A stoppage time cracker by ex-Captain Kev won the points at Deepdale back in 2007
There comes a time in any supporters life when, if your team are struggling, you believe the game is up. When Colchester got their third goal on Good Friday that time came for many of us. As I took the short walk to the Cricketers Inn all belief drained out of me, I couldn't face another pint of Mighty Oak, but I did, well the sun was out, and as the only one of my group to be going to Preston the jibes came thick and fast, even I joined in. "Great to see you've still got belief" cried a mate. "It's not belief", I replied, "it's advance ticket sales!"
The fact is if I hadn't spent nearly fifty quid on transport and match tickets the double whammy of Hull and the Farmers would have seen me watching the Irish Grand National at home and the score on Teletext.
It was with a complete lack of enthusiasm that I crawled out of bed at 6.30am to start the first leg of my magical mystery tour to Preston. Living in London I can take advantage of the funfares on offer by National Express from Victoria and so, for a ridiculous £8, I started the five hour coach trip up the M6.
Leaving the lovely morning sunshine I started to get an ominous feel about the day when an hour outside Preston it started to piss down with rain.......what!!
It was if we were in our own little depressive bubble determined to ruin the day, the only good news being we got in 15 minutes early so finding a pub within seconds of getting off the coach allowed three pints of excellent Directors to be buried in under an hour and the world seemed a better place. Maybe this could be our day after all!
A 20 minute trot up Deepdale and Tom Finney's Way led to the impressive North End ground, well three sides of it anyway, and at least it didn't have a plastic pitch anymore which was the case the last time I was in the town, for a game that is, (Our own Brushy scoring from a free kick in a 1-1 draw), the other time when I nearly missed my own wedding is another story completely!
Another pint of Tetley's inside and now nothing could spoil my day, not even the thought of the five hour journey back!
First, the good news that Tilly had listened to somebody and Bradbury, at least two games too late, Sodje and Hunt, slightly more unluckily, were dropped. The boy Barrett was back as was JCR on the wing and Francis at right back, the surprise was Harrold starting but I wasn't too unhappy with that, he would certainly add some enthusiasm sadly lacking over the previous two matches, while we could see the wisdom of Foran on the bench as Freddie limped off after 30 odd minutes, at last, a look at Richie in the middle.
Straight away the smooth passing and movement game sadly lacking recently was backed and if the Blues had been two up before Captain Kev's opener it would not have been an injustice. North End looked like a team that had lost three in a row however we have not been in the best of form ourselves and were totally outplaying our play off positioned rivals with some ease.
One piece of play summed up the different attitude of the side, Barrett, it had to be Barrett, went into one tackle, didn't win the ball, so in he went again, still the Preston player held on, so Adam went in again, now falling back onto the ground, yet this time he got it and passed it on, brilliant and the away end rose to clap in unison. One Adam Barrett indeed.
Then just when we were settling in for a goaless first half Maher receives the ball just outside the area and with memories of his QPR free kick coming back curled it around the keeper into the top right hand corner. Magic!
There was a frantic start to the second half with Blues, playing in Red, determined to kill off the game. Corner after corner was won while the Preston keeper Lonergan was called upon to save a brilliant Hammel free kick and Harrold did everything but put the ball in the net, twice, with a North End defender hacking the ball off the line.
You knew we would pay for this and for sure from a corner, yes another bloody corner, led to a well headed equaliser but is Darryl to be blamed for this consistent leakage of goals from this particular set piece?
The referee, who had performed well in the opening 45 minutes then decided to fall apart in the second. JCR, clearly tripped just outside the box if not actually in it, was booked for diving while every jump by Barrett and Clarke was now penalised. Frustration was being felt by the packed away end, well done all, great support, the opposite of a timid home crowd, when disaster struck.
All had been in hand and a deserved point seemed there for the taking when Dichio, of all people, created a rare shot for Preston which was charged down by Clarke which, from our end opposite the incident, seemed to be a hand held high, not always given but, like Hunt a few weeks ago in Sheffield, this one was and taken.
With the other results coming in relegation was just ten minutes away yet, with this being the weekend for miracles, Southend decided to do a touch of resurrecting themselves.
Another Blues corner was punched out by Lonergan to a lurking Alan MacCormack 30 yards out who hit a screaming volley into the left hand corner of the goal which had to be seen to be believed. Best goal ever , well not really, Stan scored those for fun, but for the sheer violence of the shot and it's importance and timing it was well up there by the former Preston player.
