Match Report: Good football is the loser - as it should be if you keep making mistakes

[Olé]

We may have all but confirmed our promotion to this division at Deepdale three years ago, but we really don’t have a very good record here, so it is a surprise to say this is the best I can remember us playing here - AND the worst I can remember Preston playing. Which is an excellent reminder that simply playing well guarantees nothing.

For everyone who said “if only we played our football against Cardiff, it would have been alright". Well here was your controlled test. And it wasn’t alright. Preston did a passable impression of Cardiff - direct, quick to the floor, eager to monopolise referee ear time - while we tried, in patches, to pass and move smartly via our forward pair.

We failed. Bobby Reid was hit and miss after his big weekend; we lacked true width - certainly absent from our full backs, easily our weakest link; and most crucially we made killer mistakes for both goals. The type of errors City make too often to be successful, and certainly mistakes that stem from our over confidence with the ball.

When our passing comes up against more direct teams, we either totally lose control of the game (Cardiff) or we play pretty stuff and dominate possession (tonight) but then get far too carried away with our ability on the ball and become careless. It happened for both goals and was even more of a feature second half with Kent on.

In the first half today we dominated the ball and contrived the lions share of chances, but ultimately looked disjointed with Pack and Smith buzzing around centrally but both Bryan - repeatedly poor in the pass tonight - and Wright - almost non existent going forward - providing little width where both Brownhill and Paterson were tucking in.

In the second half chasing the game we put up a decent fight, got back into the game, then almost immediately surrendered another mistake, before being suffocated by a painful succession of tumbling, diving, and time wasting from Preston - not something I associate with them - before ultimately losing our heads in our failure to respond.

To be honest none of this seemed possible when we took the first half to them. Korey initiated a driving run out of midfield before a smart one touch passing set - the type we saw on Saturday - threatened to carve them open. Then Joe Bryan did similar before exchanging passes with Reid and delivering a return cross that flashed across the box.

Next it was Brownhill looping a ball into the edge of the box which Diedhiou did well to control first time, before spinning the ball into the path of Magnússon who cracked our first direct strike on goal from the left hand side. Minutes later Flint headed upfield into the path of Diedhiou who momentarily looked like he would go clear on goal.

But for all the chances, it was a mistake that gifted Preston the lead. Magnússon scuffed a clearance which Fielding had already committed to running out to win, and Preston collected the ball and looped a return ball over the top of both players and into the far corner. It was the softest of goals to concede by a side that had been well on top.

City continued to play the better football and from a first time ball out of his own box from Flint, Paterson was released to run through central midfield, and he would exchange passes with Reid before slipping Diedhiou clear on goal only for the keeper to be first to the ball. This was City, trying to play football and searching for gaps to exploit.

Before the break Magnússon, exposed for the goal but actually convincing at both ends in every other exchange, would make a brilliant leaping header to prevent City falling further behind, as a flick on to the back post left City exposed, only for the the Icelandic defender to head the ball clear of goal with Preston’s striker ready to react.

Straight from the second half it was clear that Preston were going to dial up gamesmanship to keep their opponents at bay. From City’s first break Diedhiou was clumsily sent to the floor - similar would happen later to Reid and others without any response from the ref - but at least Paterson raced at the defence on the right and won the corner.

Though that first set piece was cleared, the second corner found Magnússon bundling in from yards out and his point blank header was tipped desperately by Preston's keeper over the crossbar with City swarming. Minutes later Reid worked an opening only to be penalised by the first of a series of theatrical Preston tumbles under pressure.

Another dubious foul for the home side in their own half after similar pressure, resulted in a long range free kick into our box which was glanced towards the top right corner by Preston and drew a fantastic reaction save from Fielding to tip wide.  At the other end Pack drove a spinning low shot just past the post after good work by Magnússon.

