Preston North End picked up a comfortable win on Good Friday as they pushed Rotherham United closer to relegation with a 3-0 victory at Deepdale.
Three first half goals were enough for Ryan Lowe’s side as The Millers failed to put up any sort of fight, with their players and fans already resigned to yet another return to League One.
After a heavy downpour in the opening ten minutes, Preston settled into the game well. One goal from Duane Holmes and two from Emil Riis ensured Preston could take their foot off the gas in the second half, and even rest a few players with one eye on the trip to Birmingham on Monday.
Got the job done early on
Rotherham have only won three games all season, and none of those have come in 2024. On paper it looked as if Preston should canter to victory but it isn’t always as straight forward as that. With The Lilywhites missing quite a few players, including Brad Potts, Liam Millar, and Ben Whiteman it could have been a tricky game.
Duane Holmes was playing as a right wing-back with Robbie Brady on the other side having played the majority of two games with Republic of Ireland within the last week. Alan Browne and Emil Riis also returned to the side after missing the last game against Plymouth Argyle.
Holmes and Brady combined for the first goal, and then the floodgates opened. Riis had plenty of space and then time for his goals, and Preston could head into the break knowing a Rotherham fightback was unlikely to be on the cards.
If only Riis had been fit all season
Since returning to the team around the turn of the year, Riis has been instrumental in the club’s run of just one defeat in 10 games. We’ve picked up 21 points in that time, and Riis has scored six in his last seven,
His first on Friday was a typical powerful effort after Mads Frokjaer had found him well on the edge of the box. His second followed good work on the right from Holmes, and Will Keane before a quick spin and shot gave Rotherham no chance.
The Dane’s partnership with Keane is blossoming and has been already been very fruitful. At the start of the season Keane was playing well, but it was as an isolated striker. He’s much better in a two, and if we had a fit Emil Riis all campaign then we could have found ourselves even further up the table.
A welcome return for Holmes
It was Duane Holmes’ first start since 13th January when he was subbed off at half-time in the game against Bristol City. Preston’s form picked up pretty much at that point, and combined with an injury as well, the American has found it tough to get back into the side.
With Potts and Millar missing as options on the right hand side, and with Browne moving centrally to replace Ryan Ledson, Holmes was giving an opportunity as a wing-back. Rotherham were offering little to no attacking threat, so the 29-year-old could concentrate on getting into the final third of the pitch.
As always he was making some direct runs and was in the perfect position when Brady’s effort found him at the back post to prod home.
It was his first goal since the 4th November, and after what must have been a frustrating few months for the former Huddersfield Town man, he gave us a timely reminder that he can be crucial for the run-in.
Need to punish another relegation threatened team on Monday
There’s just eight games remaining for Preston this season. Once again they find themselves with an outside chance of sneaking into the play-offs. The season seemed all but over after some dreadful form over November and December.
But akin to last season Ryan Lowe has galvanised the team at the right time. As we head into the final furlong of the season, Preston are five points behind Norwich City who sit in sixth. North End have a game in hand too, but that is a tough one against Southampton.
We also face The Canaries in two weeks time at Deepdale, and the last two games of the season are against Leicester City and West Bromwich Albion.
Tough fixtures, so we have to make the other ones count. Birmingham away on Monday is a winnable fixture, and The Blues are in a poor run of form. They lost in the last minute against Queens Park Rangers on Friday in a six pointer clash between two relegation threatened sides.
They are only out of the relegation zone on goal difference currently, and have lost six of their last seven. Gary Rowett has returned to take over as Tony Mowbray is currently stepping back from managerial duties for health reasons. Rowett has a fantastic record against Preston, but he has a tough job on his hands. North End should aim to dominate the game just like they did against Rotherham.