26-12-2024, 21:04
Preston North End 1 Potts Hull City 0
PNE: Woodman, Storey, Whatmough, Hughes, Potts, Whiteman, McCann, Kesler-Hayden, Frökjaer-Jensen (Holmes 77'), Osmajic (Riis 76'), Greenwood (Keane 77')
Subs: Keane, Cornell, Ledson, Thórdarson, Okkels, Bauer, Bowler
Hull City: Pandur, Coyle (Drameh 84'), Jones, McLoughlin, Giles (Jacob 45'), Slater (Ömür 73'), Alzate, Puerta, Burstow, João Pedro (Bedia 73'), Longman (Kamara 55')
Subs: Mehlem, Burns, Racioppi, Sellars-Fleming
Attendance: 16,521 (1,203 Hull City fans).
Referee: Mr J Smith.
Two average sides playing average football averagely , sometimes you have to grind it out, this was one of those games, low on quality and excitement.
First home win over City since February 2020 and in the grand scheme of things gives us a bit of a gap between the places of doom at the bottom and the not quite mid table were we are.
Could have been all so different if Slater hadn't sent a shot from about 10 yards into the empty seats behind the goal after Pedro had forced Woodman into a good save which he had palmed out to the aforementioned Slater.
City had started the better pass and moved and looked buoyed by beating the Swans on Saturday, differnce in the early stages City played the ball into space for players to run onto, always someone willing to make a run, we were our normal self, slow had zero ability to find space and the usual abject final ball.
Slowly we started to get a grip, nice move down the right, ball just slightly behind Os, put the shot wide, most of our danger canme down the right, hence left wing back Giles was hooked for Hull at half time. Should really have been level at the break, ball to the back of the six yard box, Whiteman should have scored didn't.
Little happened in the early stages of the second period, then the goal, the usually enigmatic performance from Mads, however his ball to KKH down the left was perfect, ball pulled back towards penalty spot and there was Potts to score the only goal of he game.
The remaining thirty minutes were watching us make hard work of defending any ball into the box, the usual rash of stupid free kicks near the box, but apart from a header right at the end which was well saved by Woodman, we managed to survive.
It's a win.
Hecky
Paul Heckingbottom was delighted with a “hard-fought and well-earned” three points against Hull City.
North End earned victory at Deepdale on Boxing Day, thanks to Brad Potts’ strike on the hour mark.
PNE defended well from there as they stood up to everything the visitors asked of them, to hold on to an 11th clean sheet of the campaign.
Hecky said: “First and foremost, I’m delighted with the three points. Hard-fought and well-earned.
“There was nothing much in the game in the first half. I thought Hull started the game well in terms of possession. We grew into it and forced our way into it with our work rate and determination.
“I just felt the opportunities we did get in the first half, we could create a lot more if we improved one or two things and I felt we did that second half.
“We were the team then pushing on the front foot and gradually building the momentum until we scored a goal and the goal was fantastic.
“We’ve spoken about how fine the margins are in this league and we've been much more dominant than that in so many games and just come away with a point.
“Today, everyone played their part. We scored a really good goal and then defended our box and managed the game really well. Everyone’s played their part in keeping the clean sheet.”
It was a tight first half which saw both goalkeepers tested, with Milutin Osmajić having North End’s best effort.
The manager felt PNE then came out better in the second half and, after a couple of early chances which fell to Osmajić and Sam Greenwood, Potts broke the deadlock and scored the eventual winner in the 60th minute.
Hecky said: “I think one thing we did improve, we had moments in the second half where we were a bit more aggressive. We forced turnovers in and around the halfway line, particularly on our right-hand side, where we know we've got a little bit better balance.
“We got in down the sides of them and used our spare body on the outside a little bit better because they block up the middle of the pitch really well.
“It was coming but then the goal itself is down the right. We switch it to the opposite ten, which is Sam [Greenwood] to Mads [Frøkjær]. Sam plays the easy pass, but it's the right pass because we've got our extra body then again on the outside, which is Kaine [Kesler-Hayden]. He picks Pottsy out with a good pass as well.
“I’m really, really pleased with the goal for lots of reasons. It’s what we've been working on, moments of real quality from the players and then, like I said, everyone then saw the game out really well.”
