SkyBet EFL Championship
at Deepdale Stadium
Preston North End (0) 1
Sean Maguire 90+4
Birmingham City (0) 0
Attendance: 17,509 inc. 5,225 away fans
Preston North End:
Declan Rudd, Darnell Fisher, Ben Pearson, Ben Davies, Daniel Johnson, Jordan Storey, Andrew Hughes (Josh Earl 70), Brad Potts (Callum Robinson 59), Jayden Stockley (Brandon Barker 74), Sean Maguire, Lukas Nmecha
Unused subs - Michael Crowe, Ryan Ledson Louis Moult, Joe Rafferty
Birmingham City:
Lee Camp, Wes Harding, Kristian Pedersen, Harlee Dean, Michael Morrison, Jacques Maghoma, Maikel Kieftenbeld, Gary Gardner, Conner Mahoney (Jota 79), Lukas Jutkiewicz, Che Adams
Unused subs - Conal Trueman, Craig Gardner, Karim Mrabti, David Davis, Josh Dacres-Cogley
Declan Rudd, Darnell Fisher, Ben Pearson, Ben Davies, Daniel Johnson, Jordan Storey, Andrew Hughes (Josh Earl 70), Brad Potts (Callum Robinson 59), Jayden Stockley (Brandon Barker 74), Sean Maguire, Lukas Nmecha
Unused subs - Michael Crowe, Ryan Ledson Louis Moult, Joe Rafferty
Birmingham City:
Lee Camp, Wes Harding, Kristian Pedersen, Harlee Dean, Michael Morrison, Jacques Maghoma, Maikel Kieftenbeld, Gary Gardner, Conner Mahoney (Jota 79), Lukas Jutkiewicz, Che Adams
Unused subs - Conal Trueman, Craig Gardner, Karim Mrabti, David Davis, Josh Dacres-Cogley
Blues didn't deserve to head home without any kind of reward for their efforts today. But the cold, hard facts are: they have now lost all four of their games so far this month, including home defeats against Millwall and Aston Villa, and the reversal at Hull City; without having scored a single goal in any of those matches, while Preston's late smash and grab win, in the wind and the rain at Deepdale this afternoon provided North End with their twelfth unbeaten game in a row. Momentum is a wonderful thing I'm sure, but on today's evidence, I feel that one might be justified in asking, just how many times have the 'Lilywhites' been as jammy as they were this afternoon, during their statistically impressive run.
Grinding out results when you've been below par, has been the making of many a team in what is primarily a results based industry, so Alex Neil's side deserve some credit towards that end, albeit only grudgingly from the massed ranks of Blues fans present today, who would no doubt back me up in testifying that Preston were second best for the majority of this encounter.
During the time that today's hosts have been putting their sequence of results together, while cantering stealth like up the table, making a blind-side run on the rails, Birmingham themselves have now only managed to keep one clean sheet during their last outings (v Nottingham Forest), despite the good form that Lee Camp's been showing of late. But it's that recent lack of goals, that is the root cause, that's seen Blues slip to thirteenth in the table. No sh*t Sherlock! You're probably all thinking.
After the game, the visitors manager Garry Monk (who had been a teammate of Neil's when they both played together at Barnsley), said: “I feel totally hard done by, we were the best team on the pitch today, we totally controlled them. I can’t remember them having a meaningful shot on our goal. The frustrating part of that performance was the chances we should have taken. We should have been walking off that pitch with three points." And for the record, Sean Maquire's headed effort from Daniel Johnson's corner kick, deep into stoppage time, was the only chance that Preston had managed to get on target all afternoon. The timing of the goal was damning and cruel for the visitors, on what was a special day for their their travelling supporters, who'd been taking part in a fans driven 'flag day' memorial, to commemorate the loss of a number of 'Bluenoses', while remembering and celebrating their memory.
As well as the organisers and those who went to great lengths to get the flags and banners made: Preston North End FC, their stewards and the local police, deserve a special mention for the manner in which they approached the game and the occasion... if only away supporters could be met with such a level of respect and friendliness on their travels, the world would be a better place.
The Lancashire constabulary in this neck of the woods, evidently don't get swayed by fads and hearsay and weren't influenced at all by the current trend, particularly on 'social media', of blaming all the wrongdoing in the world, on Birmingham City and their fan-base... in fact, when some keyboard warrior tried to start a rumour that Blues hooligans had taken part in acid attacks in Preston today, the police swiftly nipped that rumour in the bud, and went so far as to say, on their own Twitter feed, @PNEPolice: Fortunately we don’t police reputations we police behaviour, good luck for the rest of the season 👍🏻
It was heartwarming, despite the strong winds and heavy rain, to see that Birmingham had eleven mascots walking out onto to the pitch today, each with the name of a recently deceased Blues supporter emblazoned on the back of their shirts. This had all been organised long before the current publicity blackening the name of all Blues supporters had started, along with other community based initiatives, while helping the homeless in Birmingham and supporting the Justice for the 21 campaigned.
The Deepdale stewards and Preston police, didn't allow their judgement to be blurred by the latest craze and were happy to buck the trend with some common sense and good old fashioned police and exemplary manners. I salute them all. There's an old adage says; 'If you treat people like shit, then shit is what you're going to get'... and that logic evidently works reciprocally in reverse too.
It is a shame that Blues couldn't give their supporters a win, or even a goal to celebrate, on their special day... but it wasn't for a lack of trying, with the majority of the game being played out in Preston's half. Connor Mahoney put the first effort of the game across Declan Rudd's goal and Che Adams delicate touch steered the ball just wide of the post. Lukas Jutkiewicz was making a nuisance of himself and posing an aerial threat, while Adams went close again as his low strike came back off of Rudd's legs.
