Preston North End v Scunthorpe United

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Football League Championship

Preston North End :
Lonergan, Morgan, Davidson, St. Ledger, Jones, Coutts, Mayor, Russell, Hayes (Parkin 69), Hume, King (Parry 46).
Subs not used:
Arestidou, Gray, McLaughlin, Wright, Barton.

Scunthorpe United :
Murphy (Slocombe 73), Jones (Raynes 46), Byrne, Mirfin, Nolan, Woolford, O'Connor, J.Wright, Collins, Dagnall (Thompson 75), Sears.
Subs not used:
McClenahan, Togwell, Forte, Grant.

SULSESC REPORT

by Lancashire Evening Post at Deepdale

Wasteful Preston North End again threw away the points as Scunthorpe United claimed victory at Deepdale in a topsy-turvy encounter.

After going behind early on to a Chris Dagnall shot, PNE netted twice in five minutes either side of the hour mark through Craig Morgan and Billy Jones.

But less than two minutes after Jones had scored, Michael O' Connor levelled for the visitors from a free-kick.

And in the 83rd minute, an awful back pass from Morgan let in Scunthorpe for their winner, Martyn Woolford eventually scoring fter Freddie Sears had hit the post.

It was North End's second defeat on the bounce and dropped them to second bottom of the Championship.

With 36 seconds on the clock, Danny Mayor tried his luck with a 20-yard shot which went wide of the target.

There was a close call at the other end for North End when good work from Sears teed up Woolford in the box, his goalbound shot blocked by Callum Davidson.

Unfortunately they didn't heed that warning as the visitors took a fourth minute lead through Dagnall.

Woolford's pass found Dagnall just outside the box, the former Rochdale striker having the time to take a touch before sweeping a low shot into the bottom corner past Andrew Lonergan.

PNE should have levelled in the sixth minute, Paul Hayes' pass sending Josh King clear of the Scunny defence.

King hesitated as he reached the edge of the box, opting to square a pass to Hayes whose shot was parried away by keeper Joe Murphy diving to his left.

Hayes, facing his former club, then fired wide of the near post, while Sean St Ledger looped a header into Muprhy's gloves after Iain Hume's cross picked him out at the back post.

King had the ball in the net in the 13th minute, heading home Paul Coutts' cross, but the flag was up for offside against the young striker.

Sears, making his Scunthorpe debut after joining on loan from West Ham, cut in from the left-wing and fired off a shot which hit St Ledger on the back and flew behind for a corner.

A minute before the interval, Hayes sprinted clear down the inside left channel and into the box but chose to try and pick out King with a cross rather than shoot.

North End lost the services of King at half-time, the striker having taken a knock on his ankle, with Paul Parry replacing him.

Lonergan rescured his side from conceding again in the 53rd minute, St Ledger's misplaced pass out of defence presenting Sears with the chance to run clear on goal.

He looked odds-on to score but the PNE keeper spread himself to block his shot and then knock the loose ball away.

Preston hauled themselves back into the game just before the hour, the route to goal starting with a 25-yard curling free-kick from Hume which Murphy dived full length to tip behind.

Substitute Parry delivered the resulting corner from the right, Morgan rising to meet it at the far post with a downward header which bounced into the ground and up into the roof of the net.

They then took a 63rd minute lead, another corner setting them up.

This time Hume took it from the left, Morgan meeting it with a thumping header which O'Connor nodded off the line.

As the ball bounced around in the box, Russell had a shot which Jones flicked on into the net.

But less than two minutes later the visitors were level, Davidson conceding a free-kick two yards outside the box with a foul on Dagnall.

O'Connor took it right-footed, curling his shot over the wall and beyond Lonergan into the far corner off the inside of the post.

Scunthorpe keeper Murphy limped off in the 72nd minute to be replaced by Sam Slocombe.

Preston missed a great chance to take the lead nine minutes from time, Davidson's free-kick into the box headed down by Jon Parkin into the path of Parry.

The substitute was off balance as he shaped to shoot, succeeding only in scooping his effort over the bar.

How costly it proved as PNE gifted Scunny the lead in the 83rd minute.

Morgan didn't look up before playing the ball back into his own box from the right-hand side, it falling to Sears in the box.

His low shot smacked against the post, the rebound falling to Woolford who had the simple task of side-footing into an empty net.

In the 90th minute, Davidson got on the end of Hume's free-kick but saw his near post flick pushed behind by Slocombe.

Then Hume slammed a shot just over the bar from the edge of the box as the contest moved into stoppage time.