13-09-2017, 15:37
Preston North End 3 Cardiff City 0 Att 10796
Harrop 38
Maguire 70
Browne 78
Watching Channel 5 last Saturday night is was apparent that they hadn't done their homework on us, the programme tended to suggest we were a bit dull and boring due to the lack of goals in our matches, wasn't for want of trying in our early games that the goals didn't come as for boring not in the matches I've seen in fact the football under Neil is entertaining because he picks attacking line ups all majority of substitutions are positive and it's fairly obvious that the team believe in what Neil is trying to get them to do.
Finally last night the goals arrived added to which the performance of the team on the pitch was tremendous.
Cardiff over the 90 minutes had one shot on target which was a tame effort Bamba on the stroke of half time, North End started well with an early effort from Maguire being saved at the second attempt by the slightly iffyn Etheridge, Earl had a shot cleared from the line and Davies should have done better than to head wide from a corner. Ralls fired on miles wide for the visitors. It looked as if we could be in for a tough time when Mendez-Laing twice skinned Fisher and Huntington put in a super tackle to deny Zohore.
But once we went ahead it never really looked likely that we would not be taking the points. There was a bit of dispute about the free kick but to be fair to Mr Langford he was crap all night. Harrop shot under the wall and past the keeper from about 25 yards to put us ahead, not great defending or keeping by the visitors.
Early Cardiff pressure kept us pinned in our half forabout 10 minutes at the start of the second half but once we had weathered the storm it was all towards the Cardiff goal. Huntington should have hit the target with a free header from a corner and Barkuizen whose form is rapidly improving was unlucky with a header which went wide but with 20 minutes to go Browne, Hugill and Barkuizen all combined to give Maguire a chance to score the second from about 8 yards, his shot being too powerful for the keeper.
The third came along eight minutes later, more iffy keeping Etheridge's scuffed clearance found Browne 45 yards from goal, he sent the ball back from where it had come using the outside of his right foot, the keeper in fairness made a great effort to save it but life being a bitch he couldn't game over with just enough time to give Calum Woods 10 minutes on the pitch for the first time since the season before last. All in all tremendous won't always be like that but if we keep playing like that this season could be very interesting.
Preston
22 Maxwell
14 Fisher Booked at 7 mins Substituted for Woods at 81'minutes
23 Huntington
20 Davies
32 Earl
8 Browne Substituted for Gallagher at 87'minutes
19 Welsh Booked at 64mins
24 Maguire Substituted for Horgan at 88'minutes
10 Harrop Booked at 75mins
29Barkhuizen
9Hugill
Substitutes
7Horgan
12Gallagher
15Woods
17Spurr
27Mavididi
28Hudson
37Robinson
Cardiff
25 Etheridge
2 Peltier Booked at 82mins
4 Morrison
14 Bamba Booked at 39mins
3 Bennett
17 Gunnarsson Booked at 24mins
8 Ralls
19 Mendez-Laing
20 Damour Substituted forTomlin at 63'minutes
33 Hoilett Substituted for Feeneyat 63'minutes
10 Zohore Substituted for Ward at 80'minutes
Substitutes
5Ecuele Manga
6Richards
7Tomlin
9Ward
12Feeney
21Bryson
28Murphy
Preston manager Alex Neil:
"That was a really pleasing win and it was no more than we deserved.
"I thought we were the better side throughout the match; created the most chances against a team that hasn't lost all year and to be honest, are a good team.
"We kept them extremely quiet and I thought we did really well. We had chances prior to scoring the goals - it's not like we didn't have opportunities and we were fortunate."
Cardiff manager Neil Warnock told BBC Radio Wales:
"It's no excuse because the goals were terrible, but we had eight or nine lads who were not at the game today.
"If we hadn't been undefeated I would have made three or four changes for the game... I take a bit of blame because when I looked at them this morning in training they were a little bit jaded.
"They get in your faces here and I'm looking forward to playing them at our place if I'm honest, I took a lot of stick on the bench today."
