Preston North End (h) – Sat 16th Jan 15:00 – What Can We Expect?

[Davefevs]

Preston North End (h) – Sat 16^th Jan 15:00 – What Can We Expect?

It’s only a few weeks ago that City travelled to Deepdale and lost 1-0 to a first half penalty from our North End nemesis Daniel Johnson.  Whilst it’s now only one month shy of ten years since City last beat Preston North End and the winless run now stands at 15 games.

Preston have improved their league position since our last encounter, moving from 16^th to 12^th place and are now only one point behind City, who have a game in hand (to Brentford, twice suspended).  A three-game winning run that started with the City win has come to an abrupt run in 2021 with defeat to Forest and a crushing FA Cup defeat to Wycombe 4-1.  What better time to play them?  Frankly, history tells us there is no such thing!

Who’s the boss? 

PNE are managed by Scotsman Alex Neil, the 39-year-old former Airdrie, Barnsley, Mansfield and Hamilton player.  In 10 years at the Accies he played almost 250 times.  During his playing days he started to get involved in coaching, and then became player-manager in 2013. 

Pic 1 - Neil in his playing days - a team in their manager's mould?

In his first full season he achieved promotion to the Scottish Premiership where they made a promising start to life in the top tier.  That caught the attention of Norwich (2015) where he made a flying start, winning 17 out of 25, taking the Canaries up via the play-offs.  Unfortunately, the run of success ended as Norwich came straight back down and later in the season after he lost his job.  He wasn’t out of work long when Preston came calling in the summer of 2017. 

Recruitment: 

Preston fans and manager were showing signs of frustration at the tight ship run by owner Trevor Hemmings approaching the January window, but that’s subsided with early activity and impressive activity at that, especially with Covid impacting the market, and Neil not having to sell in the summer to fund his incomings.  In previous seasons he had sold the likes of Callum Robinson (£7m), Greg Cunningham (£3.6m) and Jordan Hugill (£9m) to balance the books. 

Incomings:

Daniel Iverson – Leicester (Loan)

Ched Evans – Fleetwood (Loan)

Jayson Molumby – Brighton (Loan)

Ben Whiteman – Doncaster (£1.5m)

In the summer: 

Emil Riis – Randers FC (£1.35m) 

Outgoings: 

None in this window, but in the summer: 

Tom Clarke – Salford (Free)

Kevin O’Connor – Cork (Free)

Josh Ginnelly – Hearts (Loan) 

Plus a few younger players leaving on a free transfer or going out on loan. 

How do they play?

System / Formation: 

Neil favours a 4231 formation but has flexibility in his front six ahead of the back four.  Several players can play in multiple positions / roles.

Pic 2 - PNE's 4231 home to Forest [Wyscout]

With five subs as well as versatile players, Neil can mix it up.

Pic 3 - Neil's subs and tactical tweaks versus Forest [Wyscout]

In the first half we see on 36 minutes Neil swap his wide men Potts (44) with Barkhuizen (29).  With Preston falling behind to a 70^th minute penalty Neil takes a few minutes before making a double-sub.  Gallagher (12) replaces Bayliss (7) and Riis (19) replaces Potts (44), but Maguire (24) shifts to left-wing to allow Riis to take his place up-front.  In a final throw of the dice in the last few minutes, Stockley (20) comes on for Maguire (24) as Neil switches to 442. 

I suspect Neil will start Gallagher against City; he has been as big a player for Preston against City as Johnson has. Alan Browne has just signed a new contract too, so he is likely to be involved too. 

Pressing: 

Preston are one of the better teams in the Championship at disrupting the opposition’s possession.  Only Rotherham (as we saw Saturday), Bournemouth and Huddersfield allow less passes (Preston 9.58) before they either win the ball, foul, intercept or tackle.  City (12.90) are 18^th, and this reflects a change in tactics since injuries to Weimann and Bakinson (now fit again) where Holden’s team now sit in and play more transitional football.

Not only do they disrupt the opposition in the press, but they also break the flow with niggly fouls and “injury timeouts” which allow them to take the sting out of any momentum that might be building against them.  It is a very cynical approach from Neil, but it is effective.  It is one of the pitfalls of losing the first goal and having to chase the game.  In contrast, City are very poor at stopping opponents building momentum.

Preston are also well structured in defence, with the two more defensively minded midfielders very good at blocking passing lanes into the front players.  The game in December saw City really struggle to break the lines at times.

