It was good to be back at Deepdale yesterday, three months after a narrow 2-1 win over Burton Albion saw North End narrowly miss out on the play offs.

It was a solid performance from North End against Steve McClaren’s QPR, Alan Browne’s 50th minute header the goal that separated the two teams.

QPR set up relatively defensively but they had their chances – Declan Rudd making a fine close range save late on to clinch the win for North End – and you would not bet against their attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze playing higher up the ladder in a few years’ time.

All the talk before the season opener was about the lack of striking options with Sean Maguire’s injury, although Louis Moult had a good game.

He looked more like the finished article than he did last season, and linked up very well with his team mates – something you would expect to have developed over pre season.

He faced a tough battle against QPR’s German defender Toni Leistner, who is probably one of the strongest centre backs in the Championship, Moult winning his fair share of headers.

There were no real attempts on goal for Moult, something which he will want to improve on, but his all round play was encouraging.

Whether more competition arrives for the forward role before next week, with Moult the only senior striker available at the moment, remains to be seen.

The back four looked solid, Andrew Hughes slotting in seamlessly on his North End debut.

The left back, signed from Peterborough earlier in the summer, put in some strong challenges and also looked threatening in the opposing half.

The head injury to Tom Clarke (a potential concussion) will be a concern ahead of next Saturday’s trip to Swansea – the PNE captain was preferred to Paul Huntington alongside man of the match Ben Davies at the heart of the defence and he had a solid game.

Ben Pearson, perhaps surprisingly, avoided a yellow card yesterday and put in a strong performance, just as North End fans are now used to seeing from the 23 year old.

Callum Robinson did well going forward and there were noticeable improvements in his defensive work, something that Daryl Horgan matched when he came on.

Horgan now looks to be firmly in Neil’s plans, whether that be as a starter or from the bench, and he brought renewed energy to the North End attack when he was introduced late on.

Some of his early crosses were wayward but there is no doubting his crossing ability and you would expect the quality of those to improve with game time this early in the season.

With a tough run of games coming up for North End, yesterday’s win and the performance is an encouraging start to the season with some new faces possibly arriving in time for next Saturday.

 

 

All the talk in the previous week has been about the introduction of ‘The Hundred’ – the ECB’s new proposal aiming to introduce more kids into the game of cricket.

All they had to do was watch last night’s brilliant Roses game between Lancashire and Yorkshire.

The crowd – a record attendance of any domestic T20 game outside of London and Finals Day – stood at 22,515.

The night started with rain, delaying the match by almost an hour and half and causing the match to be reduced to 14 overs a side, but by around 10pm the mood was completely different around Old Trafford.

You only had to take one look at the teams to see that this was going to be a cracker of a match.

Jos Buttler made his first appearance of the season for Lancashire, opening the batting, while David Willey, Kane Williamson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid and Joe Root in for Yorkshire.

It was Willey that took the early punishment, opening the bowling after Yorkshire captain Steven Patterson had sent Lancashire in to bat, his second over being carted for 14 after Liam Livingstone had smashed 18 off Tim Bresnan’s first over.

Livingstone, eventually named man of the match, was in unstoppable form and he brought up his 50 in just 5.3 overs.

England’s Rashid had a night to forget, with Livingstone, Arron Lilley and Jordan Clark all getting the better of him.

Livingstone carried on swinging, and it took an exceptional diving catch from Root at mid off to remove him from the crease.

The hitting didn’t stop there though, Clark and Lilley taking 19 off Rashid’s third over.

Another 17 came off the 14th over as Lancashire racked up a mammoth 174/2.

In most normal circumstances, you’d give the opposition no chance of chasing such a high score.

But T20 has changed a lot in the last few years, and Yorkshire now had one of the most fearsome batting attacks in county cricket.

Opener Adam Lyth took the game to the Red Rose quickly, hitting 22 off one Toby Lester over.

He went for one big shot too many in the 7th over, caught by Livingstone off leg spinner Matt Parkinson for 60, but his innings had put Yorkshire in with a shout.

In came Joe Root, who gave everyone watching an exhibition showing why he is England’s number one batsman.

After Willey, who had opened the batting with Lyth, was stumped off Parkinson, he was joined by Liam Plunkett, promoted up to number four with his big hitting skills in mind.

He dispatched Parkinson out of the ground in the 11th, and another Root six meant Yorkshire needed 46 from the last 3 overs – still advantage Lancashire you would say.

Clark bowled Plunkett around his pads with the first ball of the 12th, and when Bresnan became the next wicket to fall off the penultimate over, Lancashire looked in the ascendency.