Harrop 38
Maguire 70
Browne 78
Watching Channel 5 last Saturday night is was apparent that they hadn't done their homework on us, the programme tended to suggest we were a bit dull and boring due to the lack of goals in our matches, wasn't for want of trying in our early games that the goals didn't come as for boring not in the matches I've seen in fact the football under Neil is entertaining because he picks attacking line ups all majority of substitutions are positive and it's fairly obvious that the team believe in what Neil is trying to get them to do.
Finally last night the goals arrived added to which the performance of the team on the pitch was tremendous.
Cardiff over the 90 minutes had one shot on target which was a tame effort Bamba on the stroke of half time, North End started well with an early effort from Maguire being saved at the second attempt by the slightly iffyn Etheridge, Earl had a shot cleared from the line and Davies should have done better than to head wide from a corner. Ralls fired on miles wide for the visitors. It looked as if we could be in for a tough time when Mendez-Laing twice skinned Fisher and Huntington put in a super tackle to deny Zohore.
But once we went ahead it never really looked likely that we would not be taking the points. There was a bit of dispute about the free kick but to be fair to Mr Langford he was crap all night. Harrop shot under the wall and past the keeper from about 25 yards to put us ahead, not great defending or keeping by the visitors.
Early Cardiff pressure kept us pinned in our half forabout 10 minutes at the start of the second half but once we had weathered the storm it was all towards the Cardiff goal. Huntington should have hit the target with a free header from a corner and Barkuizen whose form is rapidly improving was unlucky with a header which went wide but with 20 minutes to go Browne, Hugill and Barkuizen all combined to give Maguire a chance to score the second from about 8 yards, his shot being too powerful for the keeper.
The third came along eight minutes later, more iffy keeping Etheridge's scuffed clearance found Browne 45 yards from goal, he sent the ball back from where it had come using the outside of his right foot, the keeper in fairness made a great effort to save it but life being a bitch he couldn't game over with just enough time to give Calum Woods 10 minutes on the pitch for the first time since the season before last. All in all tremendous won't always be like that but if we keep playing like that this season could be very interesting.
Preston
22 Maxwell
14 Fisher Booked at 7 mins Substituted for Woods at 81'minutes
23 Huntington
20 Davies
32 Earl
8 Browne Substituted for Gallagher at 87'minutes
19 Welsh Booked at 64mins
24 Maguire Substituted for Horgan at 88'minutes
10 Harrop Booked at 75mins
29Barkhuizen
9Hugill
Substitutes
7Horgan
12Gallagher
15Woods
17Spurr
27Mavididi
28Hudson
37Robinson
Cardiff
25 Etheridge
2 Peltier Booked at 82mins
4 Morrison
14 Bamba Booked at 39mins
3 Bennett
17 Gunnarsson Booked at 24mins
8 Ralls
19 Mendez-Laing
20 Damour Substituted forTomlin at 63'minutes
33 Hoilett Substituted for Feeneyat 63'minutes
10 Zohore Substituted for Ward at 80'minutes
Substitutes
5Ecuele Manga
6Richards
7Tomlin
9Ward
12Feeney
21Bryson
28Murphy
Preston manager Alex Neil:
"That was a really pleasing win and it was no more than we deserved.
"I thought we were the better side throughout the match; created the most chances against a team that hasn't lost all year and to be honest, are a good team.
"We kept them extremely quiet and I thought we did really well. We had chances prior to scoring the goals - it's not like we didn't have opportunities and we were fortunate."
Cardiff manager Neil Warnock told BBC Radio Wales:
"It's no excuse because the goals were terrible, but we had eight or nine lads who were not at the game today.
"If we hadn't been undefeated I would have made three or four changes for the game... I take a bit of blame because when I looked at them this morning in training they were a little bit jaded.
"They get in your faces here and I'm looking forward to playing them at our place if I'm honest, I took a lot of stick on the bench today."
Why should a man go to work, if he has the health and strength to stay in bed?