So two pieces of brilliance, good things come in three, they surely do as in injury time Captain Ken again curled another beauty around everyone including the Preston keeper to grab the points and leave the home crowd streaming out of the ground while Maher disappeared under his team-mates. There was still time for the last England goalscorer Nugent to hit a sitter into Row Z behind the goal so justice could be done.
The sheer excitement of it all led to a few tears at the end as the players returned to receive well earned applause while Bushy patted Tilly on the back several times, well done the pair of them.
The planned horrible journey back on Virgin Trains at a cheap £15.50 now didn't seem that bad even if it did include a bus journey between Birmingham International and Northampton, back in London Euston at 10.30pm, even the Farmers did us a favour, Leeds are back in it as are Hull, QPR now looking safe, maybe, 3 from 5 anyone?
Of course we probably have to win all the final four games to be sure, well three of them at least, but we are still in the hunt. Ring of Fire, Balls of Fire more like it!
Marks Out of 10:
Flahaven; 7 - Didn't have to pull off the usual spectacular save but did everything called upon him with his kicking is much improved. Another goal conceded from a corner though.
Francis; 7 - Much safer defensively as he linked well with the midfield and especially JCR, good game.
Clarke; 8 - Another brilliant performance which is becoming commonplace now, Preston forwards never had a sniff. Nothing he could do with the hand ball offence.
BARRETT: 9 (MOM) - Oh how we have missed him. We are used to him giving his all but this was a harder even more determined Barrett who partnered Clarke magnificently and his consistent winning of the ball in the air while never pulling out of a tackle inspired his team-mates.
Hammell; 7 - Looked fitter, while still not charging upfront as we are used too. Good defensively while a cracking free kick deserved a goal, well hit corners as well.
Campbell-Ryce; 7 - Hard working first half followed up with a terrific second half attacking performance that turned the Preston defence inside out and may well had led to a penalty decision with another ref.
MacCormack; 8 - "Preston reject" we sang as the home supporters must have wished they had someone of his drive and aggression in midfield and what a goal! Not at his best against Colchester, here he was which led to.......
Maher; 8 - With Alan winning everything next to him Captain Ken could return to what he's good at; quick, intelligent passing into space, and to feet, while adding two absolute beauties to boot. Not a bad day!
Gower; 7 - The usual curates egg of a game from Mark but never stopped working making some important interceptions in midfield while always available out on the wing. Deserves his seven.
Eastwood; 6 - Struggling from the start, maybe a groin strain, he still nearly got onto the end of a Gower pass to score. The gentleman next to me who shouted "F*** off Eastwood" when he went off has a very short memory.
Harrold; 7 - Well the boy got stuck in, won a few headers, forced the odd error at the back, nearly, maybe should have, scored. Did more in 90 minutes than poor old Bradders has done in the last half a dozen games but not the finished article yet.
SUBS: Foran; 7 - The jury will still be out on his best starting position but did nothing wrong here. Could be more decisive in his passing and shooting but certainly did not hide and was always full of running. I'm convinced he will be an asset in the long run.
- Southend boss Steve Tilson:
"Going in the dressing room you could see the relief in the players and how confident they are and looking forward to next Saturday. Barnsley winning was a bit of a blow but others have lost. And if we can play like that in the remaining games, we'll give ourselves a good chance of getting out of it."
Preston: Lonergan, Pergl, Wilson, St. Ledger, Alexander, Whaley (Agyemang 69), Sedgwick (Lewis Neal 79), Soley, Pugh, Ormerod (Dichio 75), Nugent.
Subs Not Used: Henderson, Ricketts.
Booked: Soley, Sedgwick. Goals: St. Ledger 51, Alexander 79 pen.
Southend: Flahavan, Francis, Clarke, Barrett, Hammell, Campbell-Ryce, McCormack, Maher, Gower, Eastwood (Foran 36), Harrold.
Subs Not Used: Collis, Hunt, Bradbury, Sodje.
Booked: Clarke, Campbell-Ryce, Hammell. (NOT MacCormack!!!!) Goals: Maher 41, McCormack 88, Maher 90 (plus 3 minutes in 6 total minutes added!!!!!)
(Article by Exiled Essex Boy first appeared in The Little Gazette; Tuesday, April 10th, 2007.)
Footymad match report
Preston went down to their fourth defeat in a row as battling Southend scored a last-minute winner to help in their fight against relegation.
It was a slow start to the match with the first corner arriving in the 18th minute to Preston and it was the 21st minute before the first chance of the game, when Simon Whaley had a 25-yard right-foot shot which Southend keeper Darryl Flahavan dived low to his right to save.