Johnson sent on Kent for Magnússon and switched Wright - largely anonymous going forward as a full back - into centre back with Brownhill relocating to right back. Within minutes City were level, Bobby Reid collecting the ball on the left and lifting a dipping cross that Diedhiou met at the near post to nod over the Preston keeper for 1-1.\

At this point with all the possession, fresh legs on one wing, and certainly the better football, City will have believed the win was there for them. It would be their downfall, and within minutes we would be reminded for the second time of the night that City simply cannot ground themselves to do the basics before they get carried away with the ball.

It was actually City that won a free kick midway into Preston’s half, but Pack’s deep ball failed to meet Flint and from the resultant clearance, Korey Smith returned an indecisive header in midfield which Preston reacted fastest to, winning the ball and releasing a quick central through ball, from which they ran on, shrugged off Smith and fired home.

In response Paterson would intercept a crossfield pass and race in on goal but show poor decision making to lose the ball with Diedhiou clear to the right. And with City’s best chance to equalise Brownhill would get clear on the right and drop a ball into Reid in the six yard box, whose point blank shot was beaten away with Diedhiou following up.

But in truth Preston’s second goal had already unnerved City, and they were put to bed by a combination of poor decision making on the ball - Kent particularly poor, but Bryan and even Brownhill also careless - allied to Preston’s uncharacteristic gamesmanship in tumbling and time-wasting, and seeking every advantage from the uncertain referee.

City were already well riled by Preston’s antics, when in the closing stages a succession of opportunities presented to get the ball in the box. Each were bundled clear, but when in injury time similar occurred by players simply converging on Flint and sending him to the ground, he was sure it was a penalty and sprung up to look towards the official.

From directly above the six yard box it appeared to me simply that Cunningham went across and was in Flints ear and then rubbing his head looking for a reaction. My instinct at the time was that Flint, with his back to him, pushed him away - the pictures look considerably worse. But it was not an elbow and Cunningham made far far too much of it.

The referee had already let the game get out of hand by allowing Preston to control the tempo of the second half with their constant theatrics and time wasting - but at this point with Preston's keeper and others wading in to exert their influence on proceedings, City’s players reacted and even mild mannered Korey seemed incensed for the remainder.

Despite a couple of last second corners with Fielding up from the back, City by now obviously lacked aerial presence to challenge (Flint and Magnússon off) and that was it. A harsh lesson for City that playing football and dominating possession is nothing if you don’t have a solid foundation built on doing the basics right and not making mistakes.

In the end it wasn’t the referee, nor Preston’s lamentable style of play which cost City any points - though both were frustrating. It was City’s own inability to have any discipline or security in their passing. Far too often players made poor, often cavalier individual decisions with the ball and lost possession, a flaw which Kent triplicated when he joined in. 

• Fielding 6 One brilliant save but several poor kicks as per, and at least half to blame for the first goal
• Wright 5 Poor even by his own standards at right back, never got forward, never gave any attacking support
• Bryan 5 Recovers well when he makes mistakes - but made too many with his passing today by his standards, rarely a threat
• Flint 6 I thought he was in control at the back and played several good balls (and one shocker) - a shame he was conned into a red card
• Magnússon 7 Aat fault for the first, but he did lots of things right at both ends, two of our three shots on goal and several good clearances
• Pack 7 Continued where he left off on Saturday, at times he ran the game, albeit up against a very strong defence with little space created
• Smith 6 Usual engine but will be disappointed by his part in their second goal and looked like he was affected for the rest of the game
• Brownhill 6 Poor by his standards, some good crosses early and got forward better than Wright at RB but also gave away the ball easily
• Paterson 6 Some decent touches and runs out of midfield, but he really didn’t bring others into play or create meaningful chances
• Reid 6 Also poor by his standards, a few nice touches, but also loose touches and wild challenges chasing back - was trying too hard
• Diedhiou 7 Some impressive control at close quarters alongside the usual looser touches, worked tirelessly and deserved his goal

 

• Kent 5 I really want to like the guy but I just can’t see it. Yet another cameo full of zero end product and rank carelessness

[Bryans Left Peg]

Edit: Cheers @Olé

[Curr Avon]

11 minutes ago, Bryans Left Peg said:

Sorry I can't even read that, can you change the font size please?

