, Travis, Rankin-Costello, Buckley.

Attendance: 19,165 (4,592 Blackburn Rovers fans) Leeds brought more

Referee: Mr S Martin

Until today we had not conceded a goal in the first 20 minutes, we magnificently put that right by managing to be 1 down in 30 seconds and 2 down in 10 minutes, to put it mildly we were pitiful in the first half, did think at the time side picked by the manager didn't look right especially with Hughes at centre back instead of the injured Davies. Hughes had a stinker in the first period, we evn resorted to a tactical substitution after 30 minutes with Gallagher being replaced by Stockley, it did prove the game changer in the end.
Two down in ten the first credited as a Rudd own goal, ball hit post from Gallagher header and hit Rudd before rebounding into the goal, the second came after North End's defence disappeared literally disappeared Gallagher ball right side of area advanced forward curled ball past Rudd.
Could have been more Bauer's misplaced pass think it was Rothwell who was just beaten to the ball by Rudd.
Rovers deserved to be leading at that time.
Gally subbed on 30 minutes he wasn't impressed but he was probably unlucky as three and four others could have been hooked and on came big Jayden.
Did well to get to half time two down though we did have chances Barkhuizen had one cleared from the line.
Could have been three early in the early in the second Williams should have done better. Goal back the ball seemed to be going out from a cross Maguire anticipated it headed back to Barkhuizen who scored. All going one way Stockley fouled in the box, Johnson did the rest from the spot

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End to end stuff now Browne forced Walton to a good save and we forced plenty of corners then the winner, long goal kick, Stockley chests ball to Browne, pass to Barkhuizen winner curled past keeper.
Penalty shouts in both areas not given and in truth managed to see the game out with too many alarms to win and go second.

 

Blackburn Rovers boss Tony Mowbray told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"We've been dominant against a lot of teams recently. (But our) inability to win games when we're on top (cost us). It's football, you have to accept it and move on.

"(We have to) understand what we're good at, what works, how to get better. Maybe we need to be a bit cleverer and manage games like they do."

On referee Steve Martin's decision to award Preston a penalty: "I do think (the referee's) performance was so naive it was unbelievable to watch and he should go and watch it back. Just an opinion, but I think he was really poor today."

 

The BBC commentator at the match said NE were dire in the first half but totally dominant in the second. Why play Hughes as CH when Storey was available? Mr Mowbray complained about the referee. Just wait til VAR hits the championship! Very Awful Referee-ing.

 

Hughes at centre back was odd, the ref was all right even Radio Rovers were a bit confused by Moooobray's comments