Match Report: City beat themselves to restore Deepdale hoodoo

[Olé]

A year has passed since City finally ended their more than decade long winless run at Deepdale at the 10th time of asking last February - but the more things change, the more they stay the same. Star of that show Alex Scott has gone, as has manager Nigel Pearson, and yet while Liam Manning’s well drilled young side came into the game confident against pessimistic hosts Preston and dominated for an hour, they lacked the finishing touch and then inexplicably threw the game away, contriving to lose 2-0 to what is arguably the worst North End side they have faced throughout that long period.

With one eye on Tuesday night’s televised FA Cup Replay against Premier League high flyers West Ham, in truth City beat themselves - as nervous, stuttering Preston looked unlikely to do the job, pinned back in the first half and often chasing shadows against Manning’s patient passing. But striker Tommy Conway was completely isolated and anonymous up front, and wide men Sam Bell and Anis Mehmeti rarely had room to get in behind the hosts deep back line, forced to play in front of the home defence from where the visitors were largely restricted to speculative long range efforts wide of goal.

Preston fans could be forgiven for reacting angrily to their out of form side looking comfortably second best all over the pitch and were just waiting for an excuse to show their displeasure at manager Ryan Lowe. So there was little clue what was coming when with just 25 minutes remaining keeper Max O’Leary - recently in such good form - had his now customary periodic head rush and unnecessarily raced out onto a George Tanner header only for Will Keane - one of 3 half time subs - to steal past him on the edge of the box and tap into an empty net. It turned the game on its head and City fell apart.

There was little clue what was coming as City spent much of the first half probing their ineffective hosts and should really have found a way through. Little more than five minutes had been played when impressive Joe Williams challenged in midfield and the ball spun loose to Taylor Gardner-Hickman who ran clear and drove a well struck shot towards the bottom corner which Freddie Woodman scooped wide. Just past the midway point in the half Bell cut inside and forced a corner, from which Woodman had to parry away Jason Knight’s near post back heel. Another corner and next Dickie tested the keeper.

It was solidly one way traffic with City players camped forward and before the half hour even Tanner found himself on a rare overlap which Williams did brilliantly to pick out with a smart lifted ball, the full back combining with Gardner-Hickman on the right to tee up Zak Vyner who forced a desperate block at the near post. A minute later and it was the other fullback Cam Pring who sent over a deep left wing cross and Knight slipped away from Preston’s centre backs into space beyond the far post but on the turn volleyed well over. By now it only seemed a question of when - not if - City would go in front.

Mehmeti, with his ability to run at opponents, was increasingly the focal point for the visitors search for a goal and with ten minutes left in the half he collected a loose ball out wide and skipped down the left channel before curling a tame low shot into the bottom corner which Woodman held. Preston actually had a rare sighter on the break - and out of nothing - springing clear down the right and drilling the ball low across goal which Bell completely mis-kicked in an attempt to clear, the ball reaching Liam Millar at the back post who forced O’Leary to bundle away with a lashed shot back goalwards.

Mehmeti won another corner on the run which was taken quickly and short back to the Albanian wide man who chipped the ball across goal to where Knight sprung clear but headed well wide at the far post. City would rue yet another wasted chance as Preston rang the changes at half time and looked a better side after the restart as a result, although it was less than 10 minutes into the second period before Mehmeti again caused problems, fed by Williams he dropped a shoulder, cut inside and fired a skidding shot unerringly just past the far post where Bell was closing in on goal himself from the other flank.

Before the hour mark Knight stole the ball in midfield and embarked on a goalbound run before being chopped down by Keane just outside the box, from where Mehmeti, facing into the bank of travelling City fans, steered his free kick over the wall but into the keepers grateful hands. A minute later Mehmeti laid the ball back to Gardner-Hickman with time and space, who drilled a 20 yard effort wide of Woodman’s near post and into the hoardings. City were now camped again at one end - and in front of their visiting supporters - and Knight had another low long range shot saved after a well worked move.

Then out of nothing the calamity. Completely against the run of play Tanner under pressure from a Preston long ball headed it backwards for  his defensive colleagues to mop up, but O’Leary - perhaps cold or even bored - raced out to claim himself, only for substitute Keane to step across his run and intercept the ball, leaving City’s keeper completely out of position and the striker with an open goal to tap into and put Preston 1-0 ahead. In the wider context of the game it was a ridiculous scoreline, but it was exactly the foothold that a struggling side short on confidence needed and they never looked back.

Conversely Manning’s men visibly shrunk after the embarrassment of contriving to be behind in a game which they had dominated, and the visitors had lost their way long before the City boss made his own - possibly far too belated - triple substitution, introducing Nahki Wells, Matty James and long awaited  debutant Ross McCrorie. In minutes they were two behind, Emil Riis given too much time out on the right by an increasingly out of sorts looking Pring, to cross into the near post where Keane stole away from slow to react Vyner and headed inside O’Leary at the near post to put Preston two goals up.