PNE: Woodman, Storey, Whatmough, Hughes, Potts, Whiteman, McCann, Kesler-Hayden, Frökjaer-Jensen (Holmes 77'), Osmajic (Riis 76'), Greenwood (Keane 77')
Subs: Keane, Cornell, Ledson, Thórdarson, Okkels, Bauer, Bowler
Hull City: Pandur, Coyle (Drameh 84'), Jones, McLoughlin, Giles (Jacob 45'), Slater (Ömür 73'), Alzate, Puerta, Burstow, João Pedro (Bedia 73'), Longman (Kamara 55')
Subs: Mehlem, Burns, Racioppi, Sellars-Fleming
Attendance: 16,521 (1,203 Hull City fans).
Referee: Mr J Smith.
Two average sides playing average football averagely , sometimes you have to grind it out, this was one of those games, low on quality and excitement.
First home win over City since February 2020 and in the grand scheme of things gives us a bit of a gap between the places of doom at the bottom and the not quite mid table were we are.
Could have been all so different if Slater hadn't sent a shot from about 10 yards into the empty seats behind the goal after Pedro had forced Woodman into a good save which he had palmed out to the aforementioned Slater.
City had started the better pass and moved and looked buoyed by beating the Swans on Saturday, differnce in the early stages City played the ball into space for players to run onto, always someone willing to make a run, we were our normal self, slow had zero ability to find space and the usual abject final ball.
Slowly we started to get a grip, nice move down the right, ball just slightly behind Os, put the shot wide, most of our danger canme down the right, hence left wing back Giles was hooked for Hull at half time. Should really have been level at the break, ball to the back of the six yard box, Whiteman should have scored didn't.
Little happened in the early stages of the second period, then the goal, the usually enigmatic performance from Mads, however his ball to KKH down the left was perfect, ball pulled back towards penalty spot and there was Potts to score the only goal of he game.
The remaining thirty minutes were watching us make hard work of defending any ball into the box, the usual rash of stupid free kicks near the box, but apart from a header right at the end which was well saved by Woodman, we managed to survive.
It's a win.
Hecky
Paul Heckingbottom was delighted with a “hard-fought and well-earned” three points against Hull City.
North End earned victory at Deepdale on Boxing Day, thanks to Brad Potts’ strike on the hour mark.
PNE defended well from there as they stood up to everything the visitors asked of them, to hold on to an 11th clean sheet of the campaign.
Hecky said: “First and foremost, I’m delighted with the three points. Hard-fought and well-earned.
“There was nothing much in the game in the first half. I thought Hull started the game well in terms of possession. We grew into it and forced our way into it with our work rate and determination.
“I just felt the opportunities we did get in the first half, we could create a lot more if we improved one or two things and I felt we did that second half.
“We were the team then pushing on the front foot and gradually building the momentum until we scored a goal and the goal was fantastic.
“We’ve spoken about how fine the margins are in this league and we've been much more dominant than that in so many games and just come away with a point.
“Today, everyone played their part. We scored a really good goal and then defended our box and managed the game really well. Everyone’s played their part in keeping the clean sheet.”
It was a tight first half which saw both goalkeepers tested, with Milutin Osmajić having North End’s best effort.
The manager felt PNE then came out better in the second half and, after a couple of early chances which fell to Osmajić and Sam Greenwood, Potts broke the deadlock and scored the eventual winner in the 60th minute.
Hecky said: “I think one thing we did improve, we had moments in the second half where we were a bit more aggressive. We forced turnovers in and around the halfway line, particularly on our right-hand side, where we know we've got a little bit better balance.
“We got in down the sides of them and used our spare body on the outside a little bit better because they block up the middle of the pitch really well.
“It was coming but then the goal itself is down the right. We switch it to the opposite ten, which is Sam [Greenwood] to Mads [Frøkjær]. Sam plays the easy pass, but it's the right pass because we've got our extra body then again on the outside, which is Kaine [Kesler-Hayden]. He picks Pottsy out with a good pass as well.
“I’m really, really pleased with the goal for lots of reasons. It’s what we've been working on, moments of real quality from the players and then, like I said, everyone then saw the game out really well.”
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