27-12-2025, 10:52
https://www.fotmob.com/matches/preston-v...tab=lineup
Attendance: 26,314 (2,553 PNE fans).
Referee: Thomas Kirk.
Seventh visit to the Bet 365 Stadium, won five drawn two, only one goal conceded, one of my luckier venues. On the whole a decent 0-0 to be fair to them after the initial onslaught they were probably the better side however created little can only remember Iversen having one real save make, yet both the BBC and FootMob made their keeper man of the match.
Again we seem to have a new raft of minor injuries, Dobbin, Vukcevic, Thor all out, Devine not fully fit enough for 90 minutes.
Started off excellently could have had four in the first seven minutes and nearly scored the team goal of the season, a sweeping move from back to front ended with Small being denied by Johannsen at the back post.
With that came the tactical goalkeeping injury, something which really should be eradicated from the game and yes we do it as well, but it is annoying and should be clamped down on.
Anyway after the injury we never really got going again, they started to get closer to us and stopped us playing, chances were minimal possibly got a bit lucky when a long throw bounced all the way to the back post, Thomas's effort hit the side netting, all squatre at thebreak.
Second period mostly Stoke, one decent save by Iversen from Thomas they forced a lot of corners and a last ditch tackle, I tink it was Offiah denied one of their lads a clear run of goal.
Storey header and a decent effort from Whiteman brought a decent save from Johansson.
Honours even, move onto the Wrexham and Osmajic ban is now over.
Stuart
North End battled to a goalless draw against Stoke City on Boxing Day in a game where both sets of defences and goalkeepers ultimately came out on top.
Stuart McCall admitted PNE could have produced more in the final third during a game with few clear-cut opportunities at either end but acknowledged the point as a positive one.
Stuart said: “I would always like us to create a little bit more than we did. It's two of the best defensive sides in the league, so the outcome was no surprise. I was just saying that to Mark Robins as well and I think you’ve seen probably two of the best goalkeepers in the league too.
“If we'd have scored in the early part of the game with a real fantastic football move - it comes to Thierry and the keeper makes a great save, that would have been one of the goals of the season football-wise.
“We know they're a better side than they were last season and it was 0-0 here last season in a real scrappy game. I thought today was slightly better, but I think over the piece, if you're coming away from home and getting a point at a difficult place to come, you accept it, but we still want to be better in possession of the ball and create a little bit more.”
North End were backed by over 2,500 fans making the trip to Staffordshire on an icy cold afternoon at the bet365 stadium and Stuart heaped praise on them ahead of another sold-out away end at Wrexham on Monday evening.
Stuart said: “It was brilliant, it was a really good atmosphere because I've been here many a time and it's been flat. I think the Stoke fans have got behind their side, they've come out in big numbers today, which they normally do on Boxing Day, but it’s a great following from us.
“It'd have been nice to get a goal for them but unfortunately, we couldn't do it. We go away again with a point but my message to them is thanks for your support, hopefully we'll see you at Wrexham and then back at Deepdale on New Year's Day where we really want to start turning these draws into wins.”
Stoke manager Mark Robins told BBC Radio Stoke:
"It is a point more than we got last Saturday, so I will take that, and I thought the performance was pretty good. We created quite a lot and were on top in all the metrics if you are a data person.
"We were on top in the game against a side who give very little away and have beaten teams up this season.
"I thought we did pretty well for nine tenths of the game, it was just the final bit, the finish, where we have been in really good positions but have failed to hit the back of the net.
"We can be happy with a lot of the elements, but you want the three points from a performance as strong as that. But we have to take it. Last three we have won one, drawn one, lost one.
"We are into the second half of the season now and we would like to do better than in the first half, and there's no reason why we can't."
Attendance: 26,314 (2,553 PNE fans).
Referee: Thomas Kirk.
Seventh visit to the Bet 365 Stadium, won five drawn two, only one goal conceded, one of my luckier venues. On the whole a decent 0-0 to be fair to them after the initial onslaught they were probably the better side however created little can only remember Iversen having one real save make, yet both the BBC and FootMob made their keeper man of the match.
Again we seem to have a new raft of minor injuries, Dobbin, Vukcevic, Thor all out, Devine not fully fit enough for 90 minutes.
Started off excellently could have had four in the first seven minutes and nearly scored the team goal of the season, a sweeping move from back to front ended with Small being denied by Johannsen at the back post.
With that came the tactical goalkeeping injury, something which really should be eradicated from the game and yes we do it as well, but it is annoying and should be clamped down on.
Anyway after the injury we never really got going again, they started to get closer to us and stopped us playing, chances were minimal possibly got a bit lucky when a long throw bounced all the way to the back post, Thomas's effort hit the side netting, all squatre at thebreak.
Second period mostly Stoke, one decent save by Iversen from Thomas they forced a lot of corners and a last ditch tackle, I tink it was Offiah denied one of their lads a clear run of goal.
Storey header and a decent effort from Whiteman brought a decent save from Johansson.
Honours even, move onto the Wrexham and Osmajic ban is now over.
Stuart
North End battled to a goalless draw against Stoke City on Boxing Day in a game where both sets of defences and goalkeepers ultimately came out on top.
Stuart McCall admitted PNE could have produced more in the final third during a game with few clear-cut opportunities at either end but acknowledged the point as a positive one.
Stuart said: “I would always like us to create a little bit more than we did. It's two of the best defensive sides in the league, so the outcome was no surprise. I was just saying that to Mark Robins as well and I think you’ve seen probably two of the best goalkeepers in the league too.
“If we'd have scored in the early part of the game with a real fantastic football move - it comes to Thierry and the keeper makes a great save, that would have been one of the goals of the season football-wise.
“We know they're a better side than they were last season and it was 0-0 here last season in a real scrappy game. I thought today was slightly better, but I think over the piece, if you're coming away from home and getting a point at a difficult place to come, you accept it, but we still want to be better in possession of the ball and create a little bit more.”
North End were backed by over 2,500 fans making the trip to Staffordshire on an icy cold afternoon at the bet365 stadium and Stuart heaped praise on them ahead of another sold-out away end at Wrexham on Monday evening.
Stuart said: “It was brilliant, it was a really good atmosphere because I've been here many a time and it's been flat. I think the Stoke fans have got behind their side, they've come out in big numbers today, which they normally do on Boxing Day, but it’s a great following from us.
“It'd have been nice to get a goal for them but unfortunately, we couldn't do it. We go away again with a point but my message to them is thanks for your support, hopefully we'll see you at Wrexham and then back at Deepdale on New Year's Day where we really want to start turning these draws into wins.”
Stoke manager Mark Robins told BBC Radio Stoke:
"It is a point more than we got last Saturday, so I will take that, and I thought the performance was pretty good. We created quite a lot and were on top in all the metrics if you are a data person.
"We were on top in the game against a side who give very little away and have beaten teams up this season.
"I thought we did pretty well for nine tenths of the game, it was just the final bit, the finish, where we have been in really good positions but have failed to hit the back of the net.
"We can be happy with a lot of the elements, but you want the three points from a performance as strong as that. But we have to take it. Last three we have won one, drawn one, lost one.
"We are into the second half of the season now and we would like to do better than in the first half, and there's no reason why we can't."
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