This was now comically smash and grab after all of City’s probing and the visitors had no answer to it, by now even surrendering possession too, a rusty looking McCrorie among players to give the ball away cheaply in the final exchanges. They would only go close one more time as Knight made it a hat-trick of efforts off target volleying wildly over after Wells knocked on Pring’s cross. Manning added Harry Cornick and Andy King in the final minute but by now City were going through the motions. You could say the Deepdale curse has returned but while the scoreline flattered Preston, City only had themselves to blame.

O’Leary 5

Tanner 5

Pring 5

Dickie 6

Vyner 5

Williams 7

Gardner-Hickman 5

Knight 5

Bell 5

Mehmeti 6

Conway 4

 

Wells 5

McCrorie 4

James 5

Cornick 5

King 5

[italian dave]

Thanks @Olé

And, have to say, 100% how I saw it.

If only we had put one of those early chances away: the atmosphere was just waiting to turn toxic for Preston, and we allowed them to keep it just under wraps. 

[Southport Red]

7 minutes ago, italian dave said:

Thanks @Olé

And, have to say, 100% how I saw it.

If only we had put one of those early chances away: the atmosphere was just waiting to turn toxic for Preston, and we allowed them to keep it just under wraps. 

Yes, there were even some boos at Half time. In another universe, we hammered them and Lowe is unemployed now. 

[The Original OTIB]

Subs way too late and ill concieved.

[Frenchay Red]

You make it seem a lot better than it was to watch on Robin's TV

[BS3City]

9 minutes ago, Frenchay Red said:

You make it seem a lot better than it was to watch on Robin's TV

I don't necessarily agree FR. I too watched via an iFollow stream, and thought we looked ok (not great but ok) for nearly two thirds of the game. 

Ole's assessment is pretty much spot on IMO...

[Offside]

Just caught up with the highlights. What god-awful defending for their goals. Max obviously at fault for the first, and for the second we let their player cross the ball far too easily and then let the scorer get on the end of it.  Much too passive. 

[italian dave]

On the positive side......we didn't see Cunningham!

[sh1t_ref_again]

Thanks for the report, 2nd game I have not been able to watch this season, strangely both PNE, thought looking at all the threads on here we must have been horrendously outplayed, but sounds more of the not taking our chances and a sucker punch.

[Davefevs]

2 hours ago, sh1t_ref_again said:

Thanks for the report, 2nd game I have not been able to watch this season, strangely both PNE, thought looking at all the threads on here we must have been horrendously outplayed, but sounds more of the not taking our chances and a sucker punch.

1st half was pretty decent.  Second half wasn’t.  It wasn’t like Preston were outplaying us second half as such, more that we couldn’t play our way.  But they were the better team in the second half by changing the way the game was played.  It suited them, it suited the pitch.

If we want to talk about passing football, we pissed them.

If we want to talk about effective football, Preston pissed us second half at the business end.  O’Leary made a helluva save early in the second half.

Anyone disagree?

Edited January 14 by Davefevs

[W-S-M Seagull]

50 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

1st half was pretty decent.  Second half wasn’t.  It wasn’t like Preston were outplaying us second half as such, more that we couldn’t play our way.  But they were the better team in the second half by changing the way the game was played.  It suited them, it suited the pitch.

If we want to talk about passing football, we pissed them.

If we want to talk about effective football, Preston pissed us second half at the business end.  O’Leary made a helluva save early in the second half.

Anyone disagree?

I didn't watch the game, only listened to the Robins TV commentary and I have to say this entire forum is wrong. We played excellent and were unlucky to lose due to small margins  

[22A]

That defeat was hopefully a portent of history repeating itself. 

1994 City drew 1-1 with Liverpool, lost 2-0 to Notts Co, a game we thought we'd win and then came the mid week replay with that top flight team which City won!

[italian dave]

10 hours ago, Davefevs said:

1st half was pretty decent.  Second half wasn’t.  It wasn’t like Preston were outplaying us second half as such, more that we couldn’t play our way.  But they were the better team in the second half by changing the way the game was played.  It suited them, it suited the pitch.

If we want to talk about passing football, we pissed them.

If we want to talk about effective football, Preston pissed us second half at the business end.  O’Leary made a helluva save early in the second half.

Anyone disagree?

Not me!

If I was being very picky, I’d say that, at the real business end where it counts, we pissed ourselves.

Their keeper also made what seemed to be a helluva save first half (hard to see very clearly from behind the far goal!).

But we failed to capitalise on our decent play first half. And that allowed them to keep the lid on a crowd just waiting to turn.

And second half we allowed them to capitalise on being the better side by gifting them a goal.

Not seen the pitch mentioned before, but good point. It looked dreadful. Not least out wide where Bell and Mehmeti were both struggling.