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HEAD TO HEAD IN CUPS

Two FA Cup meetings both at Adams Park we won both 1-0 on 7/12/2013 and last time 5-1 on 6/1/2018

Went to the second of these think I had the forerunner of Covid that day should not really have gone, felt like crap all the way through on what was a sodding cold day



For the third time in eight years the Lilywhites will travel to Adams Park for a cup tie, as Preston North End take on Gareth Ainsworth’s Wycombe Wanderers in the Emirates FA Cup third round.
Both sides will see it as an opportunity to get through and for a good cup run, in a season where a lot of big clubs may choose to utilise their squads to their full potential.

The two teams only met last month, playing out a 2-2 draw at Deepdale, although their last meeting in the cup was in 2018, when the League Two Chairboys were defeated 5-1, with Alan Browne and Josh Harrop both getting a brace and now Wycombe winger Daryl Horgan grabbing the other.

The game is being played behind closed doors, but is available to watch for free on the FA’s Player service, with more details below.

Team News
Manager Alex Neil could hand a debut to new loan signings Jayson Molumby and Daniel Iversen, subject to governing body ratification of the transfers.

The manager also said that Ben Pearson is getting closer to fitness, after getting injured against the Chairboys at Deepdale at the beginning of December.

Declan Rudd is out, after getting injured in training and will join Louis Moult, Billy Bodin and Patrick Bauer on the sidelines.

Gareth Ainsworth could hand a debut to loan signing from Leicester City Admiral Muskwe. The striker joining from the Foxes for the rest of the season this week.

Match Officials
A late change of match official sees Stephen Martin take the whistle for Saturday’s Emirates FA Cup tie.

It is Steve’s second PNE match of the season, having done the Carabao Cup tie with Brighton back in September.

Last season he did four PNE games, his last being the the win over Birmingham City in the final home game of the season. He was also the match official for our opening day game down at Millwall, the 1-0 victory over Birmingham at St Andrews and the 3-2 comeback victory over Blackburn Rovers.

Steve also had whistle for the Millwall away game in 2018/19, when Alex Neil’s men came out 3-1 winners, back in February 2019 at The Den. That was one of the match official’s three games officiating North End that season, the others being PNE’s wins at Nottingham Forest and at home to Ipswich Town – that visit to PR1 being back in April 2019, when we ran out 4-0 winners.

Since coming onto the EFL lists back in 2012/13, the Staffordshire referee has officiated many North End games, at least one a season for all the years he has been on the league groupings.

His first game was a goalless draw against Leyton Orient back in March 2013, whilst other memorable games include our 3-0 win at Havant & Waterlooville in the FA Cup in 2014, when Callum Robinson scored a hat-trick, a 3-0 home win over Cardiff City in 2016 and a 3-1 win at Oldham’s Boundary Park in 2014.

This is his 18th game of the season, having also refereed Wycombe once, in a goalless draw at home to Huddersfield Town, issuing 34 cautions and no red cards in his previous 17 games. He will be assisted by Graham Kane and Stephen Brown, whilst Alan Young will be fourth official.

Opposition View
Gareth Ainsworth said: ““It’s another old club of mine which is always nice, and obviously it’s a club we know a fair bit about after playing against them last month in the league.

“Looking back at it, I think we should have won that game – they threw everything at us at the end got their point, but overall I don’t think they’re a team that is a million miles away from us and now we go into the cup match looking to be strong, attacking and good enough to make it to the next round.

“Some might say this is a distraction from the league for us but it’s just another game that we want to win. In all my years as a player, playing in all sorts of different competitions, I don’t remember ever going into a game thinking anything other than ‘I want to win this game of football’.

“We want to pick up momentum and get back into that winning habit that we can take into the league games, and as well as that, I want to be able to give this club a cup run for the fans, the players, staff and owners too.”

MACS VIEW

My first FA Cup game was about 1970 Notts Forest at home well over 20,000 both sides played full first team no resting players in those days, all 32 third round ties were played on the same day kicking off at 3 pm
Over the years the cup has been treated as an after thought, cubs putting out weaker sides, crowds have diminished and the old competition seems to have lost it's magic,
A couple of seasons ago thanks the medium of foreign TV games began to kick at varying times on a Saturday, even had to play our third round tie against Doncaster on a Sunday afternoon so people could watch it Taiwan or somewhere like.
This year it's Covid so ther is an excuse but this year no replays and if they get away with it this season you can bet your sweet bottom they will do it next season
Fair play to the Beeb every game bar three is being shown on their interactive service, guess which game is one of teh three that is not being shown, yep us

Anyway the match, not be easy Gareth's team will give a 100% as per usual, we are apparently putting out a stronger than usual side, could be extra time and penalties this one anyway does give me an excuse to show a picture of John Motson in the snow at Wycombe