Rotherham United Match Preview

6 November 2020

Preston North End will be looking to extend their unbeaten start to the season on the road when they head to Rotherham United on Saturday afternoon.

First Team News

Watch Rotherham United vs PNE Live On iFollow

5 November 2020

The Millers have settled back in to life in the Championship well and Paul Warne’s side have been a threat in every game, leaving PNE manager Neil well aware of the test posed by his former team-mate’s side.

North End’s last trip to the AESSEAL New York Stadium was on New Year’s Day 2019, with the hosts the victors; whilst the last win on the Millers’ turf came almost four years to the day when they came away with a 3-1 success, as featured in our match to remember article (link below).

Our iFollow PNE coverage – which is the only place you will be able to watch the game live – has been bolstered, with Andrew Lonergan on co-commentary duties and he will be joined by our foot in both camps interviewee Chris Sedgwick, to add pre-match and half-time analysis.

Match Information
Competition: EFL Sky Bet Championship (11/46)
Date: Saturday 7th November, kick-off 3pm
Venue: The AESSEAL New York Stadium
Kit: 2020/21 third ‘green’ kit – click here to buy it now!
Head To Head: PNE wins – 16; Draws – 22; Reading – 20

Team News
Once again, manager Alex Neil will do a head count, with defenders Andrew Hughes, Ben Davies and Patrick Bauer, plus midfielder Ben Pearson all missing the midweek win over league leaders Reading.

He expects at least a couple to return to training ahead of the game and will leave it late before selecting his squad to travel across to South Yorkshire.

Millers boss Paul Warne will be without midfielder Shaun MacDonald, who sadly suffered a broken leg last week, and full back Joe Mattock, who limped off with a muscle injury ten minutes into Wednesday’s home defeat to Luton Town.

Opposition View
Paul Warne, speaking to official website millers.co.uk: “I just don't think there is any home or away advantage anymore - I think every game is on its own merit. If you play Preston at home or away, in my opinion it is the same game.

"When we played Stoke last weekend it wasn't like we went there and there were 30,000 fans encouraging their time, it is very much a neutral playing ground. In the same way that when we played Luton, we really missed the fans. When Luton were on top, that's when you really need the home fans to help you out and get you back into it.

"Preston are playing quite well at home, but they don't have the extra edge of their home support. We have always had competitive games with them over the last few seasons and I think it will be another one come Saturday.”

Match Officials
The referee on Saturday will be Andy Davies, who also took charge of the Lilywhites’ Carabao Cup tie at Derby County earlier this season.

Last season he officiated two PNE games, away at Queens Park Rangers and our home game against Bristol City at Deepdale that ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw.

Before last season, the referee took charge of the local derby with Bolton Wanderers in 2018/19; the game finishing 2-2. That was his second-only time of taking charge at Deepdale having made the long trip up from Hampshire for the game.

His first trip north was back in January 2018, when he was referee for a 1-1 draw with Birmingham City.

He will be assisted by Mark Dwyer and Bhupinder Gill and the fourth official will be James Wilson.

Match Coverage
North End fans can watch Saturday’s game live on iFollow PNE, with purchases of a £10 match pass available now.

Jonathan Breeze and former North End goalkeeper Andrew Lonergan are on commentary duties, with replays, graphics and coverage from the AESSEAL New York Stadium from 2.45pm on Saturday afternoon, plus they will have a special guest joining them, with Chris Sedgwick adding his views on his two former clubs during pre-match and at half-time.

Click here now to sign up for a match pass

Linked Stories
Alex Neil Impressed By Millers: Preston North End manager has had the opportunity to see a lot of Rotherham United this season and he has been impressed by what he has seen from the South Yorkshire side. Click here for the full interview.

A Match To Remember: We look back almost four years to the day as North End put on the fireworks in a fizzing display at the New York Stadium on 5th November 2016. Click here for the details.

Ryan Ledson Looks Ahead To Millers Test: Preston North End midfielder Ryan Ledson spoke to iFollow PNE ahead of the Lilywhites’ trip to the AESSEAL New York Stadium at the weekend. Click here for Ledo’s thoughts.

