Match Day Thread Sheffield Wednesday v Preston North End Hillsborough 8/7/2020

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LAST TIME OUT

SWANSEA CITY 2 SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY 1

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HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 0 PRESTON NORTH END 0

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FORM GUIDE LAST 3 GAMMES MAX POINTS 15

WEDNESDAY 5 NORTH END 2

THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE

It’s a second Preston North End game of the season for Tony Harrington when he is the match official for Wednesday evening’s clash with Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

His first game was February’s home clash with Gary Rowett’s Millwall at Deepdale, however, last season the north east official took charge of three PNE games, the March trip to Reading, the 2-0 cup win at Leeds United back in August 2018 and the home game against West Bromwich Albion that autumn.

Tony has been a familiar face over recent seasons. In 2017/18 he visited Deepdale twice,
the Lilywhites’ opening day 1-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in Alex Neil’s first competitive game in charge of the club, and our Bank Holiday Monday clash with Derby County.

The previous season he also took charge of another two North End games, the 1-1 draw away at Nottingham Forest and the thrilling 4-2 win over Brentford at Deepdale.

The match official, who is now in his ninth year on the EFL list, has also been to PR1 on a number of previous occasions in the past, including the 2014/15 penalty win against Oldham Athletic in the JPT and the club’s last two home league games against Notts County, including a 2-0 win over the Magpies at Deepdale in February 2014.

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This will be the Cleveland referee’s 33rd game of the season, having refereed opponents the Owls three times already, including home wins over Barnsley and Bristol City and an away defeat against West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns and so far he had issued 85 cautions and six red cards; two of which came in his last game, when he refereed the feisty League One Play-Off semi-final between Fleetwood Town and Gareth Ainsworth’s Wycombe Wanderers.

He will be joined by assistants Shaun Hudson and Phil Dermott, whilst David Webb will be the fourth official.

MACS HILLSBOROUGH MEMORIES

Been numerous times have managed a solitary win 3-1 when Brian McBride scored his first goal for us before being unavailable with a blood clot, the match was in September 2000.
First visit was 3/3/1973 a dull rainy March afternoon, sat in the side stand opposite the players tunnel, memories of the game they only seemed to have one record that they played on the PA Alan Price Rosetta and this sod scored twice

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Prospects

Wednesday still need points to ensure safety in the likely event they will get a points deduction from the EFL for slight financial trickery apparently, they have just come off the back of a 2-1 loss in South Wales were they only seemed to getinto gear in the last 10 minutes or so when they had about 9 forwards including the Giant Kosovan Nuhiu, they also have on their books he scores when he wants(Rhodes) and have board Whickham from Palace and some dude called De la Cruz. No Forestier, Fletcher or Hutchinson whose contracts have ended and they have decided to move on.
Apparently we are going in an attacking vein to try and keep our every decreasing chances of getting into the play offs, would actually help if we had shots on target, mind you might be good if we had forwards who could actually score but that's another tale.

By teh time the game kicks off the first day of the Test series will have been completed not hard to guess which will probably be more entertaining

 

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Sheffield Wednesday 1 Murphy Preston North End 3(THREE) Sinclair, Stockley, Potts

On a soggy Yorkshire night in early July North End win a game for the first time in four months, in truth if we had taken our chances in the first half we probably would have won by half time, but having missed a raft of them Wednesday took the lead but with our play off hopes fading into the distance, the manager finally was proactive made three substitutions and bugger me they all scored.
Early Barkhuizen effort hit the side netting before the Owls hit the bar from a Bannon corner Iorfa doing the heading.
We then proceeded to miss chances galore, Maguire just couldn't get to a cross, Ledson had a goalbound effort well blocked by the defence and Bauer missed two glorious headed chances, however Barkhuizen with a mazy run had the easy option to square to Browne but chose the shot and missed, had an omninous feeling that might come back to haunt us.
De la Cruz got in for Wednesday but Storey did just enough to block the shot. North End struggled to get a grip on Bannon in midfiedl but his dead ball kicks did cause a bit of panic at the back.
Stockers scoring

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Second half Wednesday on top strangely though Bannon had less of an influence, we didn't get going and it was wholly predicatable that after missing our chances Wednesday would take their first, Murphy got had a bit of luck when Nuhiu back heel bobble of Murphy's shin into a decent position from which he didn't miss.
That usual sinking feeling until the Boss made the first of his changes on came Sinclair and Stockley, within a minute Stockley header Sinclair through and scores.
Game on although it nearly wasn't Wednesday had tyhe ball in the net following a corner had to be said our marking was abject but luck was on our side Wednesday player offside in front of Rudd although actually thought Rudd was fouled.
Within a minute Stockley buries one from the edge of the box,.
Wednesday unlucky when an effort whizzes narrowly past the post but never fear another of our subs Potts curls in a third at the death, still three behind the Bluebirds but next up Forest whose manager described them as tired on Tuesday night.

 

Rudd was fouled. It wasn't off-side according to Quest. He was man-handled down.

 

Good job, that result is a massive boost