[themaclad]

v

LAST TIME OUT

PRESTON NORTH END 4 MANSFIELD TOWN 0



NEWPORT COUNTY 2 SWANSEA CITY 0



LAST MEETING

PRESTON NORTH END 1 SWANSEA CITY 1



SWANSEA PRE SEASON INCOMINGS


Jamal Lowe Wigan
Korey Smith Bristol City

Freddie Woodman on loan again and Morgan Gibbs-White from Wolves both on loan, Marc Guehi from Chelsea as well on loan

LAST NORTH END WIN 2/4/2011 2-1
LAST SWANSEA WIN 30/9/2008 0-2

Team news for both sides scarce will add later


Here we go again a delayed start to the season means this one will be more frenetic than ever suspect with squads limited to 25 every side will fully use them.
First up for North End, Steve Cooper's play off losing side Swansea, last season ended all square with Sinclair scoring for North End and Brewster for the Swans, the latter celebrated in front of the Town End which immediately brought us to thinking he was a dick.
Swans have been rare visitors head to head record they are in front having won 25 to our 20 with 18 draws.
One of the draws was on 25/8/79 when the visitors under John Toshack spent the entire second half passing back to their keeper, went down well with the natives. Last time we won Brendan Rogers complaine about the length of the grass.
Swans have made some interesting signings but will need to be better than they were against Newport last Saturday when they completely ballsed up my fixed odds coupon.
Empty ground makes this one a tough game to predict only worry is will be who is between the sticks for us.

[themaclad]

It will only be 45 days since the Swans’ Play-Off semi-final defeat to Brentford and 52 days since North End last faced competitive league action, but the action begins again in PR1.

Both sides last locked horns in January, when former ‘Jack’ Scott Sinclair scoring his first goal for his new club, before on-loan Liverpool striker Rhian Brewster grabbed an equaliser and a point for the visitors.


There have been changes to the Welsh side’s squad over the summer, with a number of players departing at the end of last season, but Steve Cooper will again be hoping to follow up a top six finish with a push for a return to the Premier Leagu

Team News
PNE manager Alex Neil will be hoping to have a near to fully-fit squad for the clash with one of the two Welsh sides coming to Deepdale in the first three home games.

Goalkeeper Declan Rudd is back out on the grass and will be assessed before the squad is named to face the Swans, with just Louis Moult unavailable as he continues to build his fitness after missing a year following a knee injury suffered against the same opponents at the Liberty Stadium last August.

Swans boss Steve Cooper went with a 3-4-1-2 formation for their Carabao Cup forst round defeat to fellow Welshmen Newport County at Rodney Parade last weekend.

Should he choose to do the same at Deepdale, there will be a number of questions in his mind. If he persists with a back three, one of Joe Rodon, Marc Guehi, Ben Cabango and Kyle Naughton will have to start on the bench, with Connor Roberts and Jake Bidwell the most likely to feature in the wing-back slots.

In midfield, George Byers is currently recovering from a groin injury meaning Jay Fulton will compete with captain Matt Grimes and summer signing Korey Smith for a start. Former Bristol City man Smith sustained a knock in the South Wales derby contest, and was substituted, but he should be in contention to make his league debut at Deepdale.

In the attacking positions, Bersant Celina has moved to French club Dijon, leaving Morgan Gibbs-White as the leading contender to play in-front of Swansea's two midfield men, behind fellow new recruit Jamal Lowe and last season's top scorer Andre Ayew.

Opposition View
Swans manager Steve Cooper is expecting a difficult game when he brings his side to the north west at the weekend and feels the consistency in the Lilywhites squad is to its advantage.

“It’s going to be a tough game," he told the press at his online pre-match press conference. "It was last year. Preston are a really good outfit. They play in a very aggressive style of football that can be hard to play against.

"They’re more or less the same squad as last year, which was a strong one. They’ve got a chance to continue with their good work.

"It’s a tough game to get the campaign up and running. But we look forward to it and we’ll be ready for it.”