Not helped by City’s forwards standing in a line, Nagy has very few passing options, certainly none forward.  Johnson is not pressing Nagy that hard, but it is enough to push him sideways and away from Bakinson, his midfield partner. 

 

In the next example, Rowe has no penetrative pass available.  Massengo is trying to find space between Preston players, but the pass down the line to Martin is well covered and of little threat.  Alternatively Rowe can go sideways to Nagy, which in retrospect would’ve been a better option.  Knowing Martin isn’t going to dribble past Fisher, he goes tight, forces a poor pass into Massengo who fortunately buys a free-kick, when it looked like Preston had regained possession. 

Set-Pieces: 

From corners we see a variety of approaches, but emphasis on the near post.  The first example is an inswinger from the left wing from Paul Gallagher.

Pic 6 - Right foot inswinger versus Barnsley

Gallagher is usually on the money with his set-piece delivery and on this occasion he doesn’t disappoint.  A bunch of Preston players start around the penalty spot with different runs towards the near post area.  But keep an eye on Maguire (24) stood by the keeper.

Pic 7 - Flick on by the Barnsley defender does the job!

Its Barnsley’s Matty James (32) who inadvertently gets the flick-on, and Maguire stoops to head in at the far post despite Walton’s attempts to keep the ball out. 

In the second example, away at Luton, it’s a right wing, right foot away swinger. 

Pic 8 - an away swinger versus Luton

Preston midfielder Alan Browne (8) makes an undetected run from the back of the pack, around the Preston players stationed in the 6-yard box and gets onto the pacy delivery, but unfortunately volleys over the bar. 

Nothing “rocket science” about the routine, but effective all the same.  In a tight game it can be the differentiator. 

An often-undervalued set-piece is the throw-in.  City have improved their ball retention from throw-ins this season, but there is still significant room for improvement.  It’s been frustrating over the past few seasons seeing City give up possession from a situation that can be worked on and be very effective. 

Pic 9 - Perfect set-up and movement versus Boro

In the 3-0 win over Middlesbrough, a simple throw-in routine almost pays dividends.  Darnell Fisher with the throw to Jayden Stockley who flicks on to Tom Barkhuisen who’s already on the move as Fisher delivers.  Barkhuisen rides a weak tackle and sees his shot saved. 

Direct play: 

Following on from the throw-in example, we find another flick-on situation in general play. 

Pic 10 - Stockley causing more problems in the air versus Boro

A percentage ball is lifted forward from the back towards Stockley.  Where Preston become effective is that they get runners either side of Stockley looking for the flick, but also from midfield too for the nod down or half-cleared header. Even if the Boro midfielder gets to the loose ball first he’s facing his own goal and will be under pressure to clear.  It is a feature of their play that they commit runners in situations like this and City will need to be combative as well as switched on.  They put opposition defences under intense pressure looking for cracks that they can exploit. 

Against Forest in the recent league game, we saw further evidence of this, albeit with Maguire coming short and laying off the ball first time on the volley.  Against City in December, it was Maguire again pulling off of Vyner and Kalas to find pro-active runners. 

Pic 11 - Maguire cushions a pass to the onrushing Johnson versus Forest

We’ve seen in the past that Neil’s Preston sides do not think about whether the pass forward is coming or not, they make proactive and aggressive runs down the sides of the centre-backs in expectation.  The forward players are prepared on the half-turn ready to gain that yard on their marker.  It enables the game to become stretched and gives Preston that bit more space to play. It also means that City’s distances between defence and midfield increase or if the midfield drop, the gaps between our midfield and attack get bigger making linking up more difficult.  City will really need to work hard to keep their units together, even if that allows Preston’s defence to push up.  In December it was something they failed to do, with Kalas playing far too deep.  

Pic 12 - Kalas and Vyner far too deep at Deepdale

As a result, Nagy, O’Dowda and Massengo were left with huge areas to cover and press and got played around.  With the return of Mawson, I’m hoping Kalas feels confident to play a higher line and stop the effectiveness of Preston’s runners. 

Room down the sides: 

Following on from the above, if City can turn Preston’s attacks into our own attacks then Preston can be got at.

Pic 13 - Retreating defence versus Barnsley

Against Barnsley we see the Tykes break up an attack and pile forward.  This time its Preston with big gaps front-to-back and with their defence retreating and shape broken, Mowatt (27) can slide in Callum Styles.  On this occasion Styles gives it straight back to Mowatt who curls a 25 yarder past run and into the net. 

