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LAST TIME OUT

QPR 1 BLACKBURN ROVERS 0


PNE 1 ROTHERHAM UNITED 2

Joe's 17 seconds own goal pictured

FORM GUIDE

Rovers 14 PNE 6

A win is required as those at the bottom start to close the gap

HEAD TO HEAD

First visit to the back of beyond was 12/1/1889 ended in a 2 all draw, we won the next one later that year 3-4, Rovers won for the first time in 1890, the last Rovers win was 10/1/2001 3-2 they were three up at half time, in recent times we have held the upper hand in games at their gaff also have been kind enough to take 7000 to help out our impoverished East Lancashire neighbours.

My first visit was a 1-0 win in April 1968 think Willie Irvine got the winner bit naive in those days couldn't figure out when celebrating the goal nobody else around us was got strange looks from the natives that day
McGeady goal in the 2 all draw about seasons back prompted epic scenes in the away end that day. The last two visits corresponded with downpours of the torrential type

MACS VIEW

Would love to say was looking forward to this given our average form at the moment only consolation we are away were we are slightly better than at Deepdale.
They seem to score goals for fun we appear to have no full backs and an inability to put the ball in the net
Armstrong appear to have scored more goals than we have as a team. To be fair to them they are having a decent season but need to start winning to catch the those in the play offs whilst we need 14 points to avoid relegation.
They won easily at our gaff after hapless Joe had another of his hapless moments by getting sent off at 0-0.
This epic is on Sky on Friday night may the Lord have mercy on those poor unfortuate sods who watch it.
Rovers will find playing in front of no one easier as that is teh norm usually at Ewood.

FAMOUS BLACKBURN FOLK

Only one me

Preston North End and Blackburn Rovers, founder member of the Football League back in 1888, meet for the 100th time in league encounters at Ewood Park on Friday night.


It is actually only our 48th trip to Rovers’ current home, however, with the first two games played at Leamington Road back in the 1880s.

Over 130 years on, the two teams are separated by just three points in the middle of the Championship table and will be looking to this Lancashire derby as a chance to kick on for the remainder of the season.

The last few trips to East Lancashire have seen anywhere up to 7,500 North End fans travelling to support the team, but it will be a different game this time around.

Team News
Manager Alex Neil was without skipper Alan Browne for last weekend’s game against Rotherham United, so he will need to check on the No.8 before the short trip to Blackburn.

Long term injured Declan Rudd, Patrick Bauer and Louis Moult are all still absent, otherwise there are no new injury concerns for the Lilywhites.

Blackburn have suffered an injury-hit season so far - especially in defence and midfield - but their options in the latter area have improved considerably in recent weeks with Bradley Dack and Lewis Travis returning to the first team after lengthy absences, while development squad appearances for experienced duo Elliott Bennett and Corry Evans look set to increase the depth of a squad that has welcomed a dozen new faces this season.

The gaps in the squad mainly remain at the back, where an entire back four of Derrick Williams, Daniel Ayala, Scott Wharton and Joe Rankin-Costello are still sidelined, having collectively missed nearly a season's worth of action between them so far in 2020/21. However, full back Barry Douglas could return this weekend after missing Rovers' last outing due to the birth of his daughter.

In the most recent blow to manager Tony Mowbray's options, German international midfielder Lewis Holtby has once again suffered the cruel fate of a lateral knee ligament injury for the second season in succession, leaving the field just 15 minutes after coming on as substitute in last weekend's defeat at QPR. The results of a scan look set to decide whether he will miss the remainder of the campaign.

Another highly experienced midfield asset, Bradley Johnson, has missed the past fortnight of action with a hamstring injury and the derby day is expected to come too soon for him to return.

Rovers' greatest strengths this season have been at either end of the field, with Belgian goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski - a summer signing from Gent - proving to be a match-winner on several occasions, while the reliable attacking trio of Ben Brereton, Sam Gallagher and Adam Armstrong - the latter sitting second in the league's scoring charts with 17 goals - have been able to line up together for all but a handful of outings this season.

Match Officials
The match referee for this Friday’s game is David Webb; taking charge of North End for the second time this season.

His first game was the 1-0 home win over Sheffield Wednesday in November; whilst he has refereed two Rovers games in 2020/21, a 0-0 home draw with Middlesbrough and a 1-0 defeat at Stoke City.

We saw David three times in 2019/20, having officiated the Carabao Cup second round penalty victory over Hull City at Deepdale back in September, November’s 1-0 win over Charlton Athletic and the clash at Fulham’s Craven Cottage just before lockdown.

The Hull City tie was his first game at Deepdale since 2016, when he had the whistle in PR1 for our 2-0 home win over Peterborough United in the middle of the 2015/16 campaign.

In 2018/19 he officiated two PNE games, the away matches at Birmingham City and Derby County.

Overall then he has refereed the Lilywhites on 14 occasions, some of the most memorable games including the FA Cup win at Wycombe Wanderers, when Kevin Davies scored a stunning strike from 35 yards, and a 3-2 home win over Crewe Alexandra in 2011 in the league cup.

Overall, this season, he has taken charge of 22 games, issuing 56 cautions and four red cards. He will be assisted by Phil Dermott and James Wilson, whilst the fourth official will be experienced Championship official Oliver

Well I’ll beat me bread Cunningham 1 up

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Lindsay 2-0
Armstrong 2-1

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Gallagher fell over for the penalty kin joke

Beat the pub side

Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"Our first-half [performance] wasn't very good. We had no forward passes, we were messing around in our own half. We played the wrong game really.

"We pinned them back and probably deserved to get an equaliser in the second half but it wasn't to be.

"The team know the expectations at this club, they have to go out and do it and they didn't tonight."

Preston manager Alex Neil told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"I thought the way we went about it was very good. We changed our shape, personnel and how we function in two days.

"For the lads to take it on and carry it out was very good. It's not easy when you've got new players.

"We deservedly won. The fans now will have the bragging rights until the next time we meet."

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Always nice to get one over on this lot only disappointed the away end didn't have 7000 in as for Mowbray he really is a miserable sod