[themaclad]

Preston North End 0 Wycombe Wanderers 0 (PNE win 4-2 on penalties)


Attendance: 10,444 (974 Wycombe Wanderers fans).

Referee: Mr B Speedie.

120 minutes of absolute nothingness, before North End won a penalty shoot out 4-2 we are through and no doubt for having to suffer this will be rewarded with either Cardiff or Millwall away it's an absolute certainty. A replay would have been fair for Wycombe they made iit hard for us kept their shape mind you that was easy with our usual slow build up.
Early Oneydinma effort clipped the outside of the post, as per usual we were slow to get going, final ball let the visitors down but we started to get a grip and probably should have led as Osmajic was through one on one never really had the ball under control and the chance went begging. Norris saved one form I think it was Greenwood before the follow up from McCann was cleared from the line.
Second period was even worse both sides eventually ran out of ideas, two efforts from Lubala and McCleray should have given us more problems but both were tame efforts. Greenwood hit a post and had an effort at the end well saved by Norris. Indeed in the six minutes of added time the vast majority would have taken a goal from any one to save us another 30 minutes, no suck luck.
Wanderers sat deep in extra time, we coudn't find a way through so penalties it was. Udoh and Reach both had theirs saved by Woodman, McCann to win it row 25, up stepped Ched Evans and that was that.

HECK

Paul Heckingbottom was delighted his side got through a “war of attrition” in the fourth round victory over Wycombe Wanderers.

Preston North End made it through to the fifth round of the Emirates FA Cup courtesy of a penalty shootout victory at Deepdale, following a goalless draw after 120 minutes.

The high-flying League One side made it a tight affair which PNE edged in terms of chances, but ultimately the breakthrough didn’t come.



Hecky said: “I’m delighted. It was a really tough, tough game. Wycombe didn't disappoint us.

“I’m delighted we've gone through, as you always are, but also with the manner in the end because when you don't take your chances at the beginning against a team as dogged and determined as they are, it would have opened the game up massively for us.

“It became a bit of a war of attrition and then that is their strength. For us to stand up to that and still be the better team but not succumb to it, I’m really pleased and I'm really pleased to get through on penalties.”

As the game headed into penalties, Sam Greenwood, Milutin Osmajić, Mads Frøkjær and Ched Evans all converted from the spot, while Freddie Woodman made two important saves.

It’s the second time this season that Woodman’s been the hero in a shootout, following the Carabao Cup victory over Fulham in September.


Hecky said: “The boys did well at the penalties. Freddie was great. They’ve done their homework, him and Polly (Mike Pollitt).

“I was at the side of Polly and he was telling me which way each player was going and which way Freddie would go and he made the saves off the back of that. So yeah, they’ve done their homework and helped get us through.”

After the 90 minutes was done, extra-time came along and there were only two shots on target between the two teams, as the game moved towards a shootout.

Hecky said: “We were pushing and pushing but they defended their box very well. It’s a big strength of theirs. Sonny Bradley and Joe Low, they were protected really well by their midfield which meant we were trying to get down the outside.

“The line was a little bit higher in the first half because we had more of the ball in the second, and we were a lot deeper. We couldn't get in behind them so we were having to cross and then that's their strength, so unless the ball was dropping to us, their midfielders are great at dropping in on the second, and we found it harder to create in the second half.”