[themaclad]

Preston North End 0 Aston Villa 3 Rashford 2 Ramsay
Attendance: 22,198 (5,706 Aston Villa fans).

Referee: Mr C Kavanagh.

On a warm spring day the drams of London in the sunshine at Wembley disappeared for another season, shorn of 8 players who could have started we gave it a go and got to an hour before their quality finally told.
You only had to look at the two benches we had a 17 year old back up keeper plus four other teenagers with a total of first team minutes that you could count with the fingers of one hand.
Started well hd a shout for a penalty and generally made a nuisance of ourselves, Villa started to gain the upper hand seemed to get lots of freekicks around the area though they do tend to go down easy these Premiership chappies, luckily non troubled Cornell.
Had a chance to score reat ball by Brady caused a bit of panic in the Villa box and led to Thordarson heading wide, maybe should have done better but there were three Villa players covering the danger. Level at the break.
Thought we started the better in the second period but they were begining to look more menacing, great Storey tackle slowed down a raid which ended with Cornell finally saving.
Then in the space of four minutes basically game over, a lightning fast raid down the right Digne who was outstanding all afternoon ball into the box Rashford slides it home.
Four minutes later soft penalty Hughes stands on lads foot nobody claims for it Ref gives. Rashford sends Cornell wrong way and to all purposes that's game over.
Still had time for Ramsay to run past a tiring midfield firing the ball home through Cornell's hands. Watkins missed a chance and they had another inches away late on.
And that was that couldn't fault them althou might have been more intersting if we had some of our missing players in.

HECK

Paul Heckingbottom was disappointed his side missed out on reaching an FA Cup semi-final, however pride was the main takeaway from the performance.

Aston Villa came out on top at Deepdale in the quarter-final, with a second-half brace from Marcus Rashford and a tidy finish from Jacob Ramsey earning the win.

For the first hour or so, though, PNE were more than a match for their opponents, limiting the UEFA Champions League quarter-finalists to very little.

Hecky said: “I'm proud of the effort of the team today. We're all disappointed because of the potential prize. Of course we are.

“But I'm not disappointed with anyone connected with the club. Everyone's put their heart and soul into that today and enjoyed it. I hope everyone has.

“The fans who turned out were magnificent and they've backed the players. We need that backing now in the last games of the league.

“It was always going to be difficult against Villa. It was always going to be difficult even if we had the full squad, but I felt we had the best chance until their first goal.

“The moment they had scored their first goal, and then we can't react to that before they get the second, so yeah, it made it a difficult afternoon.”

North End were without a number of key players on the day, with some regular starters out through injury, suspensions and ineligibility.


That didn’t hold them back as they went toe to toe with their visitors from Villa Park, but ultimately Unai Emery’s side just had too much in the end.

Hecky said: “They’re a Premier League team and Champions League quarter-final finalists. With the calibre of players they've got and everyone we've got missing, it was a tough, tough ask.

“But like I said, the players deserve immense credit for how we went and attacked that game.

“It's Jordan’s first minutes and he's had to play 90. Ben [Whiteman] doing his first 90 back. It’s tough, but everyone's stuck at it and equipped themselves well. It just becomes a difficult day then because Villa can relax once they go two up.”

Emery

Unai Emery spoke of his pride after Aston Villa booked their place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup with a 3-0 win at Preston North End.

The Villans will play at Wembley for the first time since 2020 next month, taking on Crystal Palace for a place in the final thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford (2) and Jacob Ramsey and Deepdale.

Emery was pleased to have secured progression in a historic, important competition, and is looking forward to seeing the supporters enjoy an occasion at the national stadium.

Unai Emery
The Villa boss said: “Very happy, because I think we were aware about the responsibility we had in this competition, because our supporters, really, how they are feeling this way in the FA Cup and how important it is for them to try to get some special moments sharing with us.

“It’s really very important, through the competitions we are (in), but in the FA Cup as well, I think the most important cup in the world, and here in England, historic, prestige cup.

“To play semi-finals and going to Wembley I think will be very special, for the supporters, for everybody here as well, for the workers.

“Of course, it’s our challenge now. Our challenge to enjoy the way and challenge to play, performing like we are playing in this competition, and to be together and try to create feelings together with our supporters.”

Marcus Rashford
The Spaniard also reserved praise for the performance of Rashford, after his brace gave the Villans a commanding lead either side of the hour mark.

Speaking on his performance, Emery added: “Fantastic. He is personally feeling better, comfortable, confident.

“Scoring goals of course is I think adding the confidence he needs, and of course helping us.

“I think the challenge we have – the club, the team, the squad and himself – is really one huge challenge to try to get together something, helping each one in our capacity to recover his best performances, and as well, adding us his qualities and his assists and his goals.”