Aaaaaaay. Don't complain about the Fonts. It's Cunningham we hate.

[Malvern Red]

Great write up apart from saying that Preston’s spoiling tactics were uncharacteristic. This was a carbon copy of the way they won all the previous games against us.

[Major Isewater]

Preston , a second rate Cardiff. 

I really hate this ' gamesmanship ' almost as much as our naivety .

 

[Jacki]

Cracking report - great read @Olé

Seems like this game summed us up in recent weeks. Some great football at times, undone by naivety and carelessness that cost us.

I keep banging on about our lack of real knowhow but it seems it showed again last night. Preston did a job on us. Our away form is a huge problem now and Burton on Saturday has become a must win now, for confidence and belief more than anything else. 

Contrary to last nights hysteria on here, we’re still in there fighting. We need at least 6 wins from the remaining 10 games. That seems a tall order right now but we’ve done it before and we can do it again.

COYR

 

[RedM]

6 hours ago, Malvern Red said:

Great write up apart from saying that Preston’s spoiling tactics were uncharacteristic. This was a carbon copy of the way they won all the previous games against us.

I too would like to state how accurate @Oléwrite up is, absolutely spot on. But like you the only thing I would question is that Preston do seem to play this way, at least against us. Certainly happened in the last two home games, at one point they had several players suddenly sitting themselves down. Very ugly football. I thought they were better than that but they have done it under two different managers now so I guess it’s their style which is effective for them. I would hate to see us play like this.

[stevep38]

Think Preston did the sitting down injured thing against Crapdiff. Didnt hugil get bundled over off the pitch then crawled back on and sat down wasting time he did it a few times. Seems they have previous me lud. Was on Sky. 

[TV Tom]

1 hour ago, stevep38 said:

Think Preston did the sitting down injured thing against Crapdiff. Didnt hugil get bundled over off the pitch then crawled back on and sat down wasting time he did it a few times. Seems they have previous me lud. Was on Sky. 

This was truly hilarious, obviously it’s in both clubs dna.

[Marlborough Red]

Should have been a sports journalist. Superb content, clarity and conclusions.

 

Excellent .

[Offside]

I wasn't able to attend the game or listen on the radio so these match reports are always welcome. 

Judging from this thread and the highlights it seems like a game of fine margins where we were undone by poor defending. For the first goal Magnússon's clearance was poor, but I'm not sure Fielding should have been coming so far out. On a side note it often seems that our clearances go straight to an opposition player. For the winner it was disappointing to see their player be able to run so far with the ball - a bit like what happened at Bolton.

Our away form is a worry. Saturday's game at Burton is a good opportunity to stop that rot.

 

 

[brad blit]

Good to see another ‘unbiased’ opinion that Maggers played decently despite his part in 1st goal. 

There are some who too quickly accuse ‘scape goat’ players of being crap when certain favourites like Bryan get away with poor games too often

[GrahamC]

@Olé makes the Post even more redundant than ever.

Superb match report as usual.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

12 hours ago, Olé said:

We may have all but confirmed our promotion to this division at Deepdale three years ago, but we really don’t have a very good record here, so it is a surprise to say this is the best I can remember us playing here - AND the worst I can remember Preston playing. Which is an excellent reminder that simply playing well guarantees nothing.

For everyone who said “if only we played our football against Cardiff, it would have been alright". Well here was your controlled test. And it wasn’t alright. Preston did a passable impression of Cardiff - direct, quick to the floor, eager to monopolise referee ear time - while we tried, in patches, to pass and move smartly via our forward pair.

We failed. Bobby Reid was hit and miss after his big weekend; we lacked true width - certainly absent from our full backs, easily our weakest link; and most crucially we made killer mistakes for both goals. The type of errors City make too often to be successful, and certainly mistakes that stem from our over confidence with the ball.

When our passing comes up against more direct teams, we either totally lose control of the game (Cardiff) or we play pretty stuff and dominate possession (tonight) but then get far too carried away with our ability on the ball and become careless. It happened for both goals and was even more of a feature second half with Kent on.