Pic 14 - on the back foot again!

Another pass not finding its target and Barnsley break again, Preston’s midfield beyond the ball, Woodrow breaks into the final third.  With Victor Adeboyejo clear in the channel Woodrow sucks in Fisher (2) before playing the killer pass and the Barnsley striker goes on to score. 

Possible Line-up / Options: 

GK: Daniel Iversen (23): signed this week on loan from Leicester.  Had been in Belgium with the Foxes feeder club OH Leuven during the first half of the season.  On the bench is Connor Ripley (27): son of Middlesbrough winger Stuart, he was linked with City a few seasons back and has had loans at Oxford, Ostersund, Motherwell, Oldham, Burton, Bury and Accrington before signing for Preston in 2019.  Declan Rudd (29): former Norwich academy player who had a loan spell at Deepdale in 2013/14 and then at Charlton before signing for Preston in July 2017, just before Neil arrived from Norwich.  Closing in on 200 appearances for Preston across the two spells, he’s currently injured. 

RB: Darnell Fisher (26): fiery full back who started at Celtic and arrived at Preston via Rotherham in 2017.  Picked up 12 yellow and 1 red card last season and has 3 yellows in 9 already this season.  Neil can call upon versatile Joe Rafferty (27): a Liverpool academy youngster who joined Preston from Rochdale.  Can player either side. 

CB: Paul Huntingdon (33): experienced centre-back who started at Newcastle but now in his 9^th season at PNE.  Signed on a free transfer from Yeovil in 2012 and has made almost 300 appearances for the Lilywhites.  Quite possible that Neil may select Jordan Storey (23): started at Newcastle too, but made his mark in less than 20 games at Exeter, prompting Neil to splash £750k on him. 

CB: Ben Davies (25): academy graduate who had loans at York, Tranmere, Southport, Newport and Fleetwood before establishing himself under Neil.  Left-sided, he’s had a hamstring injury restricting game time, but now back in the fold.  Neil has been unable to call upon Patrick Bauer (28): the former Stuttgart and Charlton defender, who has been struggling with injury.  Bauer scored against City in last season’s 3-3 draw. 

LB: Andrew Hughes (28): former Newport man who had a loan at Mangotsfield United (just up the road from me!) before signing for Peterborough on a free in 2016.  Two years later he signed for Preston for an undisclosed fee.  Also, in with a chance of starting is Josh Earl (22): who has played just seven times this season across all comps. 

CM: Alan Browne (25): versatile midfielder who came from Cork in January 2014.  Now an Ireland international with 11 caps, hes been key in more withdrawn role in the absence of Ben Pearson (25): the former Manchester United and Barnsley man is a player City fans dislike due to his over-the-top tackling and play acting.  Currently out injured. 

CM: Ryan Ledson (23): former Everton academy player who signed from Oxford in July 2018.  Has really become a regular this season until Tuesday.  His place was taken by Paul Gallagher (36): experienced midfielder who is now in his 6^th season at Deepdale.  Formerly with Blackburn and Leicester, the Scot takes a mean set-piece.  Preston also have the option to give a league debut to Jayson Molumby (23): signed on loan from Brighton this week the Ireland international impressed on loan at Millwall last season. They also have another new signing, Ben Whiteman (24): a highly rated midfielder who’s come from Doncaster having started at Sheffield United. 

AM: Daniel Johnson (28): former Villa youngster who has loan spells at Yeovil, Chesterfield and Oldham before arriving in Preston in January 2015.  Preston’s penalty taker and has 4 goals and 4 assists in 11 games against City.DANGERMAN

Pic 15 - Johnson against City last season and scorer this season

RM/W: Tom Barkhuizen (27): former Blackpool wide man who signed on a free in 2017.  Had a run of 4 goals in 7 games earlier this season, he will be threat down Preston’s right.  Without Jay Dasilva we might not see Neil turn to Brad Potts (26): the tall attacking midfielder who also played at Blackpool.  Hard-working, Potts provides some physicality in the wide areas. 

LM/W: Scott Sinclair (31): ex-Rovers youngsters who moved to Chelsea academy at a young age.  Lots of loans before a move to Swansea and then Manchester City before a stint at Celtic.  Signed for Preston in last season’s winter window. 

