Preston North End v Burnley,
Saturday 22nd March, 2008
Coca-Cola Championship
Deepdale, 1pm kick-off.
Deepdale will be rocking for the visit of Lancashire neighbours Burnley with a bumper crowd of over 15,000 spectators expected for this second hugely anticipated derby in the space of a week.
After the goalless draw at Bloomfield Road last Saturday, North End are back on their home patch and are looking to continue their fine start to 2008 at Deepdale, where they have despatched Watford, West Brom, Coventry, Stoke and Wolves since the turn of the year.
In Burnley however, the Lilywhites face a side that are only three points adrift of a Play-Off spot and are determined to even the score following Preston's 3-2 victory at Turf Moor earlier in the season.
Both teams are governed by Scottish managers, who coincidently were appointed only two days apart from each other. Owen Coyle, who left the hot-seat at St Johnstone to take up the position at Burnley, predicts another fierce contest. In an exclusive interview in the official matchday programme, he said:
"I'm expecting another tough encounter, a real hard fought derby and I know it will be played in the right spirit because both teams try to get the ball down and play. It's just got the makings for a cracking afternoon."
Alan Irvine meanwhile says Preston are currently showing 'Championship form' after picking up 10 points out of the last 12 available. Click here to read the full pre-match interview with North End's boss.
Kevin Nicholls has joined Liam Chilvers on the casualty list after picking up a knee injury in Monday's 2-0 reserve victory over Tranmere Rovers and is therefore ruled out for the next few weeks. Michael Hart played the full 90 minutes of the second string outing as he continues his rehabilitation from a hip injury whilst Neil Mellor did his selection hopes the world of good by netting both goals at Prenton Park.
This fixture is notorious for its high scores and entertainment. Let's just hope there is a repeat on Saturday and it favours the Lilywhites.
The League Table
Preston currently reside in 16th spot, one point behind their Lancashire rivals Blackpool. Three points for Alan Irvine's men would see them jump over the Tangerines should they only draw or lose at Stoke City.
A victory could also see them move above Cardiff and Sheffield United if results go their way, although to leapfrog the Blades they would have to overturn a five goal difference that the Yorkshiremen currently have in their favour.
A defeat could possibly signal a demotion of four places but that would depend on Barnsley, Norwich, Leicester, Southampton and Coventry winning. Although the Saints and the Sky Blues play each other at St Mary's (it's getting complicated at the bottom!).
A draw for Preston would obviously mean that they are one point closer to safety, but it is unlikely they would rise any higher in the league table.
Ones To Watch
Callum Davidson
This season Callum has proved himself to be an integral part of the North End side, whether it is either in defence or midfield. Of late, the 31-year-old Scot has been utilised in the left-back position and is currently keeping the reigning Player of the Year Matt Hill out of the side.
A charismatic and enthusiastic member of the squad, Callum has a strong temperament on-and-off the field and is the type of player that every manager wants at their disposal when the time comes for a scrap. This was highlighted when he required stitches to a head wound against Stoke but opted to carry on and fight for the cause instead of departing from the game prematurely.
He also showed nerves of steel to hammer home the crucial penalty against Wolves, which ultimately sent the Lilywhites on their way to three points.
Although Callum has amassed a total of 10 yellow cards this season and been forced to sit out three matches through suspension, he has stayed clear of injury, something which has haunted him throughout large periods of his career.
Graham Alexander
There really is only one Burnley player to look out for on Saturday afternoon and that is the former Preston skipper Graham Alexander. Grezza played 400 games in a North End shirt before moving to Turf Moor at the end of August, signalling the end of an eight-and-a-half year spell at the club.
The Scotland international has already admitted that his return to Deepdale wearing the claret and blue of Burnley will be a 'little bit weird' but he is the ultimate professional and you can expect nothing other than a whole hearted performance from the Coventry-born man.
Another twist in the tale is that Alexander is now the captain of Burnley and will be stepping up alongside his former room-mate and good friend Paul McKenna in the centre circle for the pre-match coin toss and necessities.
Grezza is fondly remembered amongst the Preston support for his penalty taking prowess, but whether he would step up and take a spot-kick for Burnley, should the opportunity arise, remains to be seen.
Last Time Out
Blackpool 0 Preston 0
Preston: Lonergan, Jones, Mawene, St. Ledger, Davidson, Sedgwick, McKenna, Carter, Whaley, Brown, Priskin (Mellor 54). Subs Not Used: Chris Neal, Lewis Neal, Hill, Trotman
Burnley 1 Wolves 3
Burnley: Kiraly, Alexander, Varga (Unsworth 71), Carlisle, Harley, Elliott, Gudjonsson (Mahon 56), James O'Connor, Lafferty, Akinbiyi, Blake (Randall 75).
Subs Not Used: Jensen, Spicer.
Head To Head
There have been 123 meetings between the two Lancashire giants over the years, with North End just about holding the bragging rights due their 50 victories. The Clarets aren't far behind with 47 wins whilst there has also been 26 draws.
You have to trail the archives and look back to the 1888/89 season for the first clash between the two clubs, with Preston triumphing 5-2 over their neighbours at Deepdale in the September of that campaign.
This fixture has been played at least twice over the last 12 seasons due to the teams being in the same division. Both clubs were promoted to the second tier of English football back in 2000 when David Moyes' outfit pipped Burnley to the league title.
Preston are unbeaten in the last five meetings at Deepdale with Burnley's last triumph coming back in the 2001/02 season when Arthur Gnohere's brace sealed the points for the men from East Lancashire in a 3-2 win.
Last Time We Met At Deepdale
Preston 2 Bunley 0
Nugent 33, Agyemang 75
17/03/07 - Coca-Cola Championship
Attendance: 17,666
Referee - Uriah Rennie
The last time the Sheffield-based official took command of a game on the hallowed Deepdale turf was actually in the charity match between North End legends and Hyde last year.
However is probably remembered amongst the Deepdale faithful for officiating in clashes against Crystal Palace and Leeds over the course of the last two campaigns.
He missed the early part of this season with a hamstring problem but returned to refereeing duty last November, overseeing events at Glanford Park in Hull City's 2-1 victory over Scunthorpe.
In total, Uriah has officiated in 18 games this season, four of which were in the Premiership, and has flashed 47 yellow cards and dished out 5 reds.
Other interesting facts about the 48-year-old include that he practices both kick-boxing and aikido, and has a Masters degree in Business Administration and Law. He is also a former magistrate in his hometown of Sheffield.
Betting
North End are priced at 6/5 to take the spoils, Burnley are 9/4 whilst a draw is 23/10. Why not take a chance on a scorecast, for example, Paul McKenna to score first and Preston to win 2-0 is a whopping 105/1. All prices are with North End's official betting partner, pnebetting.co.uk.
Listen Live
Join us on Whites World from 12.30pm where Matt Morris and Adrian Ward will provide all the big match build-up, with Jonathan Breeze taking over at 1pm to provide exclusive full match commentary. Whites World is available now from just £3.99 per month, meaning you can follow North End from anywhere on the globe. Don't forget to send your thoughts and opinions on the game to matchday@pne.com.
