PNE v Blackpool
Deepdale
Coca-Cola Championship
Saturday 11th April, 1pm kick-off
Final Score: PNE 0 Blackpool 1 (Adam 44)
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1456: Three sides of Deepdale are deadly silent as the stunned supporters file out, but you can guess which end is deafeningly noisy. A huge disappointment for PNE, who will now need to pick up some big wins from their remaining four games to make the Play-Offs. The dream may seem a little way off right now, but it is by no means dead, and we hope you can join us again on Monday afternoon for a game against Doncaster that now appears to have even greater meaning. If you can make it over there in person to give the Lilywhites your full vocal backing, even better. Best wishes for the remainder of your Easter weekend from everyone here at Preston North End.
90+5 mins: Blackpool launch it long trying to catch PNE out with no keeper back but they've done enough. The whistle blows and the men from the Fylde coast have won the M55 derby for the second time in as many seasons at Deepdale.
90+4 mins: Lonergan is up for the corner but he can't get near it - Billy Jones seeing his diving header blocked in a melee of bodies.
90+3 mins: Penultimate throw of the dice. Wallace whips in a free kick, aiming for Parkin, but it is scrambled away for a corner.
90+1 mins: Brett Ormerod wows the Blackpool faithful with some silky showboating to wind down the clock near the corner flag.
90 mins: There will be four minutes of added time. Those four minutes could define the remainder of our season.
89 mins: Parkin launches the ball towards goal with an overhead kick, but Mawene can't get there before Rachubka, and instead takes out the keeper who requires treatment. The collision wasn't that severe, but is one of those that hurts more when you know you need to kill time and the physio is happy to amble on.
89 mins: Substitution for Blackpool - Jorgensen for Campbell. Another of those time-wasting changes where the man going off is the furthest from the dug out and takes forever to cross the pitch.
88 mins: Substitution for PNE - Carter for Williamson.
87 mins: North End have a goal disallowed. St. Ledger heads towards goal from the corner, the ball seeming to go in off Mellor into the roof of the net, but the ref chalks it off due to a foul on Barker, who ends up in a heap on the floor.
86 mins: Eddie Nolan is announced as the man of the match as he tries his luck from distance, the shot deflecting off a tangerine body into Williamson's path, who goes down under pressure but doesn't get the penalty decision he looks for. It's a corner instead.
85 mins: 21,273 is the attendance here today, so we don't quite match the 1973 figure, but it's a good effort nonetheless in these credit crunched times.
84 mins: Southern's shot deviates wickedly off Williamson's heels, but Lonergan reacts quickly to smother at his near post.
83 mins: Campbell tries to net with an overhead kick from an angle, a la Chris Iwelumo in front of the Kop back in September, but Sean St. Ledger is on hand to hack it clear as he tries to make the most of Crainey's long throw.
82 mins: We ended up with the speculative shot option. Unfortunately, when it came from Lee Williamson's left boot, it didn't look like threatening Blackpool's goal at any point, so it didn't really have the desired effect.
80 mins: The visitors seem to have done a pretty good job of silencing the home crowd by now. We could almost do with a mis-timed tackle, a controversial refereeing decision or a speculative shot to spark some life back into the majority of the spectators inside Deepdale.
77 mins: Vaughan rolls the ball through for Burgess in an inside right channel, but his cross - intended for Campbell - is cut out by Mawene at the expense of a corner.
76 mins: Rachubka drops Wallace's corner, but Crainey spins with great awareness to get back into position and hack the ball away from a mere matter of yards in front of the goal line as St. Ledger tried to sneak in to level it.
75 mins: Substitution for Blackpool - Simon Walton has come on in place of Alex Baptiste, who trudges off very slowly as his side looks to preserve a precious lead.
73 mins: A break in play to allow some treatment for Tangerine injuries is greeted by a safety message, telling the away fans they are being kept behind for ten minutes after the game 'in the interests of their safety'. The home fans jeer, the away fans cheer. They must be enjoying the ground so much that they're happy to be invited to stay.