In the first half today we dominated the ball and contrived the lions share of chances, but ultimately looked disjointed with Pack and Smith buzzing around centrally but both Bryan - repeatedly poor in the pass tonight - and Wright - almost non existent going forward - providing little width where both Brownhill and Paterson were tucking in.

In the second half chasing the game we put up a decent fight, got back into the game, then almost immediately surrendered another mistake, before being suffocated by a painful succession of tumbling, diving, and time wasting from Preston - not something I associate with them - before ultimately losing our heads in our failure to respond.

To be honest none of this seemed possible when we took the first half to them. Korey initiated a driving run out of midfield before a smart one touch passing set - the type we saw on Saturday - threatened to carve them open. Then Joe Bryan did similar before exchanging passes with Reid and delivering a return cross that flashed across the box.

Next it was Brownhill looping a ball into the edge of the box which Diedhiou did well to control first time, before spinning the ball into the path of Magnússon who cracked our first direct strike on goal from the left hand side. Minutes later Flint headed upfield into the path of Diedhiou who momentarily looked like he would go clear on goal.

But for all the chances, it was a mistake that gifted Preston the lead. Magnússon scuffed a clearance which Fielding had already committed to running out to win, and Preston collected the ball and looped a return ball over the top of both players and into the far corner. It was the softest of goals to concede by a side that had been well on top.

City continued to play the better football and from a first time ball out of his own box from Flint, Paterson was released to run through central midfield, and he would exchange passes with Reid before slipping Diedhiou clear on goal only for the keeper to be first to the ball. This was City, trying to play football and searching for gaps to exploit.

Before the break Magnússon, exposed for the goal but actually convincing at both ends in every other exchange, would make a brilliant leaping header to prevent City falling further behind, as a flick on to the back post left City exposed, only for the the Icelandic defender to head the ball clear of goal with Preston’s striker ready to react.

Straight from the second half it was clear that Preston were going to dial up gamesmanship to keep their opponents at bay. From City’s first break Diedhiou was clumsily sent to the floor - similar would happen later to Reid and others without any response from the ref - but at least Paterson raced at the defence on the right and won the corner.

Though that first set piece was cleared, the second corner found Magnússon bundling in from yards out and his point blank header was tipped desperately by Preston's keeper over the crossbar with City swarming. Minutes later Reid worked an opening only to be penalised by the first of a series of theatrical Preston tumbles under pressure.

Another dubious foul for the home side in their own half after similar pressure, resulted in a long range free kick into our box which was glanced towards the top right corner by Preston and drew a fantastic reaction save from Fielding to tip wide.  At the other end Pack drove a spinning low shot just past the post after good work by Magnússon.

Johnson sent on Kent for Magnússon and switched Wright - largely anonymous going forward as a full back - into centre back with Brownhill relocating to right back. Within minutes City were level, Bobby Reid collecting the ball on the left and lifting a dipping cross that Diedhiou met at the near post to nod over the Preston keeper for 1-1.\

At this point with all the possession, fresh legs on one wing, and certainly the better football, City will have believed the win was there for them. It would be their downfall, and within minutes we would be reminded for the second time of the night that City simply cannot ground themselves to do the basics before they get carried away with the ball.

It was actually City that won a free kick midway into Preston’s half, but Pack’s deep ball failed to meet Flint and from the resultant clearance, Korey Smith returned an indecisive header in midfield which Preston reacted fastest to, winning the ball and releasing a quick central through ball, from which they ran on, shrugged off Smith and fired home.

In response Paterson would intercept a crossfield pass and race in on goal but show poor decision making to lose the ball with Diedhiou clear to the right. And with City’s best chance to equalise Brownhill would get clear on the right and drop a ball into Reid in the six yard box, whose point blank shot was beaten away with Diedhiou following up.

But in truth Preston’s second goal had already unnerved City, and they were put to bed by a combination of poor decision making on the ball - Kent particularly poor, but Bryan and even Brownhill also careless - allied to Preston’s uncharacteristic gamesmanship in tumbling and time-wasting, and seeking every advantage from the uncertain referee.

