It was not a good day when the Baggies visited Deepdale earlier in the season as North End were turned over 0-4

Journey`s End

Saturday sees the 48th and final competitive game of the season when North End travel to play off hopefuls West Bromwich Albion. Following on from Monday evenings defeat against Leicester City it would be no surprise to see the opposition fans celebarting again while the North End faithful just reflect on what might have been. To be fair the Leicester result was hardly unexpected as the Foxes are clearly the best team in the Championship and I don`t really understand how it got to league game number forty five before they clinched the Championship. For West Brom it has started to get a little edgy after they have been in the play off spots for most of the season. A little wobble near the end means the Throstles need to beat North End to be absolutely certain of the end of season lottery although a point would probably do unless Hull get a cricket score away at relegation threatened Plymouth.

On Monday North End welcomed the champions elect to Deepdale and for the travelling fans it never looked like they were going to be disappointed. North End held their own for just over half an hour but were always chasing their opponents. Once Vardy had scored the opener the result was never in doubt as North End looked like a side from a different division, literally. Vardy added a second early on in the second half and when McAteer made it three with twenty five minutes to go the game was all over as Leicester became Champions and North End were poor also rans. Lowe showed his class, or lack of it, when substituting Alan Browne near the end, not in a single move to give the crowd a chance to show their appreciation, but in a triple substitution with the Mawene brothers. It was pathetic by Lowe who clearly thinks the club is all about him and not about a lad who has played over 400 times for us.

Saturday lunchtime sees the final sufference for the North End faithful when we visit the Hawthorns in what is sure to be a White hot atmosphere in the Wesy Midlands. At the time of going to press North End sold around 1,200 tickets which is amazing considering some of the dross we have been served up recently. I suppose on the birght side North End can relax and play their game while the home fans will be keeping a close eye on what goes on at Home Park. Whilst the game itself is a free hit for North End to lose the last five league games on the bounce would not reflect well at all on the manager. Mind you plenty of North End fans are done with Ryan Lowe and the club face a huge decision once the season has ended in whether to retain Lowe or make a change for the long term benefit of the club.

And finally this week:- the Sunderland Echo, on its digital page, was saying that Ryan Lowe is 10/1 to be the next manager at the Stadium of Light. Blimey, perhaps there is a God after all.

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MATCH PREDICTION -

WEST BROMWICH ALBION (A) League - Home Win

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JR`s HIGH FIVES

Liam Lindsay to score at any time for Preston v West Brom 25/1

A £5 Stake returns £130.00 on bet365

SEASONS STATS

Returns £101.00 Stake £195.00

Percentage profit+/-loss - 48.20%

Predictions 39 won 10 lost 29

Alan Browne leads North End out for probably the last time at Deepdale ahead of the game against Leicester City

Foxes win the title at an absolute canter

At odds of 1/2 Leicester must have been the best bet on the coupon this week or any other week for that matter. The Foxes brushed North End aside without a murmur to eventually win the game 0-3. For the 13,897 North End fans inside Deepdale it was the the usual tale of watching another team celebrate as we just made the numbers up. There is no doubt that Leicester are a Premiership team playing in the Championship but North End just didn`t give it a go, again, and it looked very much to me like some had given up on Ryan Lowe and his so called "brand" of football. Two goals from Jamie Vardy and a third from Kasey McAteer were more than enough to send the 5,744 travelling fans into raptures as the visitors cruised to the title in one of the easiest game they will have taken part in this season.

The manager made three changes from the side who rolled over at Loftus Road last weekend with Whatmough, Frokjaer and Osmajic coming in for Storey, Woodburn and Riis. It wasn`t very long before Leicester were in the ascendancy as North End stuggled to cope with the pace of play from the visitors. Leicester had three good chances in the first half hour of the game two of which fell to Vardy and one that fell to McAteer. At 0-0 North End were struggling a little but holding their own although once Vardy had scrambled the ball into the net eight minutes from the break we might as well all have gone home. It knocked the stuffing and any confidence we had out of North End and I must say I feared for the worst in the second half as we went in one down at the break.

