Preston North End v Scunthorpe United

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Football League Championship

Preston North End :
Lonergan, Davidson, St. Ledger, Jones, Ward, Coutts, Treacy, James, Barton (Mellor 46), Mayor (Williams 90), Parkin (Brown 73).
Subs not used:
Henderson, Hart, Chilvers, Proctor.

Scunthorpe United :
Murphy, Byrne, Mirfin, Raynes, McNulty, Sparrow, McCann, Thompson, Woolford (J.Wright 46), Hayes, Hooper (O'Connor 76).
Subs not used:
Lillis, Milne, A.Wright, McDermott, Forte.

SULSESC REPORT

by Lancashire Evening Post at Deepdale

PRESTON North End staged a stunning late fightback to beat Scunthorpe United at Deepdale on Saturday.

PNE were trailing 2-1 with four minutes left, having let slip a first-half lead given to them by Jon Parkin.

But Billy Jones headed them level in the 86th minute, then Keith Treacy conjured up a superb curling finish to clinch victory in the third minute of stoppage time.

It moved North End on to 53 points, making them safe in the Championship.

Scunthorpe had the first decent chance of the game in the fourth minute, Gary Hooper's low cross going through the legs of Adam Barton and rolling into the path of Paul Hayes at the back post.

But Andrew Lonergan blocked his shot at the foot of the post, the ball going behind for a corner.

Hayes put a free header from a Thompson cross over the bar, then at the other end, Parkin rolled a low shot wide of the far post after Matt James' pass had played him in.

In the 17th minute, Sean St Ledger's pass from the back found Parkin just outside the Scunny box. Parkin laid the ball into the path of Paul Coutts whose left-foot shot deflected off a defender and spun into the arms of keeper Joe Murphy.

A strong run three minutes later by Billy Jones took him from his own half to the side of the visitors' penalty area.

The right-back eventually put over a cross which Keith Treacy volleyed straight at Murphy.

It was Treacy who set up PNE's opener in the 28th minute, his run from midfield taking him into the box.

He switched the ball on to his left foot, crossed low into the six-yard box, Scunny centre-half David Mirfin's attempted clearance bouncing off team mate Cliff Byrne and into the path of Parkin who finished with a low shot from close range.

Parkin headed a Treacy cross straight at Murphy soon afterwards.

Then Lonergan pulled off a good save to palm away Grant McCann's snap shot from 20 yards in the 35th minute.

Parkin almost doubled the lead seven minutes before the interval as North End strung together a good move down the left.

Callum Davidson fed the Beast with a pass from the wing, he played a one-two with Coutts, before drilling in a low shot which Murphy pushed round the near post.

In first-half stoppage time, Danny Mayor weaved his way in from the left-wing and fired off a shot which Murphy pushed behind.

North End reverted to a 4-4-2 for the second half after previously operating with a 4-3-3, Neil Mellor replacing Barton at half-time.

In the opening exchanges of the second period, St Ledger stepped in to clear a low angled shot from Thompson out of the six-yard box.

Then a low shot from Matthew Sparrow passed through a crowd of legs but was comfortably fielded by Lonergan.

Treacy brought a diving save out of Murphy in the 54th minute, his shot from outside the box clipping a defender and appearing to be on its way in until the keeper dived to glove it round the post.

Scunthorpe were gifted their equaliser in the 64th minute, St Ledger's causal back pass falling way short of Lonergan, allowing Thompson to nip in and hammer a shot past the keeper.

And it was Thompson who put the visitors in front in the 72nd minute, latching on to McCann's through ball and sliding a shot past the advancing Lonergan.

Elliott Ward chased the ball back as it crept towards the bottom corner but seemed to think it was dropping wide and didn't make an attempt to clear.

North End's leveller arrived in the 86th minute through right-back Jones.

Davidson's cross into the box was headed across goal by sub Chris Brown, Mellor reaching it first and heading goalwards.

Murphy saved it at point-blank range, but Jones was following-up to steer a header into the top corner.

Treacy's winner came with the three minutes of stoppage time almost played. The winger cut in from the right and curled a beauty of a left-foot shot round Murphy and into the far corner.