Having played one of our closest geographical rivals at home last weekend, the fixture planners have rewarded players and fans with a 400 mile midweek round trip to Bristol, taking in the delights of the M5 and M6 overnight roadworks. Hopefully our journey will not be wasted in terms of result and points!
This is the 41st time we have headed to Ashton Gate for a league game and we have gained points from almost half the matches there. We are undefeated in the last five and we have come home victorious from our last three visits. Both our games during the 2016 calendar year saw 2-1 wins and a solitary goal from Callum Robinson in 2014 was enough for all three points on that occasion.
Callum is one of numerous players to ply their footballing trade for the Lilywhites and the Robins over the years. As well as current players Greg Cunningham, Bailey Wright and Josh Brownhill, Matt Hill, Patrick Agyemang, Rob Edwards, Neil Kilkenny, and of course David Moyes, are all fondly remembered by fans of both our clubs.
Goals are a regular feature of this fixture, with 106 to date since the first meeting in 1902. In all, 12 games have seen four or more goals scored, although such high aggregates have disappeared over recent years.
We have never scored more than three goals in a match, which we have achieved on three occasions, whilst we have only conceded four goals in five matches. There have been five goalless draws, but none since 1981 so hopefully we will continue our recent good form in the west country.
On This Date
Although we have played 15 previous league games on this date, only five of these have been away from Deepdale and today is the first since a goalless draw on the Fylde coast in 1998.
Wins at West Bromwich Albion and Manchester United are counterbalanced by two defeats in Yorkshire, to Bradford and Rotherham.
Frank Becton, who featured in our Brentford preview, made his debut on this date in the 2-1 victory at The Hawthorns mentioned above. He had to wait until the following week for his first goal for North End after signing from Fishwick Ramblers the previous summer.
Simon Makienok, who spent last season on loan from Palermo, is 27 today. All at Deepdale wish Simon a speedy recovery from his serious knee injury sustained in pre-season with his new club FC Utrecht in the Netherlands.
Last Five Games At Ashton Gate
Bristol City 1 (Wilbraham) Preston North End 2 (Makienok, Johnson), 17th Dec 2016
Bristol City 1 (Wilbraham) Preston North End 2 (Baker (og), Cunningham), 12th Jan 2016
Bristol City 0 Preston North End 1 (Robinson), 22nd Nov 2014
Bristol City 1 (Elliott) Preston North End 1 (King), 5th Apr 2014
Bristol City 1 (Jones (og)) Preston North End 1 (Hume), 6th Nov 2010