No changes for North End at the break but it wasn`t too long before the visitors had doubled their lead when Faes was allowed to almost walk through the North End defence and as his shot hit the post it fell to Vardy who smashed the ball home with the North End defence stood there like dummies watching the goal unfold. It was all one way traffic now and Leicester seemed even more rampant playing towards their own supporters as the North End fans just looked on in envy. With twenty five minutes to go McAteer made it three was a header from a cross from the right hand side and that was game, set and match. The visitors hit the post again late on and Stewart had a decent chance to score his first professional goal just before the end but his lob was too low and easily dealt with by the Leicester goalkeeper.

A thoroughly disappointing evening for the Preston faithful but not an unexpected one and the gulf between the fans and the manager seems wider than ever after four straight defeats and not a goal scored. Alan Browne was making, probably, his last appearance at Deepdale for North End and for the manager to make a triple substitution and not allow Browney his moment with the fans was petty beyond reason. Mind you we all know it is all about Ryan Lowe and nobody else but the manager is heading for complete isolation with the results on the field and his comments off it. It is time to have the inquest on this season after the game at West Brom next Saturday lunchtime but I doubt there is anything that could happen at the Hawthorns to make me change my view of the way North End should go forward into next season. Forty five down and one to go and to be honest it cannot come soon enough.

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PRESTON 0-3 LEICESTER CITY

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WOODMAN 7

WHATMOUGH 6 LINDSAY 6 HUGHES 5

MILLAR 6 BROWNE 6 LEDSON 5 BRADY 7

FROKJAER 6

KEANE 5 OSMAJIC 5 5

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SUBS

HOLMES 6

T MAWENE 6

N MAWENE 6

STEWART 6

RIIS 5

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MOTM: Freddie Woodman

Attendance 19,641

Preston Fans 13,897 (70.76%)

It was five changes for North End on Saturday at QPR but still the same negative outcome

Always someone else`s party

Leicester City visit Deepdale on Monday evening either promoted, depending on the Leeds result at QPR on Friday, or on the cusp of promotion. Once again the North End faithful have to witness someone elses party as the Foxes make an almost certain immediate return to the Premiership. To be honest I`ve become quite pointed about it in recent months listening to people trying to tell me we should be glad to be midway up the Championship. Yes, our budget is in the bottom 25% of the division but I wonder what Mark Robbins budget was when he took over at Coventry City almost seven seasons ago. Do people really believe that Luton, Barnsley, Huddersfield, Burnley, Bradford, Blackpool, Bolton, Charlton, Swansea, Watford, Wigan, Wimbledon were in a better financial position than us when they were promoted to the top flight? In fact Burnley would have gone bust if they had not beaten Sheffield United in the 2009 play off final. I understand all the issues with regards to keeping the team afloat but I will never purport to the theory or the narrative that we should be thankful for where we are. I have watched this football club since 1967 and our highs during those 57 years have been 2 Championship play off finals. "Punching above our weight"? Not in my book I am afraid. In fact I believe we have under achieved this season with the squad we have and it will be interesting to see how the club pitch the season card sales campaign this time after an absolute roller coaster of a season.

On Saturday we suffered our third defeat on the trot going down 0-1 at lowly QPR. Rangers needed the points, of course, but the quality of football on display from both teams was not something to brighten up a Saturday tea-time encounter in West London. Five changes for North End saw a stronger side take to the field although in what Universe Mads Frokjaer does not get into the starting eleven is very much a point for discussion. North End had their best chance early on via Liam Millar but an absolute howler from Freddie Woodman twenty minutes in was enough to give Lydon Dykes his first goal in sixteen games and send North End to a woeful defeat, again, in front of the Sky TV cameras. With Leicester and West Brom left to play and something probably on both games it would appear that five straight defeats to finish the season is certainly a possibilty the way we are playing.