CF: Sean Maguire (26): the former West Ham and Cork man who scored in midweek.  Lively striker who has suffered from hamstring issues in the past, he caused Vyner and Kalas problems in the recent game.  If Neil decides to go with a more physical striker then he may opt for Emil Riis (22): Danish u21 international who had a spell at Derby before returning home to Randers FC in 2018.  Signed for PNE for £1.35m in October, and although still finding his feet will provide a physical challenge if he gets selected as will Jayden Stockley (27): the former Exeter target-man who mainly appeared from the bench this season. 

Other players:

MF: Tom Bayliss (21): ex-Coventry man

MF: Josh Harrop (25): ex-Manchester United

W: Billy Bodin (28): ex-Rovers and son of Paul Bodin

CF: David Nugent (25): ex-England striker

CF: Ched Evans (32): controversial forward on loan from Fleetwood 

Prediction: 

After my “Mystic Fevs” prediction on @OSIBpodcast (One Stream in Bristol) in December of a 1-0 Preston win with a Daniel Johnson penalty, I’m sure readers will be interested in what I predict this time around! 

So, I’m defying to Preston logic book and going for a City win, 2-1, with goals from Famara Diedhiou, Zak Vyner and if you want a real odds-buster, Diedhiou to score an own goal too (from a near post corner)! 

Bristol City 2 : 1 Preston North End

[WWred]

"What can we expect"... To lose 0-1 

[exAtyeoMax]

What can we expect? 
...For it to be postponed 

[The Gasbuster]

ANY type of win for us will do. Time to end this ******* hoodoo

[wendyredredrobin]

What can we expect?  Some shots on target would be a good start.  You can't win games without them.

[1960maaan]

42 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

 

Preston North End (h) – Sat 16^th Jan 15:00 – What Can We Expect?

It’s only a few weeks ago that City travelled to Deepdale and lost 1-0 to a first half penalty from our North End nemesis Daniel Johnson.  Whilst it’s now only one month shy of ten years since City last beat Preston North End and the winless run now stands at 15 games.

Preston have improved their league position since our last encounter, moving from 16^th to 12^th place and are now only one point behind City, who have a game in hand (to Brentford, twice suspended).  A three-game winning run that started with the City win has come to an abrupt run in 2021 with defeat to Forest and a crushing FA Cup defeat to Wycombe 4-1.  What better time to play them?  Frankly, history tells us there is no such thing!

Who’s the boss? 

PNE are managed by Scotsman Alex Neil, the 39-year-old former Airdrie, Barnsley, Mansfield and Hamilton player.  In 10 years at the Accies he played almost 250 times.  During his playing days he started to get involved in coaching, and then became player-manager in 2013. 

Pic 1 - Neil in his playing days - a team in their manager's mould?

In his first full season he achieved promotion to the Scottish Premiership where they made a promising start to life in the top tier.  That caught the attention of Norwich (2015) where he made a flying start, winning 17 out of 25, taking the Canaries up via the play-offs.  Unfortunately, the run of success ended as Norwich came straight back down and later in the season after he lost his job.  He wasn’t out of work long when Preston came calling in the summer of 2017. 

Recruitment: 

Preston fans and manager were showing signs of frustration at the tight ship run by owner Trevor Hemmings approaching the January window, but that’s subsided with early activity and impressive activity at that, especially with Covid impacting the market, and Neil not having to sell in the summer to fund his incomings.  In previous seasons he had sold the likes of Callum Robinson (£7m), Greg Cunningham (£3.6m) and Jordan Hugill (£9m) to balance the books. 

Incomings:

Daniel Iverson – Leicester (Loan)

Ched Evans – Fleetwood (Loan)

Jayson Molumby – Brighton (Loan)

Ben Whiteman – Doncaster (£1.5m)

In the summer: 

Emil Riis – Randers FC (£1.35m) 

Outgoings: 

None in this window, but in the summer: 

Tom Clarke – Salford (Free)

Kevin O’Connor – Cork (Free)

Josh Ginnelly – Hearts (Loan) 

Plus a few younger players leaving on a free transfer or going out on loan. 

How do they play?

System / Formation: 

Neil favours a 4231 formation but has flexibility in his front six ahead of the back four.  Several players can play in multiple positions / roles.

Pic 2 - PNE's 4231 home to Forest [Wyscout]

With five subs as well as versatile players, Neil can mix it up.

