Preston continued their impressive home record against Middlesbrough with a 2-1 victory over Michael Carrick’s side. It made it five wins in a row against Boro at Deepdale stretching back to 2020, and it’s just one defeat at home under Paul Heckingbottom from 14 games league games.
A first for Thor
Stefan Thordarson has had a mixed start to his first season with Preston. He has looked very positive on the ball, always looking to progress up the field but he has been in and out of the team with his longest run as a starter being four games.
He scored 11 goals last season for Silkeborg but had gone 22 games without scoring for his new club. On Saturday he finally broke his duck and it was worth the wait. A lovely quick move down the left saw Milutin Osmajic release the Icelandic international down the wing.
Thor still had a lot to do and as the Boro defence finally caught up to him, he calmly cut the ball onto his right foot before hammering home. A crucial goal at a time when the visitors were on top in the game.
With Ben Whiteman set for some time on the sidelines with an ankle injury, Thordarson may get the run in the side he’s been craving, although Ryan Ledson’s form could also make that a competitive area.
Have we finally solved the wing-back issue?
After an impressive showing against Watford in midweek, it wasn’t a surprise to see just the one change in the starting eleven. It was perhaps harsh on Ledson to miss out but understandable to see Sam Greenwood come into the side against his former club.
It meant the wing-backs of Jayden Meghoma and Kaine Kesler-Hayden started again on the left and right respectively. The young loanees both have bundles of pace and that is such a key component when using this formation.
You need them to get up and down the pitch constantly and they were both a threat in attacking areas. Despite being young they are both clearly up for the challenge that this league presents. KKH has shown his worth already this season, but has predominantly been on the left, meaning he has to cut back onto his right foot when in promising situations.
The addition of Meghoma brings more balance to our side and it allowed us to attack with much more width than usual. It meant the Middlesbrough defence were spread out and it creates more gaps for other players to fit into. Previously we predictably cut inside where we ran into problems.
Brad Potts and Robbie Brady are both back from injury now and they can provide some experience and wise heads when the game needs managing, but the two young wing-backs should be given the nod for the next few games. It’s taken some time to get there, but we can finally start a game with natural wing-backs in their correct positions.
Super from Frokjaer
In a week where Mads Frokjaer admitted that he is his own worst critic, he put in one of his best performances in a Preston shirt. The Lilywhites midfielder was at his creative best, and his energy in the middle of the park was key to the victory. His tenacity limited Middlesbrough and his persistence was crucial to the winning goal.
Both Frokjaer and Greenwood are so important to this team, and can quickly turn defence into attack. It would be great to see Frokjaer add more goals to his game, but in his last two games he has been superb.
Groans turn into cheers for Riis
Osmajic put in a typical performance of running himself into the ground on Saturday. There weren’t really any scoring opportunities for him but you can never question his desire, commitment and determination to do his best for the team.
He is certainly a very different type of player to Emil Riis. Osmajic excels in holding the ball up which takes pressure off the team. At 1-1 it was all Middlesbrough and they looked the most likely to score the third.
Therefore it was a surprise to see the board go up to show Osmajic would make way for Riis. There was a hint of discontent among the North End faithful but I don’t think it was directed at Riis. More so that the fans felt we still needed Osmajic on the pitch.
Riis is our top scorer in the league and we know what he can offer and he did very well when he came off the bench. If anything though it fired him up. The Dane chased down loose balls, and showed a lot more energy without the ball than usual.
He took his goal very well, staying calm when all the Middlesbrough defenders were losing their heads or rather banging them into each other. Riis has now scored seven goals against Boro and his celebration of putting his fingers in his ears suggested those groans did have an effect on him.
We’ve seen Riis score 42 goals for this club, and be such a key player for us in recent years. His future is very much up in the air with the club but he deserves full backing from the fans.
Big game on Friday
Blackburn Rovers have enjoyed a much better season than pretty much anyone could have predicted. They were tipped for relegation by some in the summer, with ownership issues still proving to be a problem for them.
John Eustace has done a great job for them to be in and around the top six all season. However Rovers have lost their last three games in a row and North End look to have found their groove and will head into this one with high confidence.
It will be another Friday night game at Ewood Park, with last season’s fixture still a vivid memory. Alan Browne’s wonder goal and Liam Lindsay’s last minute header sent Preston fans wild last season. This time round the fixture is nicely set up after a feisty 0-0 draw earlier in the season.
The fixture at Deepdale saw Sam Greenwood and Owen Beck sent off whilst Osmajic would later receive and eight match ban for biting Beck. It is surely written for Osmajic to grab the headlines again, hopefully in a more positive light.
Heckingbottom will witness the largest following yet for his Preston North End side, with both tiers of the Darwen End nearly sold out. Let’s hope The Lilywhites can continue their impressive recent record at Ewood Park.