Preston beat Huddersfield Town 3-1 at Deepdale this afternoon, but Danny Cowley seemingly wasn’t impressed.
North End went into the game without the suspended Ben Pearson or the injured Daniel Johnson, and with the Terriers off the back of seven games without defeat, this looked like a tough game.
However, Preston were excellent throughout, and grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first half as Jayden Stockley headed in after Paul Gallagher’s free kick had hit the woodwork, and Alan Browne turned home Tom Barkhuizen’s cross for the second.
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Gallagher notched a third from the penalty spot, after Terence Kongolo handled Barkhuizen’s cross. Juninho Bacuna did pull one back for Huddersfield, but Preston were deserved winners.
There was certainly a bit of needle in the game. In truth, North End midfielder Ryan Ledson was lucky to still be on the pitch after a rash challenge on Tommy Elphick, which he was just given a yellow card for, with Elphick having to go off injured.
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Striker Stockley was also in the wars, battling away with Huddersfield defenders throughout. The target man won nine headers in another strong performance, but was pulled up for a number of fouls and even booked in the second half.
Stockley was accused of throwing his arms around against Charlton Athletic last week, and that was levelled at him again on Saturday. In fact, Huddersfield boss Cowley was seemingly apoplectic about Stockley’s robust display.
Alex Neil told The Examiner after the game that he has never heard any other manager talk so much on the side of the pitch as Cowley did, as he was shouting at how Stockley should have been sent off like in the last two games, with Neil unhappy that a rival manager is shouting at and about his players.
“Danny’s got a lot to say. I’ve never heard so much talking at the side of the pitch in my entire life,” said Neil. “He was shouting about how Jayden Stockley should have been sent off for the last three games. I don’t like it when managers shout at my players. If anyone’s going to give them some it’s going to be me,” he added.
It’s a little rich for Cowley to be complaining about this, given how his Lincoln sides often featured Matt Rhead, a true brute of a striker who has been just as guilty as Stockley, it not more so, for maybe overstepping the mark in battles with defenders.