71 mins: North End look ready to break at pace through Whaley and Williamson, but the referee winds up the crowd by stopping play for an earlier foul by Burgess on McKenna, and infuriates everyone further by opting not to book the miscreant.
70 mins: Wallace tries to use the right flank to his advantage. It always seems to give him the shape to cut inside and fire in more shots as goal, but as he tries it this time, the ball ends up in row 15 of the Town End.
68 mins: Whaley and Wallace have swapped wings - first time we've seen that ploy today involving our wide men.
66 mins: Wallace chips the ball onto Mellor's head, but he puts it wide from 14 yards. Early signs that the sub could be here to make an impact as grand as the one he had on that glorious November afternoon at Bloomfield Road.
65 mins: Whaley's first contribution is to be scithed down by Crainey. Welcome to the game, son.
64 mins: Substitution for Blackpool - O'Donovan goes off in place of ex PNE man Brett Ormerod, who gets a decent reception on the whole. An even better one from the Tangerines, though!
Double substitution for PNE - Elliott and Sedgwick, both of whom have been very hard working, are the pair who head off to allow Mellor and Whaley's entrance.
63 mins: Ormerod looks like he's getting ready for Blackpool too. Interesting stuff.
62 mins: Looks like PNE are about to bring on Whaley and Mellor.
60 mins: Burgess' run to within three yards of goal is held up by Mawene to PNE's relief, and there's a further let off as Vaughan races onto the striker's lay off, dragging yet another low shot just wide of the desired destination.
58 mins: The full-back's fears were nearly realised there. Standing over the 25-yard set piece, Adam launches a piledriver that only misses the foot of the upright by a matter of inches.
57 mins: Jones is penalised for a foul on the increasingly adventurous Seasiders' O'Donovan. He's not at all happy with the call and makes his feelings known to Premier League ref Andy D'Urso.
53 mins: Adam turns tormentor again, striking towards the foot of the far post, but Jones deflects it away for the corner. From the set piece, Burgess heads towards goal, but Lonergan claims safely.
52 mins: Sedgwick races back with only Nolan for cover as Campbell races onto an excellent ball up the line from Adam. The winger's tackle is spot on, giving away a corner but preventing any further danger as the striker neared the box.
50 mins: Williamson returns to the fray, seemingly with no lasting damage.
49 mins: Mawene flicks the ball on as PNE push forward from a set piece but keeper Rachubka beats the Frenchman's fellow centre half Sean St. Ledger to the bouncing ball. Meanwhile, Williamson is down receiving treatment in back play, having taken a blow to the head.
47 mins: Nolan, St. Ledger and Williamson combine down the middle to feed Parkin. He turns onto a shot just inside the box, but it lacks pace and Rachubka holds on.
1406: Sorry for the gap in updates there, I was called onto Whites World duty. We're just underway once more.
45+1 mins: Nolan, Elliott and Parkin all try to work the ball into a shooting position, the former of the trio eventually getting the ball back but only in order to drag a shot wide of target. That's the last act of the half.
45 mins: The away fans, understandably, love that strike, and it was a decent one too. PNE will probably go into the break trailling because there is only one minute of added time to play.
43 mins: Goal for Blackpool! Once again, Wallace is unlucky. Dispossesed on half way, Charlie Adam races away with the ball and opts against playing in either of his two strikers as Pool go three-on-three on the edge of the 'D' of the North End area, instead striking hard, low, and in off the inside of the post. 0-1
41 mins: Unlucky Ross Wallace. Reacting instinctively to Nolan's well threaded ball up the line, he backheels the ball diagonally towards the Blackpool goal, but neither first target Parkin nor secondary runner Elliott read what he tries to do and the Scotsman berates himself, perhaps somewhat unfairly.
40 mins: Nolan tries his luck from the same area as McKenna just minutes earlier - his hard, low shot kept away thanks to an outstretched tangerine leg.
