29-01-2021, 16:16
LAST TIME OUT
COVENTRY CITY 2 SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY 0
PRESTON NORTH END 0 READING 0
HEAD TO HEAD
First meeting at Hillsborough was in 1883 we sauntered home 5-0, every time bar one that I've been we have lost the Doyle/Beckford bust up being the most spectular of defeats, last season won 3-1 after being 1 down
First ever visit March 3 1973 Wednesday won 2-1 David Sunley bagged both sat opposite the main stand it rained and was grim
WEDNESDAY NEWBIES
Windass and Paterson cost fees at the start of the season, Hutchinson has re signed after playing abroad, Izzy Brown is decent and just seemed to be permanently on loan to some club or other and they brought in Dunkley from the hapless Pies
FORM GUIDE
OWLS 11 PNE 9
MACS VIEW
All change at the club Pearo and Darns leaving, Davies on the possible brink of joining a pub side in the East End of Glasgow, change is in the air. On the pitch next upthe Owls who although bobbing around at the bottom have done fairly well at home in recent games
Started the season with negative points, since then have potted two managers and appear to have a few issues off the pitch.
Still rate Bannan, Harris has speed to burn and Windass can get some goals still have score when he wants (Rhodes) in reserve
They have also had a touch of the Covids and are six points from safety
Cunningham back in the squad for us after a spell in Wales, the new midfield partnership of Molumby and Whiteman maybe a partnership that will last beyond this season (noises being made about signing Molumby)
Only bug bear we have is being a bit shot shy 1 goal in the league this year needs to be rectified.
Tough game always is over there, don't forget you can watch on I Follow and be warned the coverage from this wonderful platform is usually shite
The 114th meeting between Preston North End and Sheffield Wednesday takes place at Hillsborough this weekend, with the Lilywhites looking to add to their 45 wins in the preview 113.
They lead the head-to-head by two in all competitions and they will be hoping to pick up a similar result to their last visit to South Yorkshire, when they came behind to win 3-1 back in July, after the restart.
There have been two changed of managers at the Owls since then, with Neil Thompson currently in charge of the team, who have picked up some good results since he took caretaker charge, as they look to move away from the foot of the table.
For PNE, it has been the first of three consecutive weeks with no midweek game, which has allowed a number of bumps and bruises to recover, as well as more work to be undertaken in the transfer window, with the arrival, or should that be return, of Greg Cunningham.
Team News
Manager Alex Neil has no new injury concerns ahead of Saturday’s trip to Hillsborough. Greg Cunningham is available after completing his loan move from Cardiff City, taking the No.37 shirt.
Andrew Hughes will be given a late check on the shoulder injury that ruled him out with the home draw with Reading during the warm up, after colliding with the advertising hoardings at Birmingham City a few days earlier.
That just leaves the long-term casualties of Declan Rudd, Patrick Bauer and Louis Moult not available, with the PNE boss telling the media at his pre-match press conference that the latter was back out running and slowly building back up.
Massimo Luongo made the bench for Neil Thompson on Wednesday night and after a couple more days of training, the Australian could be in line for a return to the starting XI.
Chey Dunkley is also getting closer, but fellow defender Moses Odubajo is out with a hamstring injury.
Andrew Green and the returning Sam Hutchinson both made their first starts, or re-starts in the latter’s case, in the defeat at St Andrews against Mark Robins’ Sky Blues and Green could again start against the club he spent the first half of last season on loan.
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Match Officials
For the first time in ten years, Premier League match official André Mariner will be the referee for a North End game this weekend.
The last time he was in charge of a Lilywhites match was Graham Alexander’s first ever game in management, back in December 2011, when he took caretaker charge of the side’s 1-0 televised win over MK Dons at stadium:MK, when Paul Parry scored the only goal of the game.
He has actually taken charge of PNE on nine occasions down the years, the first of which came way back on Valentine’s Day 2004 and include the 2-0 home Play-Off semi-final win over Derby County in 2005, the 1-1 home Play-Off semi-final draw with Sheffield United in 2009 and a 4-1 home win over Leeds United on Halloween 2006.
This weekend André – who will be in charge of his 17th game of the season, having issued 46 cautions and no red cards – will be assisted by Richard West and Matthew Jones and the fourth official will be Benjamin Speedie.