Pic 3 - Neil's subs and tactical tweaks versus Forest [Wyscout]

In the first half we see on 36 minutes Neil swap his wide men Potts (44) with Barkhuizen (29).  With Preston falling behind to a 70^th minute penalty Neil takes a few minutes before making a double-sub.  Gallagher (12) replaces Bayliss (7) and Riis (19) replaces Potts (44), but Maguire (24) shifts to left-wing to allow Riis to take his place up-front.  In a final throw of the dice in the last few minutes, Stockley (20) comes on for Maguire (24) as Neil switches to 442. 

I suspect Neil will start Gallagher against City; he has been as big a player for Preston against City as Johnson has. Alan Browne has just signed a new contract too, so he is likely to be involved too. 

Pressing: 

Preston are one of the better teams in the Championship at disrupting the opposition’s possession.  Only Rotherham (as we saw Saturday), Bournemouth and Huddersfield allow less passes (Preston 9.58) before they either win the ball, foul, intercept or tackle.  City (12.90) are 18^th, and this reflects a change in tactics since injuries to Weimann and Bakinson (now fit again) where Holden’s team now sit in and play more transitional football.

Not only do they disrupt the opposition in the press, but they also break the flow with niggly fouls and “injury timeouts” which allow them to take the sting out of any momentum that might be building against them.  It is a very cynical approach from Neil, but it is effective.  It is one of the pitfalls of losing the first goal and having to chase the game.  In contrast, City are very poor at stopping opponents building momentum.

Preston are also well structured in defence, with the two more defensively minded midfielders very good at blocking passing lanes into the front players.  The game in December saw City really struggle to break the lines at times.

Not helped by City’s forwards standing in a line, Nagy has very few passing options, certainly none forward.  Johnson is not pressing Nagy that hard, but it is enough to push him sideways and away from Bakinson, his midfield partner. 

 

In the next example, Rowe has no penetrative pass available.  Massengo is trying to find space between Preston players, but the pass down the line to Martin is well covered and of little threat.  Alternatively Rowe can go sideways to Nagy, which in retrospect would’ve been a better option.  Knowing Martin isn’t going to dribble past Fisher, he goes tight, forces a poor pass into Massengo who fortunately buys a free-kick, when it looked like Preston had regained possession. 

Set-Pieces: 

From corners we see a variety of approaches, but emphasis on the near post.  The first example is an inswinger from the left wing from Paul Gallagher.

Pic 6 - Right foot inswinger versus Barnsley

Gallagher is usually on the money with his set-piece delivery and on this occasion he doesn’t disappoint.  A bunch of Preston players start around the penalty spot with different runs towards the near post area.  But keep an eye on Maguire (24) stood by the keeper.

Pic 7 - Flick on by the Barnsley defender does the job!

Its Barnsley’s Matty James (32) who inadvertently gets the flick-on, and Maguire stoops to head in at the far post despite Walton’s attempts to keep the ball out. 

In the second example, away at Luton, it’s a right wing, right foot away swinger. 

Pic 8 - an away swinger versus Luton

Preston midfielder Alan Browne (8) makes an undetected run from the back of the pack, around the Preston players stationed in the 6-yard box and gets onto the pacy delivery, but unfortunately volleys over the bar. 

Nothing “rocket science” about the routine, but effective all the same.  In a tight game it can be the differentiator. 

An often-undervalued set-piece is the throw-in.  City have improved their ball retention from throw-ins this season, but there is still significant room for improvement.  It’s been frustrating over the past few seasons seeing City give up possession from a situation that can be worked on and be very effective. 

Pic 9 - Perfect set-up and movement versus Boro

In the 3-0 win over Middlesbrough, a simple throw-in routine almost pays dividends.  Darnell Fisher with the throw to Jayden Stockley who flicks on to Tom Barkhuisen who’s already on the move as Fisher delivers.  Barkhuisen rides a weak tackle and sees his shot saved. 

Direct play: 

Following on from the throw-in example, we find another flick-on situation in general play. 

Pic 10 - Stockley causing more problems in the air versus Boro

A percentage ball is lifted forward from the back towards Stockley.  Where Preston become effective is that they get runners either side of Stockley looking for the flick, but also from midfield too for the nod down or half-cleared header. Even if the Boro midfielder gets to the loose ball first he’s facing his own goal and will be under pressure to clear.  It is a feature of their play that they commit runners in situations like this and City will need to be combative as well as switched on.  They put opposition defences under intense pressure looking for cracks that they can exploit. 