He also thinks the condensed season will add some extra challenges: “I think there’s going to be some really busy periods throughout the schedule that’ll end up probably being defining.

"We’re going into some unknown periods because of the timing of the start and the end of the season. It’s going to be really busy and a new experience for all of us. But we have to tackle it head on, like we did after lockdown.

"We haven’t had a long pre-season. We’ve got to work hard to hit the ground running as quick as we can.”

So, is he and the squad looking to go one better than last year's Play-Off defeat? “We’re not looking as far as that. We’ve got to be careful not to compare everything to last season. Lots of players left.

“We’re completely focused on Preston. We’ll take it step by step and in the end you end up where you deserve to be. It’s a while yet until anybody will be looking at league positions. Look at the short-term and focus on what you’re in control of.”


Match Officials
The match official for is Robert Jones, who we only saw a week ago in the Lilywhites’ final pre-season friendly at Everton.

The referee, from Merseyside, is in his fifth season on the EFL lists. He has officiated five North End games during his career the last being the home win over Sheffield Wednesday in the earlier stages of last season.

His first visit to PR1 was the 1-1 draw against Rotherham in April 2017 and, prior to the Leeds game, he most recently he refereed the Lilywhites’ 2-1 victory away against QPR in April 2018.

He took charge of last season’s League One Play-Off Final between Oxford United and Northampton Town at Wembley.

The assistants for the game will be Adrian Holmes and James Mainwaring while Richard Wild is the fourth official.

Match Coverage
North End fans can watch Saturday's first league game with Swansea City live on iFollow PNE, with purchases of a £10 match pass available now.

Jonathan Breeze and former North End striker Brett Ormerod are on commentary duties, with four-camera coverage, replays, graphics and coverage from Deepdale from 2.50pm on Saturday afternoon.

Rest of games

WAT v MID
BIR v BRENT
WYC v ROTH
BARS v LUT
BOU V PLASTICS
BRIS v COV
CAR v SHEFFW
DER v READ
HUD v NOR
MILL v STO
QPR v FOREST

[themaclad]

No Johnson Ibrox bound????

[themaclad]

0-0 HT
A first half of few chances although Swans were more takeable than our, some good defending by Browne on two occasions, Bidwell most likely player on the pitch to score and he's their left back. We have looked decent at times until we get to the box were the Swans have defended well, neither keeper had anything to sve which is perhaps as well with ours, need some inspiration for a goal in this one. Suspect first goal wins it.

[themaclad]

Early second half goal settled it Bidwell got down the left for the umpteenth time after a good pass by Ayew and from the cross Gibbs-White bundled home, soft in my view.
After that we put some forwards on and lo and behold we looked better, one fine move so Potts unable to keep the ball down , Stockley header straight at the keeper, otherwise it was hard to get past their well organised defence, suspect Preston Samaritans will be busy tonight
Memo to manager midfielders at right back is a no no.
Norwich away next week could be like an Norweigian Eurovision entry zero points

[themaclad]

Preston manager Alex Neil told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"I don't think there was a lot in it. In the first half we had little periods when we were on top, but our final ball let us down.

"There wasn't much in it. These games are all about not giving the ball away cheaply. We did that far too often.

"If you get an opportunity you need to make sure you put it away and be clinical. We created as many chances as they did. The difference is they had the ball in the back of the net and we didn't."

Swansea City head coach Steve Cooper:

"It was a tough game but our performance was good. In the first half we got into some good positions and didn't quite capitalise on them.

"We looked a real threat and kept it going in the second half. Bidwell should have put us 1-0 up - we've watched it back and he's onside. It would have been a fantastic goal but, as Bidwell does, he keeps going and gets in again and Gibbs-White gets in the six-yard box to put it in, a brilliant team goal.

"We had to show the other side of the game then to see out the result. A lot of balls in our box but Freddie Woodman hasn't really had a save to make which tells you all about the heart and soul of the latter stages. A really good start."

[themaclad]