37 mins: Wallace squares the ball 20 yards infield to McKenna. He takes a touch to bring it into his stride, before unleashing a dipping shot that just clears the crossbar. He's due a goal, and he's tested the radar a few times already.
34 mins: Yellow card - Adam takes out Sedgwick with a late lunge from behind as the winger tried to cut into a crossing position.
31 mins: Plenty of praise coming through on the e-mail for World summariser Callum Davidson. He's well up for this game, as we can hear as he cries out encouragement to his team-mates at tense moments.
29 mins: Chances at each end in the space of a minute - great chances too. Lonergan parries Burgess' shot into Campbell's path, but Mawene blocks the rebound just yards from the net, and then on an immediate counter, Elliott spots Rachubka off his line as he hits the same spot as his last chance, but the keeper tips the ball wide, taking what seemed like an age to roll past the far post with some fans thinking the ball was on its way in.
28 mins: PNE win a throw thanks to a wayward pass in midfield, and who is there to pick up the ball on the touchline? None other than Adam Barton. On the bench one month, ball boy the next! His chance will come.
27 mins: Elliott races into space and tries his luck from a wide angle - he aims for the top corner and isn't far away, but it goes dead for a goal kick.
25 mins: Campbell latches onto a loose ball in the box and finds Southern, whose shot is scrambled behind for a corner by Jones.
23 mins: Burgess heads just wide of target but it wouldn't have counted with the flag going up against his run.
22 mins: Elliott wins PNE a corner after a lull in the game and the fans crank it up a notch. Parkin gets his head to the ball as Preston press from the set piece and the fans get even more excited, but nothing comes of the chance.
18 mins: At the start of the game, the back half dozen rows of the central block in the Kop were taped off for reasons I'm not entirely familiar with. Somehow, the away fans have convinced the stewards to open up the area and they've turned it into an unofficial party area where everybody is jumping around and having a disco. I've no idea where they all come from because the rest of the stand (except the other taped off areas) looks full.
17 mins: It was - but no joy for PNE. Instead it's gasps all round as the ball crashes into the top of the post and runs away to the corner flag. Another good chance carved out.
16 mins: McKenna is pole-axed outside the away team's box. Here's hoping this one is within Wallace territory.
15 mins: Stick for the Seasiders' subs as they warm up in front of the Pavilion for the first time.
13 mins: It's suddenly all Blackpool, with Lonergan called into action to punch the ball clear at the near post as Burgess heads towards goal. The chance looked as though it was heading towards the post and the rebound could have gone anywhere, so a good call from the keeper.
12 mins: Nolan plays his part again, hacking the ball clear after a threatening Blackpool move breaks down. It was Vaughan's cross from the left that caused concern, but luckily Alex Baptiste over-ran the ball as it dropped invitingly into the six-yard box. A very open start.
10 mins: Blackpool's drummer is irritatingly persistent - and good at getting the Tangerines faithful going. We need to silence him.
9 mins: More magic from the Lilywhites. Nolan and Elliott trade a one-two in around the edge of the box, which gives the Irishman a shooting chance. He would have been an unlikely first goalscorer, and is only denied courtesy of a frenzied sliding block from Keith Southern.
8 mins: Wallace crosses, Elliott heads wide. It's all PNE at the moment.
7 mins: Looking around the ground in a bid to assess the gate, the only large areas of empty seats, oddly enough, are adjacent to the dug outs. Perhaps that helps, keeping too many manic fans away from the coaches who will need to keep a cool head today.
6 mins: Wallace slides the ball through for Parkin who spins onto a shot but finds Barker in the right place to block and turn the ball behind. From Williamson's corner, Parkin gets his head on the ball at the back post, but it's only a glancing blow and it drifts away for a goal kick.
5 mins: North End's first effort at goal - Elliott putting too much loop on his shot after running onto Parkin's chest-down on the edge of the box.
