Match Preview: Blackburn Rovers (A)

8 December 2022

Preston North End are back in Championship action for the first time in four weeks this Saturday when they head to Ewood Park to take on Blackburn Rovers.

Match Information
Venue: Ewood Park
Date: Saturday 10^th December, 12 noon kick-off
Competition: Sky Bet Championship (Matchday 22/46)
Kit: Away kit – available in-store and online!

Supporter Information

Ticket News

Pay On The Day For Blackburn Rovers

30 November 2022

Tickets for this fixture are now off sale from Deepdale, but supporters are able to buy upper tier tickets on the day from the away ticket office from around 10.30am.

Fans can also collect any pre-purchased tickets from Deepdale until 6pm on Friday, or from Ewood Park on Saturday morning.

Blackburn Rovers have made a prayer room accessible to PNE supporters on the ground floor of the Darwen End offices, to allow Muslim supporters to observe their obligatory Zohr prayer. Entry for fans will be at half-time only and stewards in the away end will be able to direct supporters here.

A full supporters' guide can be found by clicking here.

How To Follow The Game

As the game has been selected for Sky Sports coverage, this match will be unavailable to watch on iFollow PNE. Supporters are advised to check their local TV listings if they wish to watch the game.

Live commentary is available as normal, though, with audio match passes available for £2.50 while you can buy an audio monthly pass for £4.49.

There will also be coverage of the game across our social media channels and here on PNE.Com.

In The Dressing Room

Manager Ryan Lowe confirmed Ben Whiteman, who was missing through injury prior to the break for the World Cup, will be available for selection this weekend.

Troy Parrott is still expected to be sidelined for a few more weeks yet, though, but he is now back on the grass.

Liam Lindsay could make his 50th appearance for PNE, while Greg Cunningham is just one game away from 300 in the Football League.

A Look At Our Hosts

Blackburn Rovers go into the weekend just two points below second spot and five away from leaders Burnley – their fiercest Lancashire rivals who defeated them 3-0 in their last Championship outing.

Rovers – managed by Jon Dahl Tomasson – hold a unique record of being the only team in the EFL yet to draw this campaign, having won a division-high 12 matches but losing on nine occasions.

During the recent break from league action, the Blues have been out in Spain for some warm-weather training, and they came out on top against both Ajax and Hearts in friendlies.

Going Head To Head

Games played: 109
PNE wins: 45
Draws: 30
Blackburn Rovers wins: 34
Last victory: Blackburn Rovers 1-2 PNE, 12^th February 2021

One To Watch

It’s hard to look past Ben Brereton Diaz in terms of a star man in the ranks of Blackburn Rovers.

After netting seven goals in the 2020/21 campaign, the forward took the division by storm last season when he scored 22 goals, while also becoming an international goalscorer with Chile.

He’s continued to find the back of the net this season too, with ten goals to his name in all competitions so far this term.

Match Officials

Josh Smith will referee his second PNE game of the season on Saturday.

Smith previously took charge of North End’s victory at home to West Brom in October, while he also officiated three of PNE’s games during the 2021/22 campaign.

So far this season, he has shown 74 yellow cards and two reds in 14 matches, and this weekend he’ll be assisted by Craig Taylor and Matthew Jones, while Rebecca Welch will be fourth official.

Match Reports

Match Report: Blackburn Rovers 1 PNE 4

10 December 2022

Preston North End came out 4-1 winners in a Lancashire derby away to Blackburn Rovers thanks to goals from Ben Woodburn, Ben Whiteman, and a Ched Evans brace.

Woodburn scored his first league goal of the season 17 minutes in, finishing well one-on-one, before Evans netted his first just two minutes into the second half.

Bradley Dack got one back for Rovers eight minutes later, but PNE went down the other end and restored their two-goal lead thanks to a brilliant Evans header, before Whiteman then got a fourth for North End.

It was a much-changed side from the one which last played four weeks ago, with Ryan Lowe being dealt with injury blows, and there were even places on the bench for four scholars.

It was a freezing cold afternoon at Ewood Park, with snow pelting down right from kick-off, and it was PNE who got off to the perfect start.

North End took the lead on 17 minutes when Evans played the perfect ball through to his fellow countryman Woodburn, who took the ball in his stride before calmly slotting past Thomas Kaminski, and he wheeled away to celebrate in front of the home support.

PNE remained the side on top and came close to a second in the 27^th minute, when Daniel Johnson saw a shot blocked from no more than six yards, while Whiteman also saw his first-time strike denied by a defender.

Going into the break a goal to the good, it took just two minutes for the lead to be doubled. Woodburn pinched the ball high up the pitch before finding Johnson in the area, who took his time to assess his options. North End’s No.10 picked out Evans in the box, and he made no mistake in finding the bottom corner.

PNE were pushing for a third, too, through Woodburn and Whiteman, but it was the hosts who scored the next goal of the game, as a cross to the far post fell to Dack who slammed home.

That could well have changed the way of the game, but North End had other ideas, with Evans rising highest to meet Cunningham’s cross to superbly head home for his fifth goal in three games.

Just two minutes later, it was four, with DJ gloriously flicking the ball to Whiteman on the edge of the box, and he saw a deflected shot nestle in the back of the net, leading to great scenes in the packed-out away end.

With Ryan Lowe's side in cruise control, there were opportunities handed to the four scholars named on the bench, which included a professional debut for Noah Mawene, and North End took all three points to move to fourth in the Championship table.

Blackburn Rovers line-up: Kaminski; Carter, Hyam, Wharton; Brittain (Mola, 8), Morton, Travis, Hedges; Dack, Szmodics (Dolan, 58); Brereton Diaz (Gallagher, 58). Subs not used: Pears, Ayala, Hirst, Buckley.

PNE line-up: Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Cunningham; Potts, Whiteman, Ledson, Fernandez (Slater, 90+1); Johnson (Mawene, 90+3), Woodburn (O'Neill, 90+3); Evans (Cross-Adair, 88). Subs not used: Cornell, Bauer, Diaby, Slater.

Attendance: 17,690 (4,270 PNE fans)

Referee: Mr J Smith.

Ticket News

Pay On The Day For Blackburn Rovers

30 November 2022

Tickets for our Lancashire derby against Blackburn Rovers are now off sale from Deepdale, but the option to pay on the day will be available.

Preston North End will head to Ewood Park on Saturday 10^th December for a 12 noon kick-off, for what will be the first game following the World Cup break.

The club were given an allocation of 7,335 tickets for this fixture, and at the close of play on Friday around 4,250 tickets had been sold.

Supporters will be able to buy on the day from the away ticket office, with only tickets in the upper tier available. Fans will be unable to swap tickets between tiers.

Ticket Prices

Adults £30
Seniors (65+) £24
U24s £18
U18s £13
U12s £9

Please note, U12 tickets must be purchased alongside an adult aged 18 or above.

There are 14 pairs of tickets available for wheelchair users and carers, with those supporters in a wheelchair paying in accordance to their relevant price band.

Coach Travel

Coach travel is available for this fixture from both Deepdale and Leyland, with a departure time of 9.45am from both locations. Travel is priced at £9 for Ambassadors and £11 for non-Ambassadors.

Standings

Pay On The Day For Blackburn Rovers

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