Henderson 7/10 – Solid performance after he had not been at his usual standards the previous week. Caught crosses, made a vital save early on and was solid when he had to. Most of their efforts were off target though and he only had one proper save to make, I think? Did dither coming for a few through balls – Egan had to kick away when he could have come out. Another away clean sheet.
Baldock 7.5/10 – Thought he was very good and was up and down all day. First half he was our best player and really surged down the wing. The only issue was that his final ball was not great and he did not pick anyone out when well placed. Continued to play well second half but did not get forward quite as much but then did make one good cross that led to a chance for Stevens. He was really energetic and showed great fitness and defensively did what he had to, including a key block at the start of the game.
Stevens 7/10 – First half felt he was poor and actually not close enough to Dowell and we had a big gap down that side as they attacked at will down there. He was a bit careless in his marking too. He improved a lot after the break and was a bit more sure in what he did and when he went to left wing back looked more comfortable and got forward well too and helped us keep the ball.
Egan 7/10 – Like Stevens felt at times he did not mark tightly and if they had been better with their finishing (Robinson) they could have made us pay. He did start to get better as the game went on too and felt started to win headers and make blocks. He of course made the goal with a header at goal that the keeper made a mess of but he kept it in play and got it on target.
Basham 8/10 – My man of the match. Never stopped running all game. Started off centre back and ended up midfield. Often, I had no idea where he was playing as he seemed to be everywhere. Like two men at times. Once he intercepted a through ball and ran forward passed it off and then a few seconds late he was right near their goal down the right-hand side. Decent with the ball too and rarely gave it away. Incredible fitness levels and desire. He summed up our application and desire to win the game today.
Dowell 5.5/10 – Thought he struggled in the role he played and at times he was all at sea defensively as the lad Nmecha ended up wide right and really ran at him. He did not get much protection down this side. Stuck at it and then started to get forward more and had one shot at goal but this was weak (where is this shooting prowess we heard about – not seen it at all!). Second half he was a bit better but was then taken off as we opted to have a more recognised defender in there.
Fleck 7/10 – First half he was poor and did not get tight and also gave it away a bit including for their good chance but he improved after the break, started to keep the ball better and was able to penetrate more too. He was just nice and sensible and also got his foot in when he could.
Norwood 7.5/10 – First half he was not in the game much and sat off. Like with Bristol City last week, we were 10 yards off and did not press and they had most of the ball. After the break he improved immeasurably and with Bash was our best player after they came back out. He got on the ball, used it sensibly left and right and played some lovely passes. His class started to show on the ball but he also dug in and did the little things. Need him to play like for full games as after the break felt he ran the show for long spells.
Duffy 6/10 – Poor today with the ball but surprisingly decent off it. He gave it away a lot and did not really give us the threat we would have wanted. Felt he was not close enough to the strikers first half and other than one decent cross, gave it away quite a bit too. He did work hard though and did not stop running. He actually chased back and made a few interceptions second half. He has not played for a while and hopefully getting minutes under his belt will lead to him having a better game at Birmingham.
Sharp 6.5/10 – First half he was not in the game at all and other than one knock back to McGoldrick, he did not have many touches as the service was poor. After the break he improved and was a nuisance all half. He played on the last man and was a threat and actually had two chances but he missed them both. You would have expected him to take at least one but he took a bit too long on the first and did not dink it or drill it and was a nice height. He worked hard for the team but did miss chances to seal the game.
McGoldrick 7/10 – Scored the goal and was Jonny/Didsy on the spot! Very similar to the goal at Wigan actually reacting first on a corner that was not cleared. First half he saw more of the ball than Sharp but we did not link well and the team had almost three compartments. We started to change this gradually and he came deeper and linked well and we got players moving down the wings that could feed off him. He put a real shift in after the break and he chased defenders down quite a lot so they did not have an easy ride.
Subs –
Cranie – Steady when he came on. He played wide left for a bit in the three, then switched to wide right when Stearman came on. Made a few key blocks and just was nice and calm
Stearman – As above. Played in the centre which worried me as wanted Egan there but they chose to put him in the middle and attack the high balls and counter the threat of Stockley. Did enough to restrict them and they only had one big chance, the Gallagher one which I think came via a fortunate deflection.
Hogan – Did not get long and I may get criticised for this but I need to see more effort even in hardly any game time. To see McGoldrick and Sharp chasing every lost cause for nearly 90 minutes and he comes on and is kind of sauntering about. Maybe it is just me, but I need to see more from him. I will be glad to see Madine back as he can give us more of a out ball if needed and think he will play a bigger role than Hogan.