But Root was still there, and with 17 needed off the final over, bowled by Lester, he took 12 off the first four balls.

The only mistake Root made in his innings was running a single off the penultimate ball, leaving Yorkshire needing four off the last ball but crucially giving new batsman Williamson the strike.

Williamson could only find the leg side fielder with his slog, and Lancashire clinched an epic by one run to stay top of the North group.

 

Preston North End go into their opening day fixture against QPR looking to extend their unbeaten home record against their opponents that has stood since before this century.

Alex Neil’s side did the double over the Hoops last season, a 1-0 win at Deepdale followed by a crucial 2-1 win at Loftus Road in April.

QPR haven’t had the greatest record of late against PNE, having failed to win any of the last six meetings between the two.

Their last victory came in 2010, courtesy of a brace from Adel Taarabt and a Rob Hulse strike.

The R’s team that day featured ex-PNE man Patrick Agyemang, 21 of his 72 career league goals having come for the Lilywhites.

That season ended with contrasting fortunes for both clubs, with QPR promoted to the Premier League under Neil Warnock and North End relegated to League One.

The Hoops then enjoyed two seasons in the Premier League, under Warnock, Mark Hughes and Harry Redknapp.

Although they did bounce straight back to the top flight under Redknapp in 2014 after relegation, they went down again after one season and have fallen into financial turmoil since.

A UEFA report published last summer showed QPR held the fifth highest debt of any European club, a staggering £242m (€279m).

Their big spending days are certainly behind them now, the club looking at cheaper incomings as well as promoting their promising youth products.

One of those, Paul Smyth, made a goal-scoring Northern Ireland debut earlier this summer, when he notched the winner against South Korea.

I spoke with Mark Davis, QPR fan & co-founder of the fan group Hoops Down Under (@hoopsdownunder), who gave his thoughts on the opening game and the upcoming season in general:

1) There were mixed reactions from QPR fans to Ian Holloway’s sacking and Steve McClaren’s subsequent appointment as manager, what were your thoughts?

I felt for Ollie to be honest but wasn’t surprised he was shown the exit door. Even though the team improved on their previous season and we saw more youth players given first team opportunities, Ollie’s biggest issue was the team not being able to find any consistency and our dour away form didn’t improve at all. It’s been our Achilles heel for numerous years now.

Steve McClaren was a surprise appointment and I must admit comments from Newcastle fans didn’t give me any vote of confidence off the top. But as I with every managerial chance (& let’s be honest, we’ve had a few), I’ll support Steve all the way, like I did Ollie before that.

2) From a fans’ perspective, what would be the ideal season for the club realistically?

Well with a change of managers, we seriously can’t afford to go backwards.

The club are still hand tied with this FFP fine breathing down our necks and until that’s sorted, QPR are going to have to rely on funds from transfer sales & continue to give youth a shot at Championship football.

Last season we finished 16th, so I’m thinking somewhere between 8th-10th would be a pass mark. Playoffs would be a surprise bonus.

3) What sort of business do you think QPR need to do in the transfer market before the first game of the season, given that a few high profile players have left or been released?

We need a few defenders and a prolific striker. We struggled for goals the last two seasons and our position on the ladder reflected this.

The sale of Smithies was disappointing but it had to be done. I think fans were expecting to get more for Alex but we have no idea how it all ultimately played out.

We’ve signed German central defender Toni Leistner and by all reports he sounds like a promising player so fingers crossed. Hopefully a few more signings to come but it’s safe to say those crazy big spending days are well and truly behind us…thank god.

4) Although he didn’t feature for Australia, Massimo Luongo was the sole QPR representative at the World Cup, how important a player will he be this season?

Luongo has been improving every season and as QPR fans from Australia, it’s only natural that we want to see Massimo continue down this path. This could be his biggest season yet and if so, I think QPR will hugely benefit from his control in the midfield. In saying that, I do hope McClaren has big plans for Massimo this coming season.

5) Which other players will PNE need to watch out for on the opening day?

Luke Freeman fell away at the back end of the season but started 2017-18 with a hiss and a roar. I expect PNE will have to keep Freeman at bay if he starts the new season in a similar fashion. Matt Smith looks like he’s shed some weight in the summer so could be dangerous up front, combining with Smyth or (Eberechi) Eze.

It’s going to be intriguing to see what lineup McClaren picks & the formation he uses for this match given our very very poor away record. A draw would be a nice result.

 

All the best to PNE for the season ahead

 

Preston midfielder Alan Browne said that he was delighted to add another goal to his collection last night and contribute to an important win for the team.

The Irishman has been a key fixture in Alex Neil’s side this season, with Browne being one of the team’s most consistent performers.