Against Forest in the recent league game, we saw further evidence of this, albeit with Maguire coming short and laying off the ball first time on the volley.  Against City in December, it was Maguire again pulling off of Vyner and Kalas to find pro-active runners. 

Pic 11 - Maguire cushions a pass to the onrushing Johnson versus Forest

We’ve seen in the past that Neil’s Preston sides do not think about whether the pass forward is coming or not, they make proactive and aggressive runs down the sides of the centre-backs in expectation.  The forward players are prepared on the half-turn ready to gain that yard on their marker.  It enables the game to become stretched and gives Preston that bit more space to play. It also means that City’s distances between defence and midfield increase or if the midfield drop, the gaps between our midfield and attack get bigger making linking up more difficult.  City will really need to work hard to keep their units together, even if that allows Preston’s defence to push up.  In December it was something they failed to do, with Kalas playing far too deep.  

Pic 12 - Kalas and Vyner far too deep at Deepdale

As a result, Nagy, O’Dowda and Massengo were left with huge areas to cover and press and got played around.  With the return of Mawson, I’m hoping Kalas feels confident to play a higher line and stop the effectiveness of Preston’s runners. 

Room down the sides: 

Following on from the above, if City can turn Preston’s attacks into our own attacks then Preston can be got at.

Pic 13 - Retreating defence versus Barnsley

Against Barnsley we see the Tykes break up an attack and pile forward.  This time its Preston with big gaps front-to-back and with their defence retreating and shape broken, Mowatt (27) can slide in Callum Styles.  On this occasion Styles gives it straight back to Mowatt who curls a 25 yarder past run and into the net. 

Pic 14 - on the back foot again!

Another pass not finding its target and Barnsley break again, Preston’s midfield beyond the ball, Woodrow breaks into the final third.  With Victor Adeboyejo clear in the channel Woodrow sucks in Fisher (2) before playing the killer pass and the Barnsley striker goes on to score. 

Possible Line-up / Options: 

GK: Daniel Iversen (23): signed this week on loan from Leicester.  Had been in Belgium with the Foxes feeder club OH Leuven during the first half of the season.  On the bench is Connor Ripley (27): son of Middlesbrough winger Stuart, he was linked with City a few seasons back and has had loans at Oxford, Ostersund, Motherwell, Oldham, Burton, Bury and Accrington before signing for Preston in 2019.  Declan Rudd (29): former Norwich academy player who had a loan spell at Deepdale in 2013/14 and then at Charlton before signing for Preston in July 2017, just before Neil arrived from Norwich.  Closing in on 200 appearances for Preston across the two spells, he’s currently injured. 

RB: Darnell Fisher (26): fiery full back who started at Celtic and arrived at Preston via Rotherham in 2017.  Picked up 12 yellow and 1 red card last season and has 3 yellows in 9 already this season.  Neil can call upon versatile Joe Rafferty (27): a Liverpool academy youngster who joined Preston from Rochdale.  Can player either side. 

CB: Paul Huntingdon (33): experienced centre-back who started at Newcastle but now in his 9^th season at PNE.  Signed on a free transfer from Yeovil in 2012 and has made almost 300 appearances for the Lilywhites.  Quite possible that Neil may select Jordan Storey (23): started at Newcastle too, but made his mark in less than 20 games at Exeter, prompting Neil to splash £750k on him. 

CB: Ben Davies (25): academy graduate who had loans at York, Tranmere, Southport, Newport and Fleetwood before establishing himself under Neil.  Left-sided, he’s had a hamstring injury restricting game time, but now back in the fold.  Neil has been unable to call upon Patrick Bauer (28): the former Stuttgart and Charlton defender, who has been struggling with injury.  Bauer scored against City in last season’s 3-3 draw. 

LB: Andrew Hughes (28): former Newport man who had a loan at Mangotsfield United (just up the road from me!) before signing for Peterborough on a free in 2016.  Two years later he signed for Preston for an undisclosed fee.  Also, in with a chance of starting is Josh Earl (22): who has played just seven times this season across all comps. 

CM: Alan Browne (25): versatile midfielder who came from Cork in January 2014.  Now an Ireland international with 11 caps, hes been key in more withdrawn role in the absence of Ben Pearson (25): the former Manchester United and Barnsley man is a player City fans dislike due to his over-the-top tackling and play acting.  Currently out injured. 

