The Lads, hopefully fresh from Saturday's satisfying afternoon's work, welcomed the Lilywhites to Wearside and scraped a 1-1 draw after showing why we don't usually play two up top. Our numerically reduced midfield meant lots of space for the visitors in that area and they made us look second best for large periods despite sharing possession about evenly.
We had a few nearly moments in the first half with three low crosses that managed to evade everybody, but should have gone ahead when Isidor rose unmarked at the near post only to head wide. The visitors had their moments as well, particularly when an O9 pass went behind Patto, but he only had one saved to make. In the end, only a beaut from Mundle got us a point after seven minutes of the weakest display of refereeing I've seen wound the crowd up to roar the Lads on to...if not a Grandstand finish, then a Sports Report finish against one of the best organised sides we've seen this season. Oh, and we took an age to get the ball up front while Preston didn't.
In a moment of mad attacking intent, Reg rotated the side just enough to get us excited without getting dizzy - two up top indeed! Actually, why not, as the visitors were sitting not so pretty in sixteenth. Gerreinterthem! Well, that was the thought on the way through as we wondered where the traffic in the town was at 7:15.
Patterson
Hume O'Nien Mepham Cirkin
Roberts Neil (c) Bellingham Watson
Mayenda Isidor
...and a bench of Moore, Mundle, Anderson, Jones, Aleksic, Seelt, Rigg, Hjelde and Browne.
In times of trouble, that would be seen as a shitorbust selection, but on the back of two wins it was a statement of intent to go for it.
After a guard of honour showed support for Carlton Fairweather, an unsung hero of our academy's production line as well as being a really nice bloke, following his cancer diagnosis, we faced south and PNE kicked off. Issy was instantly into the fray, knocking over an opponent within seconds - well, it showed intent. After a couple of minutes of decent play Jobe fired over, which was followed by an equally inaccurate effort by the visitors. Mayenda was just beaten to the ball by the keeper, then Watson fired Paddy's clever reverse pass over.
A mad pass behind Patto by Luke created a bit of potential mayhem but we somehow stayed calm and got it away. Watson then headed Hume's cross wide at the back post - and all in the opening ten minutes. There was lots of stuff going on - Isidor falling over after being found in the box by Cirkin, Watson being pulled over, Hume getting booked, Watson's defensive header nearly setting up the visitors, PNE firing wide, a save by Patto, then Isidor rising perfectly at the near post - to head Hume's perfect cross wide. While that should have been a goal, the game in general was frustrating for our fans. The single added minute brought no success as it became apparent that the much-maligned sole striker system was a better option. Mind, if we'd got it forward quicker it might have been a different story...
No changes for the second half, and with our kick-off going straight back to Patto the impetus was handed to Preston. Nowt says negativity like a fifty yard back pass from the restart. A couple of good blocks kept Patto's gloves clean and set Watson away to win a corner - which they cleared and as their 9 galloped into the box a goal looked likely - but the shot would have made Will Grigg laugh as it was sliced hopelessly wide. Cirkin tried his luck from distance but missed, then Issy repeated Saturday's low cross after a Mayenda run, but this time the touch went over and not in.
Another awful Preston miss preceded the arrival of Mundle and Rigg, with Mayenda and Watson leaving the fray. No surprise about young Tommy's departure, as his first touch had veered from brilliant to wonky, which is understandable given his experience and recent injury, but Mayenda had looked dangerous. Roberts then produced a swerve that sent me as well as the visiting defence the wrong way and won a corner, but they got it away and with 25 to go their 9 twisted and turned on the edge of our box before shooting low beyond Patto's right hand.
Bugger, but you could see it coming.
Back to our keeper from the restart again, and the following ten minutes were mostly us passing it across and back while Preston passed it across and forward. A bit of pressure with eleven to go saw a mad seven minutes in which three visiting players sat down, three Preston subs, and us having to carry one of their players off as the ref completely lost the plot. At one stage they had eleven men on the field and another waiting to come back on. All that time wasted before things got going again but at least the crowd got fired up, and we piled in at them. Mundle had been a proper pest since his arrival, but with four ordinary minutes left, he picked it up near the corner of the box and stepped inside to fire in a right foot shot that dipped and curled into the far top corner. What a cracker, and we didn't ease up once level.
Nine added minutes were provided in which we put our number of shots up to a round twenty - but only two had actually got through the massed legs of the Preston defence and be on target.
We could have won it with the chances we had, but so could PNE. A draw was statistically and probably a fair outcome, but that period of feigning injury, refusing to leave the field, and the ref's idiocy would probably have neutrals wanting us to win. It worked for me. Apparently he's a Premier league ref - well, I once got on stage with The Jam. Doesn't make me a good musician.
Man of the Match? It was a display that was so ponderous in terms of getting forward that it's hard to give much credit for effectiveness. Roberts and Mayenda were probably the most likely to do something - one creating, the other running at the defence - but they didn't. For me, Mundle was a bundle of energy and scored that goal, so he gets it.