He scored his fourth league goal of the season last night to help Preston towards a crucial 2-1 win over Bristol City.

The latest, a chip from 25 yards, was arguably his most impressive.

Browne was pleased that he could help contribute to the team’s win.

He said: “I’ll take any goal to be honest but scoring again today was really important for myself and the team.

“They (Bristol City) are a great team so to go to their place and get the three points and to come here and get another three points is fantastic.”

Browne scored a similar goal against Cardiff earlier on in the season, that being from a further distance out.

When comparing the two goals, he said: “They were quite similar in how they happened.

“The Cardiff goal was about trying to get distance on it and to keep it on target.

“Tonight was more about accuracy than anything.”

Browne’s first half effort gave North End the lead, before Famara Diedhou equailsed for the visitors midway through the second half.

Sean Maguire scored what turned to be the winner for Preston, his second in two games since returning from a long injury lay off, his introduction in the second half changing the complexion of the match.

And Browne was full of praise for his compatriot.

“He has come on in the last two games and made a massive impact.

“With Sean you can give it to his feet and he can hold it up or run in behind.

“His pace and frightening and his finishing is second to none.

“He has come back at the right time – I think any teams coming up against him will fear him and rightly so because of the qualities he possesses.”

Last night’s win meant Preston moved up one place in the table to 8th, now just one point off 6th placed Middlesbrough in the race for the final play off place.

With in form Fulham coming up on Saturday, the team knew how important last night’s game was.

Browne said: “We knew coming here today that it was a massive game, not a defining game but one we knew was important.

“We weren’t focusing on the Fulham game, we put all our focus into today’s game and got our tactics right.

“We came close to the play offs last season and we were disappointed to miss out but we’re taking it game by game and trying to pick up as many points as we can between now and the end of the season.”

Preston’s number eight has had an excellent month, being nominated for the PFA Player of the Month award for the Championship as well as being named man of the match in four successive games.

Browne praised manager Alex Neil for putting faith in him and helping him to improve as a player this season.

“The gaffer is starting to get the best out of me and he’s given me confidence to get into areas to go and attack, take people on and shoot.

“It’s something I needed to add to my game and he’s put belief in me and to go and do it.

“I’m trying to do my best to pay him back and do my best for the team.”

Chorley manager Matt Jansen said in his pre-match Emirates FA Cup press conference this afternoon that his side “will do everything to win the game” ahead of Monday’s clash with Fleetwood in the first round proper.

The game will see Chorley take part in the first round for the first time in 27 years, after beating Bury 2-1 at this stage in the 1990/91 FA Cup before losing 1-0 to Shrewsbury in the second round.

“That is the magic of the FA Cup”, Jansen said.

“It is great for clubs like this to boost the community, to boost gate receipts and the budget.”

“We will be going into it to win this game and as will Fleetwood. I know my players will give everything.”

Jansen was joined at the press conference by Dave Riche, who discussed Fleetwood’s rise up the leagues, with Uwe Rosler’s side having competed in the same league Chorley are currently in just five years ago.

“I spent time at Fleetwood five years ago when they were in the Conference North.

“One key thing they did was build up the infrastructure – when I joined here I told Graham (Watkinson, vice chairman) and Ken (Wright, chairman) that we have to build an infrastructure.

“We can learn a lot from Fleetwood and it’s a case of cementing partnerships which we are very keen to do with Fleetwood off the field as well.”

One bonus in particular for Chorley as a result of the cup draw is the financial aspects.

“Financially, the TV money and sponsorship is a big injection for the club”, Riche said.

“We will be able to claim a six figure fee from this cup so far. We’ve been fortunate enough to bring in some great sponsorship for this game but there are other things we are doing as well.

“We’ve kept ticket prices the same, U12s free, it’s encouraging to see as we want some of those to see the atmosphere on the night and want to come back.”

“We don’t want young kids to follow Manchester United or Chelsea, we want them to be true to their hometown roots because that’s how clubs like us survive.”

Jansen also confirmed the signing of highly rated ‘keeper Oliver Byrne from Cardiff on a one month youth loan.

“We have got a goalkeeper in place, he’s got international clearance – Oliver Byrne from Cardiff. Andy Dibble and Bryan Gunn highly recommended him.

“I met him on Tuesday night, he’s a big unit and a confident kid so hopefully he’ll do a good job for us.”

 

Ollie Watkins’ 5th goal of the season was enough to give Brentford a 3-2 victory at Deepdale.

Nico Yennaris opened the scoring for the visitors, heading into an empty net following a Chris Maxwell save.

