Match Preview: Swansea City (H)

31 October 2022

PNE will look for back-to-back home victories for the first time this season when Swansea City come to Deepdale on Tuesday night.

Match Information
Venue: Deepdale
Date: Tuesday 1^st November, 7.45pm kick-off
Competition: Sky Bet Championship (Matchday 19/46)
Kit: Home kit – available in-store and online!

Supporter Information

The Kop is open to PNE supporters for this fixture and season card holders can change their seat for this game, either in person from the ticket office or over the phone on 0344 856 1966.

Non-season card holders are also able to buy tickets in the Kop from the ticket office, as well as online from www.mypne.com.

The fan zone will once again be open to home supporters from 5.30pm until 7.30pm, and it will then reopen after the game until 10.30pm.

This match will also be our dedicated Rainbow Laces matchday, as we celebrate the inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community across all areas of sport.

How To Follow The Game

Supporters worldwide, including the UK and Ireland, are able to watch this game live on iFollow PNE with a £10 match pass.

You can also listen to commentary of the fixture with a £2.50 audio match pass or £4.49 monthly pass, with commentary coming from Jonathan Breeze and Paul McKenna. Get your match pass here!

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

In The Dressing Room

There should be no fresh injury concerns for manager Ryan Lowe to worry about, with all of his players seemingly coming through the weekend’s victory over Middlesbrough unscathed.

Andrew Hughes made his return from injury in that fixture, while Alan Browne was also in the starting XI to make his 350^th appearance for the club.

Long-term absentee Troy Parrott will miss out, while Patrick Bauer will also be unavailable as he continues to build his fitness following a return to training.

A Look At Our Visitors

After finishing 15^th last season during Russell Martin’s first year at the club, Swansea City are now looking to push for a place in the top six come the end of the campaign.

They’re well-placed as things stand going into Tuesday night, currently occupying that final Play-Off spot, and they’ve won seven times in their past ten league games.

It took some time for former MK Dons boss Martin to implement his possession-based style of football, but the Swans are now averaging over 60 per cent each game, and making good use of it too.

Going Head To Head

Games played: 67
PNE wins: 22
Draws: 18
Swansea City wins: 27
Last victory: PNE 3-1 Swansea City, 28^th August 2021

One To Watch

After missing the past three games through suspension, Swansea’s top scorer Joël Piroe will be back available to Russell Martin on Tuesday night.

The Dutch striker – who netted 22 league goals in his debut campaign in England last term – has four goals to his name so far this season, but has missed the chance to build on that tally in recent weeks following his red card against Burnley earlier in the month.

Republic of Ireland international Michael Obafemi has been used as the sole striker in Piroe’s absence, but the 23-year-old will be hoping he can slot straight back into the starting XI.

Match Officials

John Busby will referee his second PNE game of the season on Tuesday evening.

Busby took charge of North End’s 1-0 victory away to Coventry City earlier in the campaign, and it was only last season that he first refereed PNE in the Championship.

Busby has shown 47 yellow cards and two reds in 12 matches so far this season, and he will be assisted by Rob Smith and Geoffrey Liddle on Tuesday, with Geoff Eltringham the fourth official.

Match Reports

Match Report: PNE 1 Swansea City 0

1 November 2022

Preston North End secured back-to-back Championship victories by beating Swansea City 1-0 at Deepdale, courtesy of Brad Potts’ first-half strike.

Potts gave his side a deserved lead half an hour into the game, and his close-range effort proved enough to earn three points against Russell Martin’s in-form Swans.

The visitors were seeing plenty of the ball – as they always try to do – but PNE were pressing high and pouncing on loose passes, and it was North End with all the early chances.

Emil Riis sent a header wide on six minutes, while Steven Benda saved an Alan Browne volley three minutes later.

Riis then had the best of the opportunities 17 minutes in, with a brilliant team move reaching the Danish striker on the end of Brad Potts’ cross from the right which Riis sent wide from the edge of the six-yard box.

North End did gain a deserved advantage, though, on the half-hour mark, as Alan Browne whipped a ball into the box and, after Harry Darling failed to clear, Ched Evans saw a shot saved at close range, but the ball fell straight to Potts who found the empty net.

PNE could have doubled their lead just before the break through skipper Browne, who was picked out at the far post by Riis, but Browne couldn’t quite jump high enough to direct his header down at goal as it flew over the bar.

The opening stages of the second half saw Swansea again keep more of the ball and they would have gone level on 59 minutes were it not for their former loanee Freddie Woodman, who produced a great reflex save to deny Jay Fulton.

At the other end, Evans couldn’t call Steven Benda into action on the end of Robbie Brady’s cross, moments before Woodman was able to keep out Harry Darling’s header.

Evans and Brady then combined again on 75 minutes, with the Irish international sending an inviting ball into the box for Evans to swoop low and head goalwards, but Benda saved.

Darling then had an even better chance a minute later when Jamie Paterson’s corner went all the way through to the unmarked defender at the backpost, whose low effort – fortunately for PNE – was sent back across goal instead of on target.

In the third minute of stoppage time, Woodman pulled off a hugely-important save to deny Ryan Manning from close range and ensure PNE held on to their 11^th clean sheet of the season and a second win at Deepdale in four days.

PNE line-up: Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; Potts, McCann, Whiteman (Ledson, 23), Browne, Brady; Evans (Maguire, 78), Riis (Woodburn, 86). Subs not used: Cornell, Fernández, Cunningham, Johnson.

Swansea City line-up: Benda; Cabango, Darling, Latibeaudiere; Naughton (Okoflex, 56), Grimes, Fulton (Cooper, 73), Manning; Cundle (Obafemi, 67), Ntcham (Paterson, 56); Piroe. Subs not used: Fisher, Wood, Sorinola.

Attendance: 13,631 (428 away fans)

Referee: Mr J Busby.

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