Despite a lacklustre second-half display, we did more than enough to win the game. Three points, a clean sheet and we’re back in the top six so it’s been a pleasing start to 2024.
BEFORE
Having struggled to get much out of the Rotherham match I expect us to do better against a stronger side this afternoon. Preston are four places and two points below us but they've conceded a stack of goals, forty-two so far. Like almost everyone I'm again hoping that Pritchard will play a bigger role than he has done of late as he clearly makes a difference when he comes on. I can appreciate that Burstow makes some good runs but I'd be happy if he never plays for us again. I'd be even happier if he scored a hat-trick today but I can't see him getting even one goal for us. I'll be at the game and I think we're going to win it so my match prediction is 2-1 to us.
There were long queues outside the stadium and I didn’t get into my seat till 12.25. There were several changes in our starting line-up with Pritchard, Alese and Rusyn all starting while Roberts was out injured. There was a minute’s silence for all those connected with the club who’d died in the last year and it was perfectly observed.
THE GAME
We had some excitement as early as the second minute when a chip from Clarke went just wide of the left post. Three minutes later Patto had to make a great save to block a powerful shot and Preston weren’t shy about going forward. Next thing a low Ekwah shot went narrowly wide of the left post so we hadn’t been starved of action in the opening exchanges. We conceded the first corner in the eighth and dealt with it effectively. We went ahead in the tenth minute when Pritchard received the ball not far outside their box and blasted a powerful shot from some distance that gave Woodman in goal no chance. Preston were taking no prisoners with their tackles and that was going to cost them one way or the other. We won our first corner in the nineteenth and after taking it short it was finally comfortably collected by Woodman.
Clarke went on one of his jinky runs and it culminated in a low shot that Woodman covered, but not so comfortably.
In the twenty-fourth Pritchard tried another long-distance shot from almost the same spot as his first and Woodman struggled to get hold if it. Up the other end a Frokjaer-Jensen shot went high and wide and then we conceded another corner that we had difficulty in clearing before Storey shot wide. Preston soon had another corner and though we cleared it, Millar was looking a menace down their left. Neither set of fans was making much of a racket but then again it was an early kick-of on New Year’s Day. The low winter sun was blasting into our eyes from the left so it looked like a lot of us were saluting. In the thirty-eighth another shot from Pritchard went just over the bar.
We soon had the first yellow card when the ever busy Rusyn was bodychecked by Lindsay as he raced goalwards. Lindsay was booed every time he got the ball for a good while.
It was 2-0 just before the break when Clarke went on another run down the left, despite almost being tripped, and made a short tap to Rusyn who hit it home from close range for his first goal for us. He deserved it and he received a big ovation when his name was announced. He also had the muddiest shirt I’ve seen for years. There was much applause as the half-time whistle went.
U2’s ‘New Year’s Day’ was played during the break so somebody had been putting a bit of research in and then Julio Arca came on to do the draw. He was very well received but we were all in such a good mood that Julio Arca’s cat would have received an ovation.
In the fifty-first Patto had to dive to block a low Millar shot and we were lucky no Preston player was there to hit home the rebound. I was getting the feeling that Preston were going to get one back as we approached the hour-mark. They were doing a good deal of pressing and knew where the goal was. Our performance had gone flat and as a few subs warmed up we needed an injection of something. As long as Pritch stayed on, I’d be happy. Preston were the first to make a couple of switches in the sixty-seventh and we soon swapped Pembele for Alese, who received a great ripple.
Sub Osmajic appealed for a penalty but received nothing but a chorus of boos. With a quarter of an hour on the clock Rusyn received a standing ovation as he was subbed. There wasn’t much applause for the oncoming Ba. As we entered the final ten minutes the atmosphere had gone quiet and the game seemed to be fading out. Shortly afterwards we replaced Pritchard and Jobe with Mayenda and Seelt. We hadn’t done much at all in the attacking department in the second period but the three points were looking safe. There were four minutes of added-time but nothing much happened and it ended 2-0 to much applause.