Sean Maguire levelled for North End with a brilliant individual goal, before Romaine Sawyers put Brentford back ahead.

Tom Barkhuizen made it 2-2 but Watkins’ strike from 6 yards was enough to give Dean Smith’s side the win.

The first half started with controversy, Maguire booked for diving on 2 minutes just outside the Brentford area.

Preston dominated the early play and good work from Jordan Hugill to hold off the defender gave Barkhuizen a good chance on the right hand side, his half volley going over the crossbar.

Brentford began to put pressure on however, Henrik Dalsgaard having their first real chance. The Dane found space on the right hand side and got his shot away but it was wide of the right hand post.

Josh Earl then managed to win the ball on halfway, Maguire’s through ball then found Barkhuizen, who cut the ball across to Hugill on the left hand edge of the box but his curling attempt went narrowly wide of the right post.

Florian Jozefzoon, who joined Dean Smith’s side from PSV in the summer following a loan spell, managed to find space on the right and cut inside, his shot was at first blocked by Woods with the Dutchman’s rebound well saved by Maxwell down to his left.

Preston’s next opportunity came on 19 minutes, a Brentford free kick punched away by Maxwell – the counter was led by Johnson who found Robinson on the edge of the box but his left footed shot went wide of the post.

Ben Pearson and Andreas Bjelland were involved in an off the ball altercation on 22 minutes but both were let off with a warning.

The opening goal was scored by the visitors on 24 minutes, the threatening Jozefzoon finding more space on the right hand side. He beat Woods for pace before getting his shot away, Maxwell saving well for a shot that looked destined for the left corner. The rebound however fell to Yennaris, the midfielder heading into an empty net from close range.

Preston looked for a way back into the game and almost found it, Sean Maguire heading narrowly over from close range on 25 minutes.

Lasse Vibe had a promising chance following a Brentford counter, he went down in the box under challenge but the ref gave neither a penalty nor a dive.

Maguire was involved in a penalty appeal soon after, the Irishman having the better of Dalsgaard in the box who appeared to make contact with the Irishman although the referee deemed it to be too little to award a spot kick.

Preston’s equaliser came on 40 minutes, good work from Robinson in the centre meant he was able to find Maguire, who ran all the way to the edge of the box and fired past Daniel Bentley to score his 4th goal in Preston colours.

There was then worry for Brentford as the goalscorer Yennaris went down – Alex Neil said after the game that he had not seen the incident although the consensus was from those that did see it that Hugill had made accidental contact with the former Arsenal man. There was a stoppage of 10 minutes as he was stretchered off.

HT – Preston 1-1 Brentford
The second half featured few clear cut chances until 56 minutes, a Brentford free kick finding its way to the substitute Sawyers on the edge of the box. Although the Brentford number 19 scuffed his first shot, he regained his footing and his deflected second effort went past Maxwell to make it 2-1 to the visitors.

Robinson broke forward for the home side on 65 minutes, his right footed shot landing narrowly wide of the post just seconds after Barkhuizen had another penalty appeal turned down.

Preston drew level just a minute later, a tussle in the box followed by a cross which was cleared only as far as Barkhuizen, Preston’s number 29 firing home on the volley past the helpless Bentley.

The goal seemed to lift Alex Neil’s side as they went in search of a winner.

It was Brentford, however, who retook the lead from a counter attack, with a ball in from Jozefzoon finding Brentford’s top goalscorer Watkins unmarked and he slotted home from 6 yards out for his 5th strike of the season.

Josh Harrop came on for Preston on 69 minutes and immediately threatened, producing a shot on the edge of the box following a mazy run but it was blocked by a resolute Brentford defence.

At the other end, a Brentford corner found Dalsgaard unmarked at the back post but his header was well blocked.

Substitute Sergi Canos fired a free kick narrowly wide of Maxwell’s right hand post on 81 minutes.

Neil made one last change to try and bring about an equaliser, Arsenal loanee Stephy Mavididi coming on for the goalscorer Barkhuizen.

6 minutes were added on with Preston pushing for an equaliser, with Horgan firing a ball in across goal but it was claimed comfortably by Bentley.

That proved to be the final action with Brentford going back to London with a crucial 3 points.

FT – Preston 2-3 Brentford

Preston XI; Maxwell, Fisher, Huntington ©, Woods, Earl, Pearson, Johnson, Barkhuizen (off Mavididi 84), Robinson (off Harrop 70), Maguire (off Horgan 77), Hugill

Subs; Hudson (GK), Boyle, O’Connor, Harrop (on 70), Gallagher, Horgan (on 77), Mavididi (on 84)