Less than a week after fans packed into Deepdale for an FA Cup quarter final, the Preston North End faithful have been brought back down to earth.
A poor display in midweek against Derby County was followed by the home tie against Stoke City on Saturday. You could easily tell that one team was battling for safety whilst the other already had thoughts of the beach.
The 1-1 result did not reflect the game fairly and although Stoke were lucky to win their penalty, they probably deserved to take all three points.
We’ve seen this before
Whilst Paul Heckingbottom was quick to stress we wouldn’t be ‘limping over the line’ to end the season, the fans would need convincing otherwise. Last season ended with 5 defeats and no goals scored in those games. At that stage there was a small chance of making a late push for the play-offs.
This season we are well and truly marooned in mid-table, with only a catastrophic set of results dragging us into relegation danger. But we do face a few teams in the danger zone, and we have to compete better than we did on Saturday.
I can’t remember a second half at home in this league where we have struggled so much to get the ball in the other half. Some of these players should be fighting for contracts, whether it’s here or elsewhere there is a lot to play for personally. If some have already clocked out and they can’t be bothered then give the likes of Theo Mawene and Felipe Rodriguez-Gentile a chance.
Ali McCann a huge miss
Ali McCann was having his best season to date in a Preston shirt until injury has led to him missing the last month. His absence was truly felt on Saturday with the midfield struggling to get a hold of the game and it led to Stoke relentlessly attacking in the second half.
Now in his fourth season with the club, it’s clear that under Heckingbottom McCann is an instrumental player and that would be the case even if Hecky was to switch formations next season; which let’s hope he does, as the wing-back situation has to stop.
Ben Whiteman struggled on Saturday and I wouldn’t be surprised if the management team look to move him on in the summer. Stefan Thordarson has improved as the season has gone on whilst there are huge question marks over Ryan Ledson’s future at the club, with it seeming like a head v heart issue.
A testing season for the fans
North End have won just ten games this season, a quarter of the total played. Only Cardiff City and Plymouth Argyle have won less. We have scored 40 goals in that time, again only two teams have managed less – Luton Town and Millwall.
The home fans have witnessed just seven wins at Deepdale and whilst there have only been two defeats there have not been many memorable occasions to savour aside from the cup run. However the fanbase are well and truly behind Paul Heckingbottom and are hopeful of some major changes over the summer.
Heckingbottom’s interviews are certainly better than his predecessor and he speaks common sense without promising the world. There is sympathy with the situation of how he came into the club as well after a crazy start to the season.
It seems as if we have been calling out for an overhaul for years now, so whether we will get one is another question. The club tend to take a very cautious approach with these matters, and to leave themselves needing 8-10 new players in the summer is asking a lot.
Hopefully a lot of work has already been done, as some key first team positions are needed including a goalkeeper and a striker.
A great moment for Kesler-Hayden
Kaine Kesler-Hayden has been one of the standout players this season, and will I’m sure pick up a club award or two come the end of the campaign. Much like with Alvaro Fernandez the fans have been desperate to see KKH get on the scoresheet this season.
He’s had plenty of great opportunities, with the miss against Burnley in the cup still fresh in his mind. He does seem to lack composure when he gets a big chance and against Stoke he found himself in loads of space after being played through by Sam Greenwood.
He took the ball inside onto his left-foot strangely, before looking to find Emil Riis, but the pass bounced off a Stoke defender and wrong-footed Viktor Johansson. They all count, and Kaine did not hold back with his celebration, launching into a back-flip somersault.
It’s the least he’s deserved after such a promising season, and he will more than likely join the long list of loan players we’ve fallen in love with but will have to watch them continue their careers elsewhere.