CM: Ryan Ledson (23): former Everton academy player who signed from Oxford in July 2018.  Has really become a regular this season until Tuesday.  His place was taken by Paul Gallagher (36): experienced midfielder who is now in his 6^th season at Deepdale.  Formerly with Blackburn and Leicester, the Scot takes a mean set-piece.  Preston also have the option to give a league debut to Jayson Molumby (23): signed on loan from Brighton this week the Ireland international impressed on loan at Millwall last season. They also have another new signing, Ben Whiteman (24): a highly rated midfielder who’s come from Doncaster having started at Sheffield United. 

AM: Daniel Johnson (28): former Villa youngster who has loan spells at Yeovil, Chesterfield and Oldham before arriving in Preston in January 2015.  Preston’s penalty taker and has 4 goals and 4 assists in 11 games against City.DANGERMAN

Pic 15 - Johnson against City last season and scorer this season

RM/W: Tom Barkhuizen (27): former Blackpool wide man who signed on a free in 2017.  Had a run of 4 goals in 7 games earlier this season, he will be threat down Preston’s right.  Without Jay Dasilva we might not see Neil turn to Brad Potts (26): the tall attacking midfielder who also played at Blackpool.  Hard-working, Potts provides some physicality in the wide areas. 

LM/W: Scott Sinclair (31): ex-Rovers youngsters who moved to Chelsea academy at a young age.  Lots of loans before a move to Swansea and then Manchester City before a stint at Celtic.  Signed for Preston in last season’s winter window. 

CF: Sean Maguire (26): the former West Ham and Cork man who scored in midweek.  Lively striker who has suffered from hamstring issues in the past, he caused Vyner and Kalas problems in the recent game.  If Neil decides to go with a more physical striker then he may opt for Emil Riis (22): Danish u21 international who had a spell at Derby before returning home to Randers FC in 2018.  Signed for PNE for £1.35m in October, and although still finding his feet will provide a physical challenge if he gets selected as will Jayden Stockley (27): the former Exeter target-man who mainly appeared from the bench this season. 

Other players:

MF: Tom Bayliss (21): ex-Coventry man

MF: Josh Harrop (25): ex-Manchester United

W: Billy Bodin (28): ex-Rovers and son of Paul Bodin

CF: David Nugent (25): ex-England striker

CF: Ched Evans (32): controversial forward on loan from Fleetwood 

Prediction: 

After my “Mystic Fevs” prediction on @OSIBpodcast (One Stream in Bristol) in December of a 1-0 Preston win with a Daniel Johnson penalty, I’m sure readers will be interested in what I predict this time around! 

So, I’m defying to Preston logic book and going for a City win, 2-1, with goals from Famara Diedhiou, Zak Vyner and if you want a real odds-buster, Diedhiou to score an own goal too (from a near post corner)! 

Bristol City 2 : 1 Preston North End

I was half expecting the post just to say, what can we expect;

 

1-0 defeat 

[RUSSEL85]

I’m feeling really confident about this game, I’m going for Desmond 2-2.

[Davefevs]

38 minutes ago, 1960maaan said:

I was half expecting the post just to say, what can we expect;

 

1-0 defeat 

That’s so 2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and 2019, 2018, 2017....

[Loco Rojo]

More confident with the defense now we have Mawson back and i think we'll see more signs of how good the back line will be as the season goes on (appreciate he'll need time to get his fitness back).  So even though there are signs, I still expect a tough game and given Preston always seem to beat us, I think it may just be a bit beyond us at the moment.  I'm going for a 2-0 win for PNE.

[City oz]

24 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Mine are for Croatia....wheelchair tickets only £50.....I’m gonna leave it and see what happens.

 

29 minutes ago, Loco Rojo said:

More confident with the defense now we have Mawson back and i think we'll see more signs of how good the back line will be as the season goes on (appreciate he'll need time to get his fitness back).  So even though there are signs, I still expect a tough game and given Preston always seem to beat us, I think it may just be a bit beyond us at the moment.  I'm going for a 2-0 win for PNE.

Nah 1-0 win to city with Fam scoring from a twenty yard block buster.

[Finley_Smith10]

Some reason I have a feeling city win. Either that or the standard 1-0 Preston win via a penalty. Lucks gotta change at some point 

[City oz]

6 minutes ago, Finley_Smith10 said:

Some reason I have a feeling city win. Either that or the standard 1-0 Preston win via a penalty. Lucks gotta change at some point 

We will win this one 

[Gazred]

Dave Nugent will be delighted you gave him another 10 years on his career (25)!

