Match Preview: Birmingham City (A)

19 January 2023

Both Preston North End and Birmingham City will be looking to get back to winning ways in the Championship this weekend when the two sides meet at St. Andrew’s.

Match Information
Venue: St. Andrew’s
Date: Saturday 21^st January, 3pm kick-off
Competition: Sky Bet Championship (Matchday 28/46)
Kit: Third kit – available to buy in-store and online!

Supporter Information

Tickets for this fixture will remain on sale online from www.mypne.com until 1pm on Friday, while sales will continue in person from the ticket office and over the phone on 0344 856 1966 until 5pm.

There will also be the option to pay on the day, with tickets available from the away turnstiles. Please note, sales at the ground will be cash-only.

Possession and use of pyrotechnics inside St. Andrew’s is strictly prohibited in all circumstances. Anyone found guilty of such an offence will be escorted out the stadium and further action will be taken.

How To Follow The Game

This fixture has been selected for international broadcast and therefore is unavailable to watch on iFollow PNE in the majority of regions around the world. Supporters are advised to check their local TV listings to see if they are able to watch the game.

Live commentary will be available to all supporters as usual, though, with audio match passes available for £2.50, while a monthly pass can be purchased for £4.49. Click here to subscribe.

You can also follow the game across our social media channels and here on PNE.Com.

In The Dressing Room

Manager Ryan Lowe is hoping there could be a few players returning from injury in Saturday's game.

Ben Whiteman, Ched Evans and Brad Potts will all play some part in training on Thursday, and their progress will be monitored ahead of the visit to Birmingham.

Sean Maguire is back in full training and should be available for selection, with Emil Riis and Lewis Leigh now the only two longer-term absentees.

A Look At Our Hosts

Birmingham City, sat 18^th in the Championship, head into the weekend following four successive defeats in the league, however they did come out on top on Tuesday night in their FA Cup third round replay against Forest Green Rovers.

Head coach John Eustace – in his first season at St. Andrew’s – opted to make five changes for the 2-1 victory, but it was only after a switch to a back four in the second half that their success came.

He admitted after the match that he may look at that formation moving forward, having played a 3-5-2 for the majority of the Championship campaign so far.

Going Head To Head

Games played: 102
PNE wins: 40
Draws: 25
Birmingham City wins: 37
Last victory: Birmingham City 0-1 PNE, 20^th January 2021

One To Watch

Birmingham City’s main source of goals this season has been forward Scott Hogan, who has netted nine in his 22 league matches.

The experienced Championship forward, who has 12 caps for Republic of Ireland, is on track to have his best campaign since 2016/17, when he scored 14 times in just 25 games for Brentford.

Hogan has recently been missing with a hamstring injury and Blues’ form dipped in his absence, but he made his return to action last weekend and will be hoping for a clear run now until the end of the season.

Match Officials

Rebecca Welch will make history this weekend, becoming the first female referee to take charge of a Championship fixture.

Welch, who was the main official for an EFL fixture for the first time in July 2021, boasts vast experience in the women’s game, having officiated at the Euros, in the Champions League and in World Cup qualifiers.

So far this season, Welch has refereed 11 matches, showing 32 yellow cards, and there has tended to be plenty of goals in those games too, with a combined total of 37 being scored.

Match Reports

Match Report: Birmingham City 1 PNE 2

21 January 2023

First-half goals from Ryan Ledson and Alan Browne earned Preston North End victory on the road against Birmingham City, despite a late consolation for the hosts.

Ledson’s first goal of the season came ten minutes in, as he struck a fantastic effort from the edge of the box into the bottom corner, before Browne doubled his side’s lead five minutes later with a flicked header from a corner.

There were chances later in the half for the likes of Ben Woodburn and Tom Cannon, before Lukas Jutkiewicz netted an 83^rd-minute header, but North End held on in the final stages.

Ryan Lowe reverted to his favoured 3-5-2 formation for this one, with Robbie Brady recalled at left wing back, while loan duo Cannon and Liam Delap started up top.

It was an important day at St. Andrew's as the home side hosted their annual Arthur matchday, remembering and celebrating the life of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, while there was history made by Rebecca Welch, who became the first female referee to take charge of a full Championship fixture.

The hosts enjoyed a little bit of pressure in the very early stages of the game, with Freddie Woodman called into action by Reda Khadra just a few minutes in, but it was PNE who took the lead on ten minutes.

Brady sent a deep cross into the area towards Tom Cannon, whose header back across goal was flicked away by a defender, but only to Ledson, who superbly struck a first-time effort with his left foot right into the bottom corner.

Delap then nearly had his first goal for the club a quarter of an hour in when he raced onto a long ball over the top, but his low effort just got a touch off the goalkeeper to divert it wide.

The second goal arrived from the following corner, though, as Brady’s cross from the right was deftly flicked on at the near post by skipper Browne, and the ball went across the face of goal to find the back of the net.

It could well have been three for PNE just three minutes later when the ball fell kindly to Ben Woodburn on the edge of the box, and his 20-yard strike fell a matter of inches wide after taking a slight deflection.

Shortly before the break, there was a chance for Cannon, who did so well to flick the ball through the legs of Kevin Long before seeing a low strike kept out by John Ruddy.

Into the second half, there weren’t too many chances of note for either side certainly in its opening stages, but North End remained comfortable and enjoyed some fast breaks through the likes of Brady on the left and Cannon up front.

The hosts did, however, get one back seven minutes from time – which proved to be a consolation – as Jutkiewicz headed home on the end of a Maxime Colin cross.

There was then a late opportunity for substitute Jordan Graham to equalise for his side, but he spurned his effort over the bar and PNE left St. Andrew’s with all three points.

Birmingham City line-up: Ruddy; Colin (Graham, 88), Sanderson, Long (Friend, 62), Trusty; Chong (Jutkiewicz, 62), Hannibal (Bacuna, 62), Bielik, Khadra; Deeney, Hogan. Subs not used: Etheridge, James, Chang.

PNE line-up: Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; Browne, Ledson, McCann, Woodburn (Johnson, 88), Brady; Cannon (Parrott, 81), Delap (Evans, 69). Subs not used: Cornell, Fernández, Cunningham, Diaby.

Attendance: 16,608 (1,515 PNE fans).

Referee: Rebecca Welch.

Ticket News

Birmingham City Tickets On Sale

28 December 2022

Tickets for our away game against Birmingham City on Saturday 21st January remain on sale.

The club have received an allocation of 1,900 tickets for this 3pm kick-off, and around 1,250 of those had been sold at the close of play on Tuesday 17th January.

Tickets will remain on sale from www.mypne.com until 1pm on Friday 20th January, while sales will continue in person from the ticket office and over the phone on 0344 856 1966 until 5pm.

Birmingham City have also confirmed that tickets will be available to buy on the day from the away turnstiles. Please note, only cash payments will be accepted.

Ticket Prices

Adults £27.50
Seniors (65+) £22
19 to 24-year-olds £22
13 to 18-year-olds £15
U13s £10

Please note, supporters under the age of 15 will need to be accompanied by an adult, and all concession tickets will be checked on the turnstiles on the day of the game.

Disabled Supporter Information

There are 21 pairs of tickets available for wheelchair users, who will pay in accordance with their relevant age band, while a carer ticket will be provided free of charge.

Supporters using motorised wheelchairs are recommended to ask for row one whilst purchasing tickets.

Coach Travel

Coach travel is available for this fixture from both Deepdale and Leyland, priced at £14 per Ambassador and £16 per non-Ambassador. Coaches will depart both locations at 11am.

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