Rudd came to Preston's rescue again, pushing away Maghoma's well struck half volley.
The home side broke forward, but when Johnson got his shot away from just outside the area, Jutkiewicz put his body in the way and made a vital block, showing that he isn't just the junior partner in Blues striking duo alongside Adams.
The Championship is now having an hiatus for an international break.
Birmingham's last game of March will be on Friday 29th March (8PM), when they make the short journey to face West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns. Coverage of that game won't appear on this blog, because I'll be abroad that weekend.
The day after, Preston will play at Reading (3PM) in their next game.
Alex Neil's side, especially if they can continue to tough out a few more results, are well placed for an assault on the play offs... such a finale to Blues season is now looking increasingly unlikely, even in this most unpredictable of divisions.
But it is worth remembering that the main aim for Garry Monk's Blues, at the commencement of this term, was to finish this campaign, in a stronger position than they have done the previous two.
All they can do now, is get as many points on the board as possible... and let other teams worry about their own results.
During the time that today's hosts have been putting their sequence of results together, while cantering stealth like up the table, making a blind-side run on the rails, Birmingham themselves have now only managed to keep one clean sheet during their last outings (v Nottingham Forest), despite the good form that Lee Camp's been showing of late. But it's that recent lack of goals, that is the root cause, that's seen Blues slip to thirteenth in the table. No sh*t Sherlock! You're probably all thinking.
The Lancashire constabulary in this neck of the woods, evidently don't get swayed by fads and hearsay and weren't influenced at all by the current trend, particularly on 'social media', of blaming all the wrongdoing in the world, on Birmingham City and their fan-base... in fact, when some keyboard warrior tried to start a rumour that Blues hooligans had taken part in acid attacks in Preston today, the police swiftly nipped that rumour in the bud, and went so far as to say, on their own Twitter feed, @PNEPolice: Fortunately we don’t police reputations we police behaviour, good luck for the rest of the season 👍🏻
The Deepdale stewards and Preston police, didn't allow their judgement to be blurred by the latest craze and were happy to buck the trend with some common sense and good old fashioned police and exemplary manners. I salute them all. There's an old adage says; 'If you treat people like shit, then shit is what you're going to get'... and that logic evidently works reciprocally in reverse too.
Rudd came to Preston's rescue again, pushing away Maghoma's well struck half volley.
The home side broke forward, but when Johnson got his shot away from just outside the area, Jutkiewicz put his body in the way and made a vital block, showing that he isn't just the junior partner in Blues striking duo alongside Adams.
Moments before half time, Adams nudged the ball through the left channel for Maghoma to run onto, but his lashed the ball wide of the far post from a great position. I guess the conditions wouldn't have helped his cause... and it would be easy to be critical from a relatively comfortable vantage point, out of the ever worsening elements.
HT: 0-0
It had been a trying journey to reach Preston, with those who arrived by road faced by hideous driving conditions on the M6, while those of us who 'let the train take the strain', were subject to numerous delays, cancellations and flooding, as the north-west was hammered by rain and gales of Biblical proportions.
I was amused to receive the above message on my phone at around the same time that I took the picture below, out of the train window and it had just been announced that the service was being restricted to 5MPH because of severe weather conditions in the area.
I must admit, upon arriving in Preston, having checked that the game was still on, due to several others having fallen foul of waterlogged pitches, I did wonder if the journey home could be eventful too... it was! But I'll spare you the details of how and when I eventually got home. The wind seemed to be blowing straight into your face, whichever direction you were facing, whenever you turned any given corner on the route march to the ground (and back). But it's all character building stuff... and at least I needn't have worried about not having my effing sunglasses with me either.
Blues continued to push forward after the interval, but it was starting to look as though it just wasn't going to be their day and they were probably going have to settle for a goalless draw, in spite of their best efforts... if only!
Despite of the soaking the pitch, and all of those on it were getting, Mahoney showed some good control down by the right hand corner flag, before his cross into Rudd's six yard box was half cleared into the path of Maikel Kieftenbeld, who fired just wide of the left hand upright and into the side netting.
Kieftenbeld went close again, but his shot, from a more central position this time, deflected wide.
Moments later, A Mahoney free kick into the area from out on the right, evaded everyone, including Jutkiewicz, who was only inches away from connecting as he slid in at the back post.
Adams advanced on goal, but was thwarted when Ben Davies pushed the ball away from the prolific striker with his hand, but the referee Scott Duncan never saw the offence and the North End defender got away with it. I guess that one cancels out Ben Johnson tangling with Kristian Pedersen in the visitors area in the first half, when the official had seemingly taken underfoot conditions into account and waved away Preston's appeals.
As the game went into stoppage time, Kieftenbeld did well to get between Johnson and Camp's goal as the home side counter attacked and hooked the ball away for the relative safety of a corner kick.
Johnson took the kick himself towards the back stick, where Maguire got his head on it and... well, you know the rest!
When your luck's in, it's in. And it was too late for Blues to do anything about it now.
FT: Preston North End 1 v Birmingham City 0
Birmingham's last game of March will be on Friday 29th March (8PM), when they make the short journey to face West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns. Coverage of that game won't appear on this blog, because I'll be abroad that weekend.
The day after, Preston will play at Reading (3PM) in their next game.
Alex Neil's side, especially if they can continue to tough out a few more results, are well placed for an assault on the play offs... such a finale to Blues season is now looking increasingly unlikely, even in this most unpredictable of divisions.
All they can do now, is get as many points on the board as possible... and let other teams worry about their own results.