Brett Ormerod had a goal ruled off-side after 28 minutes and the ever dangerous Jamal Campbell-Ryce had a good run and a 20 yard right-foot shot saved by home keeper Andy Lonergan after 32 minutes.
Danny Pugh hit a 20-yard left-foot shot both over and wide of the right-hand post.
Chris Sedgwick lost the ball to Matt Harrold and he should have done better but Lonergan saved.
After just 36 minutes Freddy Eastwood had to go off and was replaced by Richie Foran.
Southend took the lead in the 41st minute when a Campbell-Ryce cross was cleared by Sean St Ledger, but Alan McCormack found Kevin Maher and he hit a 20-yard right-foot shot into the keeper's top left-hand corner of the net.
St Ledger equalised with a close-range header in the 50th minute, his first goal for Preston from a Chris Sedgwick left-wing right-foot corner.
Seyfo Soley was booked for a foul and Steven Hammell had a free-kick tipped over the bar by Lonergan, before Pugh cleared off the line from a Harrold shot.
Campbell-Ryce was booked for a dive in the box and then Whaley was replaced by Patrick Agyemang.
Sedgwick was booked for a foul on MCormack and Daniele Dichio replaced Ormerod.
Peter Clarke handballed a Dichio shot and Graham Alexander took the penalty and hit it high into the roof of the net right-footed to make it 2-1 to Preston.
Lewis Neal replaced Sedgwick and Hammell was booked for a foul on Nugent.
With two minutes to go Mark Gower found ex-Preston midfielder McCormack and he hit a 25-yard right-foot volley into the keeper's top left-hand corner of the net.
Into added time Maher hit a 25-yard chip and that went into the top left-hand corner of the net to make it 3-2 to Southend.
| Competition: Coca-Cola Championship Date: Monday, 9th April 2007 Kick off: 15:00 Venue: Deepdale | ||||
 |
Preston N.E.
St Ledger 51
Alexander 79 (pen) |
2 - 3 | Southend Utd.
Maher 41, 90
McCormack 88 |
 |
| Match Finished | ||||
| Starting line-ups | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andy Lonergan | 6 |
| 4 | Danny Pugh | 5 |
| 28 | Kelvin Wilson | 5 |
| 20 | Pavel Pergl | 5 |
| 12 | Sean St Ledger | 6 |
| 2 | Graham Alexander | 6 |
| 27 | Seyfo Soley | 7 |
| 15 | Simon Whaley (Agyemang 69) | 5 |
| 7 | Chris Sedgwick (Neal 79) | 6 |
| 17 | Brett Ormerod (Dichio 75) | 5 |
| 10 | David Nugent | 5 |
| Substitutes | ||
| 13 | Wayne Henderson | |
| 23 | Lewis Neal (Sedgwick 79) | |
| 9 | Patrick Agyemang (Whaley 69) | 5 |
| 8 | Michael Ricketts | |
| 11 | Daniele Dichio (Ormerod 75) | |
| Starting line-ups | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darryl Flahavan | 6 |
| 2 | Simon Francis | 6 |
| 18 | Steven Hammell | 6 |
| 15 | Peter Clarke | 5 |
| 6 | Adam Barrett | 6 |
| 17 | Jamal Campbell-Ryce | 8 |
| 26 | Alan McCormack | 8 |
| 7 | Mark Gower | 7 |
| 8 | Kevin Maher | 9 |
| 24 | Matt Harrold | 7 |
| 10 | Freddy Eastwood (Foran 36) | 5 |
| Substitutes | ||
| 13 | Stephen Collis | |
| 4 | Lewis Hunt | |
| 16 | Efe Sodje | |
| 12 | Lee Bradbury | |
| 9 | Richie Foran (Eastwood 36) | 7 |
| 13 | Goal Attempts | 15 |
| 8 | On Target | 8 |
| 5 | Off Target | 7 |
| 0 | Hit Woodwork | 0 |
| 8 | Corners | 10 |
| 3 | Offsides | 1 |
| 17 | Fouls | 14 |
| Referee | Attendance |
|---|---|
| Andy Hall | 13,684 |
| Preston N.E. cards shown | ||
|---|---|---|
| 54 mins | Seyfo Soley | Unsporting behaviour |
| 73 mins | Chris Sedgwick | Unsporting behaviour |
| Southend Utd. cards shown | ||
| 45 mins | Peter Clarke | Dissent |
| 60 mins | Jamal Campbell-Ryce | Unsporting behaviour |
| 86 mins | Steven Hammell | Unsporting behaviour |
Click here to see a full list of the football results from Monday, 9th April 2007.