City were already well riled by Preston’s antics, when in the closing stages a succession of opportunities presented to get the ball in the box. Each were bundled clear, but when in injury time similar occurred by players simply converging on Flint and sending him to the ground, he was sure it was a penalty and sprung up to look towards the official.

From directly above the six yard box it appeared to me simply that Cunningham went across and was in Flints ear and then rubbing his head looking for a reaction. My instinct at the time was that Flint, with his back to him, pushed him away - the pictures look considerably worse. But it was not an elbow and Cunningham made far far too much of it.

The referee had already let the game get out of hand by allowing Preston to control the tempo of the second half with their constant theatrics and time wasting - but at this point with Preston's keeper and others wading in to exert their influence on proceedings, City’s players reacted and even mild mannered Korey seemed incensed for the remainder.

Despite a couple of last second corners with Fielding up from the back, City by now obviously lacked aerial presence to challenge (Flint and Magnússon off) and that was it. A harsh lesson for City that playing football and dominating possession is nothing if you don’t have a solid foundation built on doing the basics right and not making mistakes.

In the end it wasn’t the referee, nor Preston’s lamentable style of play which cost City any points - though both were frustrating. It was City’s own inability to have any discipline or security in their passing. Far too often players made poor, often cavalier individual decisions with the ball and lost possession, a flaw which Kent triplicated when he joined in. 

• Fielding 6 One brilliant save but several poor kicks as per, and at least half to blame for the first goal
• Wright 5 Poor even by his own standards at right back, never got forward, never gave any attacking support
• Bryan 5 Recovers well when he makes mistakes - but made too many with his passing today by his standards, rarely a threat
• Flint 6 I thought he was in control at the back and played several good balls (and one shocker) - a shame he was conned into a red card
• Magnússon 7 Aat fault for the first, but he did lots of things right at both ends, two of our three shots on goal and several good clearances
• Pack 7 Continued where he left off on Saturday, at times he ran the game, albeit up against a very strong defence with little space created
• Smith 6 Usual engine but will be disappointed by his part in their second goal and looked like he was affected for the rest of the game
• Brownhill 6 Poor by his standards, some good crosses early and got forward better than Wright at RB but also gave away the ball easily
• Paterson 6 Some decent touches and runs out of midfield, but he really didn’t bring others into play or create meaningful chances
• Reid 6 Also poor by his standards, a few nice touches, but also loose touches and wild challenges chasing back - was trying too hard
• Diedhiou 7 Some impressive control at close quarters alongside the usual looser touches, worked tirelessly and deserved his goal

 

• Kent 5 I really want to like the guy but I just can’t see it. Yet another cameo full of zero end product and rank carelessness

Fielding 5 for his first half performance.

Magnússon 5 for his mistake that yet again cost a goal.

Pack 5 I just thought he was poor for most of the night, I lost count of his under hit passes that were intercepted.

Paterson 5 and I think I am being generous, it was always going to be a physical game and forgetting his poor form of nearly 2 months, selecting him for this game was a mistake.

Preston are a really well organised side, something that we definitely are not, we are a side who can hurt teams who stand off of us and allow us to play our game, get in our face and we are ******.

Our January recruitment should have been easy for change because we were flying high, but somehow we managed to **** it up again and our loan signings are poor and have barely if at all contributed.

I am not fully convinced by our transfer policy and certainly not by our loan policy.

[Meryl Goodrum]

Don't think any of them were brilliant last night, but then they weren't bad either.Hated the way Preston played, just as I hate watching Cardiff too. There comes a time when tactics take over from the sport completely, it may be clever but its rubbish to watch.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

17 minutes ago, Meryl Goodrum said:

Don't think any of them were brilliant last night, but then they weren't bad either.Hated the way Preston played, just as I hate watching Cardiff too. There comes a time when tactics take over from the sport completely, it may be clever but its rubbish to watch.

But truly good sides learn how to play against these tactics and we have not.