Ex North Ender has died at the age of 68 after illness

The start of a new era under Jack Ross begins at ER Stadium v the "steel men" who have had a good season so far compared with the "cabbage n ribs". I'm hoping that is about to change tomorrow on a match day which is gonna be dreich in terms of the weather conditions and that scenario will prob be a "leveller". Hopefully Hibs will "come through it" with a win that will "kick start" JR's management career at ER. It will be curious to see what his starting line up will be for this game although I suspect he'll follow Edie May's instructions on "who's who" as he has just literally "walked through the front door" of ER stadium. So no time to fully assess all the players who are available for this game. C'mon Hibs!

GGTTH

This is definitely a good draw for Scotland in a one-off semi-final at Hampden Park in March 2020. However, looking towards a poss final v Norway or Serbia, the draw has disappointingly given us an AWAY play-off final v either of these opponents - yukkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!!!! Again no luck in being given a home draw to have a smidgeon of a chance v very good opponents   Hence I rate our chances as near enough zero, that home draw was so important - sickened again!!!

The final of the Copa Libertadores will be shown on BBC Two on Saturday night at 7:45pm.

It is in Lima, Peru and it is the defending champions River Plate versus Flamengo. Argentina’s current 4th placed team vs Brazil’s current runaway league leaders.

Let’s hope there’s no trouble like there was in last years final. The fact that it’s in a different country and a stand-alone match should help.

If you do your predictions after these specified times, they will not be accepted.

Weekend games 12 pm
Midweek games 7:30 pm

Just a reminder that you can use your on any fixture, but its not compulsory!! Get it right and you will score double points but getting it wrong will result in -2 points, so the reward and risk are there for all!!

AFC Fylde 0-2 Dagenham & Redbridge
Aldershot Town 1-1 Notts County
Barrow 2-0 Barnet
Chorley 0-2 Torquay United
Dover Athletic 0-2 Solihull Moors
FC Halifax Town 3-1 Eastleigh
Harrogate Town 3-1 Chesterfield
Hartlepool United 2-0 Boreham Wood
Stockport County 4-0 Ebbsfleet United
Sutton United 0-2 Bromley
Wrexham 0-3 Yeovil Town
Maidenhead United 1-2 Woking

League Table after Matchday 21
Amelia = 312
Dancing = 266
Lord Snoots = 236
Theo = 236
SaltergateBorn = 236
St Charles = 234
Spireitematt = 212
Devon = 98

Liam Shaw is apparently an athletic box-to-box midfielder. He's 18 and has been with Sheffield Wednesday's academy since he was 8. We've got him on a month's loan.

I like the sound of box-to-box, we do have two of them and we're usually deeper in one than we'd like.

v



LAST TIME OUT
NOTTINGHAM FOREST 1 DERBY COUNTY 0


PRESTON NORTH END 3 HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 1


LAST SEASON
FRANK LAMPARD'S DERBY COUNTY 2 PRESTON NORTH END 0


Transfers
Bielik at 7.38 million only fee paid rest are loans and free signings

Off to the East Midlands on Saturday to play a side who we have not beaten since our return to the Championship, although we have a poor record against them, we are quite good at getting their managers potted, McLaren and Rowett both left soon after their failure to beat us.
Under manager Cocu they are under performing this season and off the field problems seem to have impacted on them. losing Keogh through the drink drive raceathon was a blow and so was the fall out from it. Also in the background is the possible points deduction for the slightly sneeky buying their own ground back from themselves to get their way round FFP.
Add it to that renowned granny shagger Rooney apears to be having his wages paid by a betting company when he finally arrives to play which has also gone down like a lead balloon in some quarters.
Errant driver Lawrence will be available having luckily managed to avoid a red card in the local derby against the Trees.
All in all it's time for us to end the run of naff results against this lot.

Pearson should return from suspension, hopefully DJ will as well, over 2000 away fans will be rocking up as we now enter a very important phase of the season

Match Officials: Derby County Away






It was March of this year the last time Saturday’s match official, Tim Robinson, took charge of the Lilywhites, the goalless draw at home to Nottingham Forest.
Prior to that, we saw the referee in December 2017. That game, a 1-0 win at home to Sheffield United, saw Robinson as the man with the whistle at a PNE game, for the second time in three weeks.

Tim, from West Sussex, in his eighth year on the EFL list and was the match official for the 1-1 draw with Norwich City at Carrow Road in November that same season.

Before that, he last took charge of North End in his first trip to Deepdale, when we overcame Birmingham City 2-1 back in March of the previous season.
That was his fourth game overall in charge of the Lilywhites, the others all being away trips; Brentford, Ipswich and a 2-0 victory at Coventry City when Joe Garner and club captain Tom Clarke were on the scoresheet.
This will be his 12th game of the season, his last being table-toppers West Brom’s 2-0 win at Stoke City, in front of the Sky Sports cameras three weeks ago. This season he has issued 35 cautions and one red in those previous 11 games.

This is his second Derby game of the season, having overseen their 2-2 away draw with Stoke City back in August.

The assistants on Saturday afternoon will be Jonathan Hunt and Mark Jones, whilst the fourth official assigned to the game is Alan Young.

Well done the Robins.

To win a cup replay away against Swindon is a really excellent result.

But there again we do seem to have 'the evil eye' over them.

Twas Alex Addai our pocket rocket who did the damage. That's his fourth goal of the season and he's normally only being used as a sub coming on against (in theory) tired opposition legs.