Match Preview: Birmingham City (A)

31 March 2024

Preston North End head to the Midlands on Easter Monday for the first of seven April fixtures.

Match Details

Date: Monday 1^st April, 3pm kick-off
Venue: St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park
Competition: Sky Bet Championship
Kit: Third kit

Supporter Information

Tickets for this fixture are now off sale, with there being no option to buy on the day from St Andrew’s.

Any tickets which haven’t been collected from Deepdale can be picked up from the away turnstiles from 2pm on the day of the game.

All PNE fans should be aware that they will be required to leave the stadium after the full-time whistle, with there being no access to the UB40 concert taking place after the match.

Who’s Available?

After missing the Good Friday clash with Rotherham United, manager Ryan Lowe is hopeful of being able to call upon Liam Millar for this one.

Ryan Ledson, who was also absent a few days ago, won’t be back on Monday due to a calf issue, but he could return for the weekend’s trip to Vicarage Road.

Ben Whiteman, Brad Potts and Ched Evans all remain sidelined.

Opposition Focus

Birmingham City head into Easter Monday desperate to pick up points in the midst of a relegation battle at the bottom of the table.

Blues sit just a place above the bottom three and are under the guidance of former boss Gary Rowett until the end of the season, given that permanent manager Tony Mowbray has taken a formal medical leave of absence.

Rowett’s first game in charge on Friday ended in agonising defeat late on against relegation rivals Queens Park Rangers, and he’ll be hoping he can put an end to their seven-match winless run.

A Recent Clash

North End maintained their position at the top of the table in September with a 2-1 victory over Birmingham City.

Follow The Action

Supporters around the world, including the UK and Ireland, are able to watch this game live on iFollow. £10 match passes are available to buy here.

Match commentary is also available to listen to worldwide, with Jonathan Breeze and David Buchanan on the mic. Click here to buy a match or monthly pass.

There will also be the usual extensive coverage across the club’s social media channels and here on the website.

Match Officials

Referee: Oliver Langford
Assistant Referees: Craig Taylor and Bhupinder Singh Gill
Fourth Official: Ed Duckworth

Oliver Langford will take charge of his third PNE fixture of the season on Monday, following the away matches against Norwich City and Sunderland.

So far this term, Langford has shown 89 yellow cards and six reds in the 28 matches he’s refereed.

Match Reports

Match Report: Birmingham City 1 PNE 0

1 April 2024

Preston North End began a busy April with a 1-0 defeat on the road against Birmingham City.

In a goalless first half, PNE had presentable opportunities fall to the likes of Noah Mawene and Robbie Brady, while Lee Buchanan struck the woodwork for the hosts.

Jay Stansfield ended up being the match-winner, though, as he raced through on goal in the 68^th minute to score the decider.

Ryan Lowe was without Alan Browne in the Midlands through illness, so named Brady as captain, while 19-year-old Mawene came into midfield for his full professional debut.

After a quiet opening to the game, Freddie Woodman was called into action by Juninho Bacuna 15 minutes in, and the ‘keeper was thankful a minute later to see Jordan James’ strike whistle just wide.

North End created their best moment yet in the 29^th minute as a nice move down the right ended with Mads Frøkjær, who opted to cushion a pass off for Duane Holmes instead of shooting, however the touch was too heavy and went out of play.

Another presentable chance fell four minutes later for Mawene, but the youngster couldn’t quite sort his feet out and scuffed a 16-yard strike.

PNE were growing into the contest and captain for the day Brady did so well to knock it past Emanuel Aiwu to go through into the area. Instead of trying to beat John Ruddy, though, the decision was to pass back for Emil Riis, who saw Lee Buchanan sneak in ahead of him and intercept.

The Birmingham City defender then came closest of anyone in the 42^nd minute to an opener as he saw a low strike go behind off the post.

Chances didn’t come much more often in the second half, until the 68^th minute when the hosts probably couldn’t believe their luck. An unfortunate slip by Liam Lindsay on halfway allowed Stansfield a clear run through on goal, and he slotted beyond Woodman to break the deadlock.

North End made a double switch up top to try and find a way back into the game, with Milutin Osmajić and Layton Stewart coming on, and fellow substitute Liam Millar was also lively down the right.

Ultimately, though, PNE just couldn’t fashion an opening and the points on Easter Monday went to the hosts.

Birmingham City line-up: Ruddy; Laird, Aiwu, Sanderson, Buchanan; Paik (Šunjić, 90+2), Bielik; Miyoshi (Anderson, 81), James (Dozzell, 54), Bacuna (Gardner, 90+2); Stansfield (Hogan, 81). Subs not used: Etheridge, Roberts, Drameh, Dembele.

PNE line-up: Woodman; Whatmough, Lindsay, Hughes; Holmes (Seary, 90+2), McCann, N.Mawene (Millar, 62), Brady; Frøkjær (Woodburn, 62), Riis (Osmajić, 74), Keane (Stewart, 74). Subs not used: Cornell, Cunningham, Storey, Best.

Attendance: 24,511 (1,389 PNE fans).

Referee: Mr O Langford.

Ticket News

Birmingham City Tickets On Sale

12 March 2024

Tickets for North End’s away match against Birmingham City in April remain on sale.

PNE will head to St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park for a 3pm kick-off on Monday 1^st April, and the club have been allocated 1,975 tickets for this fixture.

Tickets are available to buy online until 1pm on Saturday 30th March, while sales will continue in person and over the phone on 0344 856 1966 until 2pm. Please note, the ticket office will be open from 10am on Saturday.

Tickets can be collected from Deepdale until 3pm on Saturday, and any which haven't been picked up by this point can do so from the away turnstiles from 2pm on matchday. Tickets will not be available to buy on the day of the game.

All PNE supporters will be required to leave the stadium at the full-time whistle, with there being no access to the UB40 concert taking place after the match.

Ticket Prices

Adults (23 to 64) £35
Seniors (65+) £27.50
16 to 22 £27.50
U16s (0 to 15) £10

Within the allocation of 1,975 tickets, 506 of these are safe standing. Please note, safe standing tickets are only available to buy in person or over the phone.

All supporters under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Disabled Supporter Information

Ambulant disabled supporters will pay in accordance with their relevant age band above, and a free carer ticket will be provided where required.

There are 21 tickets available for wheelchair users, each with a complimentary carer ticket. Six of these are on a viewing platform, whereas 15 have a restricted view at ground level and are therefore priced as per below. Please note, the restricted view tickets will only go on sale if and when the viewing platform tickets sell out.

Adults (23 to 64) £32.50
Seniors (65+) £25
16 to 22 £25
U16s (0 to 15) £9

Coach Travel

Coach travel is available from both Deepdale and Leyland for this fixture, with a departure time of 11am from both locations.

Travel is priced at £16 for Ambassadors and £18 for non-Ambassadors.

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