After a whirlwind 48 hours Preston North End were able to pick up their first win in seven games and their first goals in that time as well. The Lilywhites progressed to the second round of the Carabao Cup after beating Sunderland 2-0.
Mike Marsh didn’t make wholesale changes but the team seemed to play with a lot more freedom, and will take a bit more confidence into Saturday’s game at Swansea City.
Bizarre Sky Sports pundit views
Before the game, the Sky Sports News Soccer Special pundits were discussing the departure of Ryan Lowe. Now obviously the former Preston manager did frequent the Sky Sports studio from time to time, so the regulars will probably class him as a friend and weren’t about to throw him under the bus.
However it was clear Paul Merson and Kris Boyd were not aware of the football that fans have had to endure recently and throughout Lowe’s tenure. Boyd bizarrely suggested that Preston are not a club that want to get promoted to the Premier League. He believed that they want to stay in the Championship and that Lowe’s ambitions are bigger than that, so that’s why he left. A crazy and totally incorrect take.
Merson’s view was that Preston fans ‘should be careful what they wish for’. An outsiders point of view would be that the positions Lowe finished with in each of his three season’s at the club is above par for where Preston should be. Merson even said the job he did was ‘absolutely phenomenal’. That’s probably a bit disrespectful to Preston North End Football Club.
We may have one of the smaller budgets in the league but we are still there by right and deserve to be competing with everyone else in the league. Smaller clubs have reached the top flight, and that will always be our aim.
Bauer is back
Having started the season without even being given a squad number, Patrick Bauer was in the squad for Tuesday’s game. The German was given the number 26 shirt and took his place on the bench for the match. Lowe has tried to sell Bauer for some time now, but Preston fans memories of the centre-back are largely fond ones. An imposing defender he formed a great partnership with Ben Davies.
After 93 appearances in his first three seasons he’s only made ten in his last two. The 31-year-old can still do a job for us, and we are lacking another central defender in the squad since the departure of Greg Cunningham. Perhaps Marsh and a new manager will give Bauer another chance. Marsh said after the game that he did not know why Bauer had been left out in the cold.
Same shape?
There was perhaps a hope that Tuesday’s game would see the shackles come off and the 5-3-2 wing-back formation abandoned. That wasn’t to be the case, with Marsh clearly still a fan of that set-up. He did make a few personnel changes with Jordan Storey replacing Jack Whatmough. Mads Frokjaer and Ryan Ledson also came into the side.
All the summer signings were on the bench, with Jeppe Okkels who joined from FC Utrecht earlier in the day watching from the stands.
He did alter the shape during the game switching to a back four and looking to get more players in attacking areas.
With a win under their belts and confidence growing throughout the game, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Marsh go with the same team on Saturday.
Some positive play
It’s worth noting that Sunderland changed all 11 players from their win over Cardiff City on Saturday, so this was a young, weakened team that came to Deepdale. Alan Browne wasn’t even in the squad but was present at the end of the match to catch-up with a few former teammates. Sunderland return again in November where Browne will surely be in line to play against North End.
The first half saw North End threaten mainly from set-pieces. The goal game via some good play down the right and a good cut back from Brad Potts, but Ledson was fortunate to see his shot deflect in.
It was the first Preston goal for nearly 10 hours. A relief and a weight off the shoulders. In the second half the team could express themselves a bit more and found more space all over the pitch.
Frokjaer was finding gaps in the middle and Sam Greenwood looked dangerous when he came on down the left. The wing-backs seemed to be pushed much higher up than we have seen in previous games.
Frokjaer did ever so well for his goal shrugging off a few challenges before catching out Simon Moore at the near post.
Milutin Osmajic also came close at the end as he saw his effort crash back off the post in front of his favoured end of the stadium.
Progression into the next round for North End, and smiles at Deepdale for the first time in a while. Attention will now turn back to who will be in the running for the manager’s job.