Match Preview: Watford (A)

4 April 2024

Preston North End will be marking the annual Gentry Day tradition with a trip to Vicarage Road to take on Watford this weekend.

Match Details

Date: Saturday 6^th April, 3pm kick-off
Venue: Vicarage Road
Competition: Sky Bet Championship
Kit: Home kit

Supporter Information

There are now very few tickets left on sale for this fixture, available to buy in person from the ticket office and over the phone on 0344 856 1966 until 5pm on Friday.

Fans who haven’t collected prior to matchday can do so on the day from the Away Supporters Office, which is located adjacent to the away turnstiles at Vicarage Road. Please note, photo ID will be required when collecting.

Supporters are reminded that the club has a zero-tolerance policy towards behaviours such as abuse, discrimination, anti-social behaviour, pyrotechnics, and pitch encroachment, and each of these can result in serious sanctions.

Who’s Available?

Skipper Alan Browne will be assessed ahead of Saturday, having missed the Birmingham City clash through illness, and manager Ryan Lowe said the midfielder has also been suffering with tight calves.

Liam Millar has a slight groin issue so he may also be touch and go for the trip to Vicarage Road, while Ryan Ledson will definitely be unavailable. It’s hoped he’ll be back for next weekend’s game against Norwich City.

Ched Evans is back on the grass but this game will come too soon, while Ben Whiteman and Brad Potts remain sidelined.

Opposition Focus

Following a run of form which led to the departure of Valérien Ismaël, former Watford midfielder Tom Cleverley has taken the interim reins at Vicarage Road and has picked up an impressive run of results.

Since winning 1-0 away to Birmingham City in mid-March, the Hornets have drawn 2-2 against promotion-pushing Leeds United and West Brom.

They’ll be hoping their turn of form continues for the remainder of the season, before a decision is made on the next permanent boss.

A Recent Clash

North End claimed a 15^th clean sheet of the 2022/23 campaign on the last visit to Vicarage Road, back in March 2023.

Follow The Action

Supporters around the world can listen to live commentary of this fixture, with Guy Clarke and Paul Sparrow on the mic. Match and monthly passes are available to buy here.

Fans outside of the UK and Ireland will also be able to watch the game on iFollow, with £10 match passes on sale.

Extensive coverage can also be followed here on the website and across the club’s social media channels.

Match Officials

Referee: James Bell
Assistant Referees: Ian Cooper and Matthew Smith
Fourth Official: David Rock

James Bell will referee North End for only the second time in his career on Saturday, having previously taken charge of a 1-0 home defeat to Birmingham City in September 2022.

In the 23 games he’s refereed so far this campaign, Bell has shown 99 yellow cards and five reds.

Match Reports

Match Report: Watford 0 PNE 0

6 April 2024

Preston North End took a point back to Lancashire on Gentry Day after drawing 0-0 against Watford.

More than 2,000 fans made the journey for the club’s annual tradition, and they could have been celebrating just before half-time when Andrew Hughes sent a strike wide from close range.

Will Keane then came closest in the second period, and PNE also limited their hosts to few chances to secure a tenth clean sheet of the campaign.

North End made three changes from the defeat at Birmingham City, with Greg Cunningham, Jordan Storey and Milutin Osmajić coming into the side.

Robbie Brady was switched over to right wing-back with Hughes on the opposite side, while Jack Whatmough pushed forward to play alongside Ali McCann in midfield.

It was Whatmough who had the first opportunity of the day inside five minutes as he headed inches wide from a promising position on the end of Robbie Brady’s corner.

A couple of minutes on, Freddie Woodman made a relatively comfortable stop to keep out Tom Dele-Bashiru’s deflected effort, and then watched Yáser Asprilla whistle a shot across goal and wide.

North End were then no doubt relieved to see Jamal Lewis blaze a strike over in the 13^th minute after it fell kindly for the left wing-back.

Emil Riis was involved heavily in the first-half action, launching long throw-ins into the Hornets’ box and he also forced Daniel Bachmann into a decent save as the two went head-to-head inside the area.

The biggest chance of the half came in its final minute when Cunningham’s looping cross landed with the unmarked Hughes, and he had his head in his hands when he slammed wide from a promising position.