Wilder 8/10 – We won 1-0 and it was another really solid away performance. Our defensive record away since Villa has been sensational and we have had players out too also. Today our best defender was missing and a key part of how we play. The Dowell and Duffy picks did not really work in terms of individual performances but both kind of did a job. He made the changes this week and went with Cranie (no Johnson even on the bench which was interesting) to shore things up. I sensed even though we led, he may have had words at the break as we played noticeable higher up the field. They got an early chance but after this I felt we controlled things and started to get closer to them when they had it and in turn pressured them to turn it over. When we had it, we were calmer and more composed in possession and actually if Sharp takes a chance then we would have won it comfortably. Overall, though another gritty and workmanlike performance and we saw snippets of decent football coming back too which is promising for the final run in.
Referee – He was excellent I felt and one of the best of the season. Gavin Ward let a few meaty tackles go early and I liked that. He tried to keep things flowing but got most of the decisions both ways correct. Just let the game go and made sure it was not about him. I noticed he was always up with play too and gave a lot of throw ins or decisions that assistants would normally give but sometimes when they are right at the other end would not always spot. He booked Dowell rightly for a late tackle as they got away and then did the same for Pearson. Browne got booked I think for a foul on Stevens also near the end which he had done a few times so was more an accumulation. One odd one was he booked Gallagher for taking a free kick too soon. He did not give the penalty when Nmecha went down and actually could have booked him for a pretty outrageous dive.
The main gripe I had with the officials were not spotting that the keepers kit was almost identical to United’s away kit – it was more green but ridiculous he was allowed to wear this. They at least made him change at half time but should have done it earlier in the game or before it started really. Basic stuff really that would not even be allowed at park level.
Crowd/Fans/Day Out – Another great away day…NOT ruined by the game/result! I need too try and get to more United away games after years of having some brilliant days out ruined by the performance/results.
I have been to Preston so many times and never seen a goal or a win! I seem to have missed the odd ones we have done well in and kind of gave up going so bad was my record there. I think I saw about 4 or 5 2-0 or 3-0 defeats on the bounce back in the days of Heath/Warnock. So great to finally end that hoodoo. It is that long since I went there though that they had only 3 sides with an unused terrace and rickety old stand on one side. They have replaced this with a smart smaller stand than the other three and is a bit odd as it has a gantry at the back that looks like it should be for boxes or executive seating but there is nothing there other than a cameraman. Odd. Are they planning to do something with it and if not why stop the seats to build that when you could have had a few more rows. It is a nice smart ground and the stands are quite steep so you get a good view no matter what. Always like the way they have the Preston legends picked out in the seat designs too (one of them Alan Kelly’s Dad). Nice to see Ian Bryson there and did a speech at half time although no one could hear him.
The ground is a fair bit from the centre as we found when walking along that long road that seemed to go on forever. Had a look at the Tom Finney statue and once inside the facilities are fairly decent although does annoy me that hundreds of fans choose to stand and smoke in the toilet, blocking people trying to use the toilet for what it is for and ensuring you reek when you come out and are subjected to a mini coughing fit also!
Inside the ground, we were sat right to the left of the stand so had a good view across on the diagonal. The fans were in good voice and the support was excellent. The fans really willed them on at the end and celebrated every tackle/throw as we saw it out. Great to see the celebrations on full time as the team and Wilder came to salute the huge away following.
What struck me was how relaxed the fans were after the game. Nerves may have been shredded during it and at the end but in the pubs and on the train, many were just quite calm. It is very much that everything is a bonus now and whilst it would be disappointing not to go up after such a great season; you sense the fans are just enjoying it. There is a quiet belief we can do it and it is getting closer now and a real possibility but if we don’t, nobody could really criticise the team or manager. We just have to give it everything the last 6 as a team, both on and off the field. We will make the playoffs now so we need to just go for it every game.
The rest of the day was good too. We got to Manchester and chose to have a few hours here. We had a look in the Classic Football Shirts shop on Deansgate which is very good. Some of the shirts are superb but eye wateringly expensive. I opted not to buy a £150 Fiorentina 7UP 90’s shirt and we went on to have a few more drinks. Sat outside in the Northern Quarter and did some people watching in the sun as we had a couple of lovely pints of Beavertown Gamma Ray. We grabbed a bit of lunch on the run and got the train into Preston arriving around 1.15pm ish. We went to a nice little bar called the Otter’s Pocket and then had the long way to the ground. We even had an ice cream on the way the weather was that nice. After the game we returned to the same bar for a quick pint and then was back in Manchester before 7pm. Found a tremendous bar called NQ64 I the Northern Quarter – which is basically the UK version of Barcade (similar bar in America – Brooklyn) where there is basically old school arcades all around a bar. We played NBA Jam, Turbo Outrun 2, Streetfighter, Mortal Kombat, Track and Field and Golden Axe. We could not get on Sensible Soccer sadly! Great little place that was packed and could have stayed here longer but we had to get back and hopped on the 9.30ish train and I was back home for 11pm. Feeling it a bit this morning….fuzzy head but the table and the results means it was all worthwhile.