A Foot In Both Camps – Rotherham United: PNE are back on the road this weekend as Alex Neil’s side travel to Rotherham United and there was only ever one man who we were going to catch up with ahead of this one – Chris Sedgwick. Click here to see what he had to say.

Match Reports

Rotherham United 2 Preston North End 1

7 November 2020

A late winner from substitute Matt Crooks gave Rotherham United the points after North End looked to have taken at least a point from the game when Ryan Ledson cancelled out Richard Wood’s opener with his first goal for the club.

Wood had given the home side the lead from close range eight minutes after half-time, but Ledson scored with ten minutes to go and the Lilywhites looked like the side who were going to go on to win, until the Millers broke away and Crooks won it for Paul Warne’s men with four minutes to go.

Alex Neil named an unchanged side to the side that defeated league leaders Reading just a few days before, whilst the hosts made half a dozen changes to their side.

But for the first 20 minutes, it was a game that didn’t settle, with a lot of long balls dealt with well by the North End backline, while the visitors' attacking unit was unable to get the intricacy they wanted around the opposition’s penalty area.

But they had the best chance of the first half on 25 minutes, when a long ball found Emil Riis, who held it up well and then slid it to the left to find the run of Daniel Johnson, who was in on goal, but his left-footed effort was well saved by Viktor Johansson on his debut in the Millers goal.

Another chance came ten minutes later, for Riis at the back post, after Johnson’s cross, following good work down the left by Scott Sinclair and Joe Rafferty, but the Dane couldn’t quite bring the ball under control to shoot.

The Millers' only real chance of the half came seven minutes before the break when Kyle Vassell had a free kick from 20 yards, Declan Rudd making an excellent two-handed save to push the well-hit effort away.

The home side started the second half with a good chance as Ben Wiles delivered from the left and Freddie Ladapo fired wide from six yards out.

But they had the lead on 53 minutes as a deep free-kick from Rotherham out on the right found Michael Ihiekwe at the back post, who headed it down for centre half partner Richard Wood, the captain firing home from inside the six-yard box.

Just before the hour mark, a double change saw Jayden Stockley and Tom Barkhuizen on for Riis and Sinclair as the Lilywhites looked to go with two new front men.

On 69 minutes, there was a strong shout for a PNE penalty when Stockley flicked the ball on for Barkhuizen to race in behind and he appeared to clip the ball past Johansson, only to be taken out, but referee Andy Davies saw nothing wrong.

Paul Gallagher needed to replace an injured Darnell Fisher with a quarter of an hour remaining, forcing skipper Alan Browne to drop in to right back.

But PNE drew level with ten minutes to go as Ryan Ledson grabbed his first goal for the club. It was a corner from Gallagher on the right that went deep and found the No.18 on the edge of the penalty area and he drilled the ball through a crowd of bodies and into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal.

However, the home side went back in front with a swift break with four minutes left. Substitute Matt Crooks was found by Florian Jozefzoon and he fired into the bottom left corner.

It was almost 2-2 within a minute as Gallagher’s ball from the left found Stockley’s head; he beat Johansson, but the ball came off the left-hand post and somehow fell to a red shirt to clear.

Seven minutes of stoppage time began with a superb cross-field ball from Gallagher finding Browne, whose low first time ball found Barkhuizen, but he couldn’t find the target from his low effort at goal and the home side held on for the win.

Rotherham United line-up: Johansson, Wood (c), Vassell (Crooks, 67), Wiles, Ladapo, Lindsay, Sadlier (Jozefzoon, 23), Harding, Ihiekwe, Olosunde (MacDonald, 89), Barlaser. Subs not used: Vickers, Hirst, Miller, Smith.

PNE line-up: Rudd, Fisher (Gallagher, 75), Rafferty, Ledson, Huntington, Storey, Sinclair (Barkhuizen, 59), Johnson, Riis (Stockley, 59), Browne, Potts. Subs not used: Ripley, Earl, Harrop, Maguire.

Referee: Mr A Davies

Standings

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