[themaclad]

Preston North End v Middlesbrough
Deepdale 14/2/2024

Ten years since the demise of Sir Tom Finney special shirts will be worn by the players on a one off occasiin, although expect limited edition to go on sale for a sum of eye watering amount in club shop

LAST TIME OUT





FORM GUIDE

PNE 13 BORO 5

HOT STUFF



Who’s Available?


Alan Browne and Brad Potts both limped off in Cardiff on Saturday, and the manager expects to be able to call upon skipper Browne, whereas a late decision will be made on Potts.

Duane Holmes won’t be available on Wednesday night, but he’s now back on the grass in training and may make Saturday's Lancashire derby against Blackburn Rovers.

Ched Evans saw a specialist on Monday to take a look at his knee and he may be absent for another few weeks yet.

Opposition Focus


After reaching the Play-Offs last season, Middlesbrough are one of many teams hovering outside the top six and looking to find a way in.

Their league form hasn’t quite reached the heights of last term, but Michael Carrick’s side enjoyed a superb run to the Carabao Cup semi-final where they lost out to Chelsea.

They will be quietly hopeful they’ll have enough to earn a place in the end-of-season lottery, especially with a number of players still to return from injury.


Match Officials

Referee: Mr T Harrington
Assistant Referees: Darren Cann and Derek Eaton
Fourth Official: Anthony Backhouse

Tony Harrington will take charge of a PNE fixture for the first time since April 2022, when PNE came out 2-1 winners over Queens Park Rangers.

North End have had varying success with Harrington as referee over the years, but notable wins include a 12-11 penalty shootout victory over Oldham Athletic in the EFL Trophy back in 2014.

So far this season, Harrington has shown 50 yellow cards and two reds in 12 matches.

MACS VIEW

Five points to avoid relegation, so first objective nearly achieved, interesting game against Boro who are slightly struggling at the moment, still bizarrely just outside the play off zone having been quite average over the course of the last few months, Potts absence may give Josh Seary a chance although Browne seems to be fit no doubt fantastic will play him at wing back. Win's a posssibility but Boro have stuffed us 4-0 last two times we've played them

[themaclad]

Preston North End 2 Milar Riis Middlesbrough 1 Aziz

PNE line-up: Woodman; Storey, Lindsay (Whatmough, 75), Hughes (Cunningham, 9); Millar, Browne, Whiteman (McCann, 83), Brady; Frøkjær; Keane (Stewart, 76), Riis (Osmajić, 76). Subs not used: Cornell, Ledson, Woodburn, Seary.

Middlesbrough line-up: Glover; Ayling (Dijksteel, 73), Van den Berg, Clarke, Thomas; Howson, Hackney (O’Brien, 89); Forss, McGree, Azaz; Greenwood (Silvera, 68). Subs not used: Dieng, Barlaser, Hoppe, Gilbert, Engel.

Attendance: 15,282 (1,745 Middlesbrough fans).

Referee: Mr T Harrington.

If Boro had had a forward who could actually put the ball in the net they would have won this hands down, however their inability to hit a cow's arse with a banjo cost them last night, the home side three shots on target two went in albeit both had some luck attached to them butthat's teh way the cookie crumbles.
On the 10th anniversary of Finney's death a massive banne to the great man who about 80% in the stadium would never have seen play was surfed across the Town End possible sign for the game it was the wrong way round. One off shirts were worn white with a massove blue area and gold numbering which was basically unreadable on a soggy Lancashire night.
Potts injured Brady in within five minutes Hughes injured aftera less than great Brady pass left him with a 50/50 chance of winning the ball, a block tackle damaged knee and off he went injured, Cunningham came on.
Boro dominated the first 20 minutes to say their fial ball let them down is underestimating how bad they were up front.
With our first attack we go one up, ball eventually falls to Millar on the edge of the box, he shots ball bounces more times than the bombs the Dambusters launched keeper should really have saved it, he didn't, against the run of play 1 up.
The rest of the first half could be classed as forgetable, confidence drained from Boro and we weren't much better, half time whistle brought a merciful end to proceedings

Whatever Carrick said to the visitors at half time worked they were soon level , Aziz best player on the pitch fired home from 20 yards no more than Boro deserved, their lead was short lived, Millar dispossess a Boro player, ball to Whiteman to Keane left foot shot deflected going wide but Riis had followed the ball and hit teh far side of the net back in front again.
Back came Boro again Thomas a mazy run should have scored missed the target, Forss forced Woodman into a great save action all one way apart from a break when Osmajic first touch let him down when well placed. Injuries to Whiteman and Lindsay probably down to playing on a pitch that was probably as heavy as it has been in years hung on just about now outside the play offs on goal difference



Preston manager Ryan Lowe told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"I told the players that sometimes you can't help but drop the way we dropped, and soak it up. We gave the ball away more than a couple of times to let them have penetration on us.

"The first-half performance was OK and we went in 1-0, but they came out in the second half and gave it a right good go. For their goal, you can't give a player of that calibre that much time, but for us to show the resilience and character to get right back into the game right afterwards was massively pleasing.

"That's three on the bounce, all fantastic team performances in different ways.

"We were tactically astute and kept them at bay, and so were well worth the three points."

Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick told BBC Radio Tees:

"It's a tough result to take, the results definitely aren't going our way. We definitely deserved more out of the game, but we're not getting it and we have to do something about it.

"I can't fault the boys' effort and some of the quality of the play was really, really good but we don't have the balance between performance and result at the moment. They hadn't had a touch in our box and suddenly we were 1-0 down, which has happened two or three times over the last six weeks or so.

"We had enough to win the game but moments are killing us. Of course we have to defend better at times, to block shots and stop shots and score at the other end.

"Finn [Azaz] showed his quality and you can see him settling into it. It's a big goal for him."