Im going score draw, probably 1-1.

[Alessandro]

I think the lack of football has got to everyone's memories! 

Not hugely confident after recent form and Pompey, going for 1 goal in it, 1-2 Preston or 0-1 Preston for me.

Let's see if the extra rest, prep and Mr Alfie Mawson will help turn the tide in the league. COYR

[Super]

FFS we playing again.....

[tin]

1 hour ago, Alessandro said:

I think the lack of football has got to everyone's memories! 

Not hugely confident after recent form and Pompey, going for 1 goal in it, 1-2 Preston or 0-1 Preston for me.

Let's see if the extra rest, prep and Mr Alfie Mawson will help turn the tide in the league. COYR

My thoughts exactly. We will have to drastically improve upon that Pompey display, or rely on Preston having an off day, to stand a chance of finally beating them, IMO. 

[bcfcredandwhite]

4 hours ago, wendyredredrobin said:

What can we expect?  Some shots on target would be a good start.  You can't win games without them.

You can - with Own Goals!!

[DaveInSA]

A loss. No identity and no fun.

[wendyredredrobin]

38 minutes ago, bcfcredandwhite said:

You can - with Own Goals!!

Don't get many of those if you are allergic to going inside the penalty area.

[marmite]

Ive been feeling quite negative about City recently but I actually think we will win this one comfortably for some reason. Might be the sun being out or too much vino.!

[Midred]

Is this match still going ahead - when's the latest we could get Preston to cancel and share the points?

[Davefevs]

18 minutes ago, Midred said:

Is this match still going ahead - when's the latest we could get Preston to cancel and share the points?

Halfway down the motorway is the precedent set I believe.

[Midred]

Any chance if we are 0 - 3 down at half time we can get the ref to abandon the match?

[redsince1994]

4 minutes ago, Midred said:

Any chance if we are 0 - 3 down at half time we can get the ref to abandon the match?

Just get all the players to start coughing uncontrollably 

[Bassomylord]

Win lose or draw its going to be crap.

[daored]

Summer signing Joe Williams is gradually being integrated into first-team training as he continues his recovery from thigh and hamstring injuries.

Nathan Baker is continuing his comeback on the grass, as is Liam Walsh, while Steven Sessegnon is expected to re-join team training by the end of the month.

Jamie Paterson is progressing through his month’s recovery following groin surgery.

Meanwhile, Cameron Pring has suffered a torn hamstring and is being assessed by a specialist to determine the best course of treatment.

Kasey Palmer is available for selection on Saturday having served his self-isolation period. It

[Isawjonshaw]

1 minute ago, daored said:

Summer signing Joe Williams is gradually being integrated into first-team training as he continues his recovery from thigh and hamstring injuries.

Nathan Baker is continuing his comeback on the grass, as is Liam Walsh, while Steven Sessegnon is expected to re-join team training by the end of the month.

Jamie Paterson is progressing through his month’s recovery following groin surgery.

Meanwhile, Cameron Pring has suffered a torn hamstring and is being assessed by a specialist to determine the best course of treatment.

Kasey Palmer is available for selection on Saturday having served his self-isolation period. It

That sounds appealing!

[Bassomylord]

Just now, daored said:

Summer signing Joe Williams is gradually being integrated into first-team training as he continues his recovery from thigh and hamstring injuries.

Nathan Baker is continuing his comeback on the grass, as is Liam Walsh, while Steven Sessegnon is expected to re-join team training by the end of the month.

Jamie Paterson is progressing through his month’s recovery following groin surgery.

Meanwhile, Cameron Pring has suffered a torn hamstring and is being assessed by a specialist to determine the best course of treatment.

Kasey Palmer is available for selection on Saturday having served his self-isolation period. It

Baker was supposed to be fit in December

Walsh and Williams were a couple of weeks away in September

All spin.

[Davefevs]

47 minutes ago, markcarter said:

I get very worried whenever I hear someone is ‘back on the grass’ as it seems apparent that that’s where all these injuries are happening

We need astroturf.

they can train in my back garden for a small fee.

[1960maaan]

4 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

We need astroturf.

they can train in my back garden for a small fee.

do they prefer grass or Astroturf ?