3 mins: Chris Sedgwick is called into action on the post, hacking the ball clear as Blackpool threaten from a corner.
1304: The game kicks off.
1302: The Blackpool fans take the chance to have a bit of a sing song during the minute's applause, but to a man they all applaud too, joining in with the other three sides, so well done one and all. At the conclusion of the dedication, the usual roar that always greets the referee's whistle is evident.
1301: We will now observe a minute's applause in memory of former club president Malcolm Woodhouse who passed away recently.
1259: It looks like the usual Kop crowd have relocated to the end blocks of the Pavilion nearest the away fans. That could be an interesting place to sit (or most likely, stand) this afternoon,
1258: The reading of the Blackpool line-up over the PA endures the expected volume of booing from the Town End. It's almost impossible to hear their team.
1257: The teams are on their way out. This is what we've been waiting for...
1250: The presentation of Sir Tom Finney's commemorative cap is currently taking place in the directors' box, with three sides of the crowd applauding warmly, and the flags waving on a massive scale. You wait a long time for these games, but they're well worth waiting for.
1241: For good measure, the red jacketed outfit have now ploughed through Blackpool's warm up too. Honours even.
1240: The Brindle Brass Band have just made their presence felt, marching straight through North End's training routine!
1230: We're just about to go live on Whites World so don't forget to tune in and send your thoughts to us via matchday@pne.com.
1228: Another tribute I was previously unaware of was the fact that many of the PNE players are training in commemorative Sir Tom t-shirts, each adorned with number seven on the reverse.
1223: I've yet to mention our very own Sir Tom Finney Day that's taking place here today. Quite simply, it's a watershed occasion for Deepdale because it's the 87-year-old's final public appearance here today. As a Club, we're paying one last tribute to him in the form of action footage of the great man on the big screen, an appearance from the Brindle Brass Band, the distribution of all the aforementioned flags (not to mention the large one we'll be unfurling on the pitch) and the crowning moment when we present the 76 times capped England star with a 77th cap, detailing all of his career achievements. Let's hope we pay the ultimate tribute to him by winning the big event itself.
1221: Hmm, round one to the away fans. Their vocal roar greeting their team as they came out for the warm-up was considerably louder than the PNE offering in spite of a numerical disadvantage. Come on our twelfth men!
1219: There's a first day of the season look about the ground right now, with sun blazing down on an immaculate playing surface. Pete and his team have done a great job keeping this pitch in good nick all season - surely a crucial factor in helping us to play our brand of football that has led to so many points at home this season.
1208: I promised team news, so here it is. PNE are unchanged, so that means no place yet for Callum Davidson as he looks to regain full fitness. The visitors name ex PNE man Brett Ormerod amongst their subs.
PNE: Lonergan, Jones, Mawene, St. Ledger, Nolan, Sedgwick, McKenna (capt), Williamson, Wallace, Parkin, Elliott. Subs: Neal, Carter, Chilvers, Whaley, Mellor.
Blackpool: Rachubka, Crainey, Southern, Campbell, Vaughan, O'Donovan, Baptiste, Edwards (capt), Barker, Adam, Burgess. Subs: Gilks, Ormerod, Hughes, Walton, Jorgensen.
1149: Team news is expected shortly, with rumours abound that there won't be too many alterations to report.
1147: I've never seen so many flags in one stadium. Italian 'curvas' have nothing on Deepdale this afternoon - and what's more, the Club are giving most of them away free in family areas.
1140: Not since November 1973 have so many people packed into Deepdale for a regular season fixture. Back then, 21,580 squeezed in to watch us play the very same opposition, making this the biggest league derby since that day, with that sales figure currently close to being matched. If you're umming and ahhing about coming along today, get yourself down here and snap up some of the few remaining seats. It's a lovely sunny day at Deepdale and it's already swarming with expectant supporters of both sides who are keen to soak up the early atmosphere.
By Adrian Ward.