PNE started the second half brightly, having plenty of opportunities to get the ball into the box from corners and free-kicks, while at the other end Wesley Hoedt sent a speculative effort no more than a few inches wide of Woodman’s top corner from all of 35 yards.

It looked as though the travelling Gentry were ready to celebrate in the 69^th minute as Keane met a volley as sweetly as you’d like, however it whistled just the wrong side of the post.

Both sides made attacking changes as they looked to find a winner, but the points were shared at Vicarage Road.

Watford line-up: Bachmann; Porteous, Sierralta, Hoedt; Andrews, Kayembe (Chakvetadze, 62), Dele-Bashiru, Lewis; Bayo (Rajović, 61), Asprilla, Dennis (Koné, 81). Subs not used: Hamer, Ince, Livermore, Pollock, Martins, Morris.

PNE line-up: Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Cunningham; Brady, Whatmough, McCann, Hughes; Keane; Osmajić (Stewart, 82), Riis (Frøkjær, 82). Subs not used: Cornell, Woodburn, Holmes, T.Mawene, Best, N.Mawene, Seary.

Attendance: 19,374 (2,022 PNE fans).

Referee: Mr J Bell.

Ticket News

Limited Tickets Remain For Gentry Day

4 April 2024

A limited amount of tickets remain on sale for Preston North End's upcoming visit to Watford.

PNE will be marking the annual tradition of Gentry Day at Vicarage Road on Saturday 6th April (3pm) and the club were allocated 2,104 tickets for this fixture.

Subject to availability, tickets will be available to buy online until 3pm on Friday and 5pm over the phone on 0344 856 1966 and in person.

As of Thursday 4th April, there were only around 50 tickets left on sale. Fans who haven't collected their tickets before matchday can do so from the Away Supporters Office, which is located adjacent to the away turnstiles at Vicarage Road. Please note, photo ID will be required when collecting.

Sales Period

Tickets went on sale in the following order:

Tuesday 19th March – Founder Member Ambassadors*
Wednesday 20th March – Gold Ambassadors** with 320 points or more
Thursday 21st March – Season card holders with 310 points or more
Friday 22nd March – All season card holders
Monday 25th March – Supporters with 80 points or more
Tuesday 26th March – Supporters with ten points or more

Supporters can check how many loyalty points they have under the 'My Account' tab on www.mypne.com.

*Founder Member Ambassadors are supporters who have held a season card continuously from the 2012/13 season onwards, excluding the 2020/21 campaign when the status was carried over due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
**Gold Ambassadors are supporters who purchased a season card for the 2022/23 campaign during the early bird period and have a 2023/24 season card.

Prices

Adults £25
65-year-olds and over £15
19 to 21-year-olds £15
0 to 18-year-olds £5

Supporters under the age of 14 must be accompanied by somebody aged 18 or over.

Disabled Supporter Information

Tickets for both wheelchair users and ambulant disabled supporters are priced in accordance with the relevant age bands above, and come with a complimentary carer ticket, if required.

There are 28 tickets available for wheelchair users, with ten of these located on an elevated platform and the other 18 on elevated pitchside bays. Three of the latter are restricted view and will be sold last at a reduced price.

Ambulant disabled tickets are included within the main allocation, however there are a limited number of step-free access seats, available by contacting the ticket office directly.

There are Soccer Sight headsets available for this fixture for visually impaired supporters, and these can be requested from the ticket office.

Five off-site car parking spaces, suitable for wheelchair users and ambulant disabled supporters, are available for £12 each. These are located at Laurence Haines School (WD18 0DD), and is approximately seven minutes away from the stadium, with a shuttle bus service operating between the school and stadium. These spaces can be booked by contacting the ticket office on 0344 856 1966 or by booking in person.

Coach Travel

Travel is available from both Deepdale and Leyland, with coaches departing both locations at 8.30am.

Travel is priced at £31 for Ambassadors and £33 for non-Ambassadors.

Car Parking

General car parking spaces local to the stadium can be purchased by clicking here.

Preston North End

Standings

Match Preview: Watford (A)

Match Report: Watford 0 PNE 0

Limited Tickets Remain For Gentry Day

Tickets On Sale For Gentry Day Fixture At Watford

Standings

Ticket News

Tickets On Sale For Gentry Day Fixture At Watford

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