Match Preview: Bristol City (H)

2 February 2023

It’s a return to Championship action on Saturday for Preston North End as they take on Bristol City at Deepdale.

Match Information
Venue: Deepdale
Date: Saturday 4^th February, 3pm kick-off
Competition: Sky Bet Championship (Matchday 29/46)
Kit: Home kit – available in-store and online!

Supporter Information

Tickets for this fixture will remain on sale right up until kick-off from the ticket office, while fans can also buy online from www.mypne.com and over the phone on 0344 856 1966.

The Kop is also open to PNE fans for this game, with season card holders able to swap their usual seat to this stand by ringing or visiting the ticket office, while non-season card holders can buy online.

From 12 noon, home supporters can enjoy pre-match drinks and live music in the fan zone, while it will also reopen after the game, with full details to be confirmed in our Matchday Information article ahead of Saturday.

How To Follow The Game

Supporters in the UK and Ireland can listen to this match live on iFollow PNE, with both match and monthly passes available to buy here.

Fans overseas are able to watch live, with £10 match passes on sale. Commentary for this fixture comes from Guy Clarke and Andy Fensome.

There will also be the usual coverage provided across our social media channels and here on PNE.Com before, during, and after the game.

Matchday Programme

Saturday's matchday programme features an extensive chat with Manchester City loanee Liam Delap!

The young forward talks about his experiences playing for Pep Guardiola's side, making it as a professional, and his early experiences as a PNE player.

There's much more to read in the 68-page programme, which can be purchased at Deepdale on matchday for £3.50, or you can order online by clicking here.

In The Dressing Room

Deadline day addition Josh Onomah will be eligible to feature, but manager Ryan Lowe is aware he will need to get up to match speed, having not played many minutes so far this season.

The gaffer will have pretty much a fully-fit squad to choose from this weekend, aside from long-term absentee Emil Riis.

Greg Cunningham – coming up against his former side – would reach 150 league appearances in a PNE shirt if he is to feature this weekend.

A Look At Our Visitors

There could be a couple of debuts handed out by Bristol City this weekend, with the Robins bringing attackers Anis Mehmeti and Harry Cornick to the club on deadline day.

22-year-old Mehmeti has joined from Wycombe Wanderers, having scored nine times in the first half of their League One campaign, while Cornick has made the move from Luton Town, where he made over 235 appearances.

Manager Nigel Pearson will be hopeful the duo can help to fill the gap left by the departure of Antoine Semenyo to AFC Bournemouth, as they look to push up the table from 17^th position.

Going Head To Head

Games played: 96
PNE wins: 34
Draws: 34
Bristol City wins: 28
Last victory: PNE 1-0 Bristol City, 18^th December 2020

One To Watch

There could well be debuts for deadline day signings Anis Mehmeti and Harry Cornick, but striker Nahki Wells will be hoping to hold on to his starting spot.

He’s been the key man up top for the Robins so far this season, featuring in all-but-one Championship fixtures, with a return of nine goals.

The experienced Championship centre forward has previous against North End, too, having put four past PNE for Huddersfield Town earlier in his career.

Match Officials

Leigh Doughty will referee the fourth Preston North End fixture of his career this weekend.

Doughty first took charge of a PNE game in November 2021, while his most recent experience of officiating a Lilywhites match was in January earlier this year, when Ryan Lowe’s side won 1-0 away to Stoke City.

So far this season, Doughty has shown 92 yellow cards and five reds in his 20 matches as referee.

Match Reports

Match Report: PNE 1 Bristol City 2

4 February 2023

Preston North End couldn’t recover from two Bristol City goals in the first half, as the Robins left Deepdale with a 2-1 victory.

Mark Sykes opened the scoring in the early stages before Sam Bell doubled his side’s lead with the final kick of the first half.

Ched Evans halved the deficit for PNE on 61 minutes, capitalising on a mistake from goalkeeper Max O’Leary, and North End created plenty of chances from that point, but they couldn’t find the all-important equaliser.

Ryan Lowe made one change from the Emirates FA Cup defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, with Liam Delap returning in place of Ben Whiteman, while there was a place on the bench for deadline day signing Josh Onomah.

PNE had made a bright start to the game – on the front foot from the off – and could have taken the lead on five minutes when Alan Browne found Tom Cannon with a searching cross, which the striker met with his head but it was saved by Max O’Leary.

Then, within 60 seconds, the visitors went ahead after Robbie Brady’s pass back to Freddie Woodman was intercepted by Sykes, who took it past the goalkeeper and rolled the ball into the empty net.

North End almost responded instantaneously through skipper Browne, but his beautifully-struck left-footed volley was gathered by O’Leary.

The Bristol City shot-stopper thwarted PNE again on the half-hour mark when Brady sent a deep cross into the area, which was well won by Browne, and Evans’ flicked header from six yards was swatted away by the ‘keeper.

It looked as though the sides would go into the break at 1-0, but the Robins doubled their lead in the third minute of stoppage-time when Alex Scott sent Nahki Wells down the right, and he drilled the ball across goal for Bell to tap home.

Cannon came so close to pulling one back for PNE on 49 minutes when he got on the end of Evans’ knockdown header, and he couldn’t have struck his first-time effort much better, but again O’Leary came out on top, diving to his left and tipping wide.

The goalkeeper didn’t properly deal with Ledson’s long-range strike just after the hour mark, though, as the ball bounced off his chest and Evans was quickest to pounce on the loose ball to halve the deficit for his side.

Ledson was involved again on 75 minutes when he sent a fantastic, searching ball through for Delap, who took the ball down well before a visiting defender got a crucial touch to deny the striker an effort at goal.

In the next attack, Cannon found Brady at the back post on the edge of the six-yard box, but he couldn’t direct his header at goal.

North End kept looking for the equaliser – bringing Álvaro Fernández, Brad Potts and Onomah on in a triple change – but the goal didn’t arrive and PNE were beaten at Deepdale.

PNE line-up: Woodman; Storey, Lindsay (Cunningham, 45), Hughes; Browne (Potts, 82), McCann, Ledson (Onomah, 81), Brady (Fernández, 82); Cannon, Evans, Delap. Subs not used: Cornell, Johnson, Woodburn.

Bristol City line-up: O’Leary; Tanner (Kalas, 68), Vyner, Atkinson, Pring; James, Naismith (Williams, 31); Sykes, Scott, Bell (Weimann, 88); Wells (Cornick, 68). Subs not used: Haikin, Dasilva, Mehmeti.

Attendance: 14,261 (804 Bristol City fans).

Referee: Mr L Doughty.

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