Sky will once again be at Deepdale on Monday evening as we welcome Leicester City under the lights. No doubt the TV coverage will be all about the Foxes and, probably, rightly so. However this is a big game for North End, too, or at least it is for the management team, who must find a way to try and negate a Leicester threat that saw them put five past Southampton on Tuesday evening. The fact of the matter is that City are a Premiership team playing in the Championship and will no doubt want to return to the top flight in style. I hope North End can get something from the game because, in a way, it will show just how tough a division the Championship can be. I`m hopeful rather than confident about Monday evening but if we at least give it a go and don1t sit deep like frightened rabbits in the headlights then that will do for me regardless of the score.

And finally this week:- more controversy regardin VAR and in particular the Everton v Nottingham Forest game at Goodison at the weekend. The inconsistency in decision making beggars belief and no more so than in the handball by Ashley Young which was not given by the VAR. There was a clear movement of the hand towards the ball and by not reversing the on field decision the whole concept of VAR was thrown out with the dirty washing. It is time to abolish VAR in the English Premiership and to let the on field referee carry out the tasks for which he is employed.

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MATCH PREDICTION -

LEICESTER CITY (H) League - Away Win

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JR`s HIGH FIVES

Huddersfield to beat Birmingham 5/4

A £5 Stake returns £11.25 on bet365

SEASONS STATS

Returns £101.00 Stake £190.00

Percentage profit+/-loss - 46.84%

Predictions 38 won 10 lost 28

The scene at Loftus Road just prior to kick off

Careless Hands

An unusual goalkeeping blunder from Freddie Woodman proved to be the decisive moment in this fairly dull, Saturday Tea-time, affair in West London. North End fell, almost expectedly, to their third consecutive defeat leaving the manager with a lot to do to stop North End finishing the season with five defeats on the bounce. For the 730 Preston fans inside Loftus Road it was like a re-run of many games they have witnessed this season with North End having few shots on goal and going down to a mediocre team. To blame Woodman completely would be wrong as Millar missed a good chance in the first half and in the last twenty minutes we just didnt have the nous or the want to break Rangers down. So it was another 450 mile round trip, on the back of a 500 mile trip on Tuesday, with absolutely nothing to show for our efforts and the manager`s usual incomprehensible post match analysis just adding insult to injury for these loyal fans who follow North End up and down the land.

Ryan Lowe made five changes to the side that was soundly beated at Southampton with Ben Woodburn replacing Mads Frokjaer in the number 10 position. Brady had a shot blocked early in the game and Hughes cleared well just before the ten minute mark for North End. Just before the quarter hour Millar was through on goal but Bergovic somehow managed to save and North End`s best chance of the game had gone. With twenty minutes gone a cross from the left was completely fumbled by Woodman and Dykes was there at the back post to knock the ball home. It was a bad error from Freddie but he has more than enough credit in the back to be forgiven for this error. The keeper then made a superb save diving to his left to keep a Willock shot out as the home side finished the first half much the stronger.

No changes for North End at half time and with the wing backs changing sides North End were getting more joy down the left without ever really creating that one chance that would have levelled the game. Rangers still looked the more dangerous on the break with Chair much the best player on view for both sides. North End intorduces Frokjaer and Stewart then latterly added Holmes and Osmajic to the fray but apart from a shot from Millar and a well worked effort by Osmajic, late on, North End never really looked like getting level against a home side who are now looking safe and will be playing Championship football once again next season after a very poor effort this term.

This game was a tale, like so many games this season, of North End being beaten by a side who didnt necessarily have better players but who were just more organised than we were. I thought that the manager had turned the corner when we started playing with two forwards and a number 10 behind but it seems we have slipped back into our old ways of the Autumn and early Winter. Many will have their say once the season ends and to be fair that is the time to have the inquest on this campaign. For now Ryan Lowe faces two huge games against two of the best sides in the division, and if things dont improve North End face the prospect of losing the last five league games on the trot which was last achieved under John Beck in 92/93.

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QPR 1-0 PRESTON

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WOODMAN 5

STOREY 6 LINDSAY 6 HUGHES 6

MILLAR 7 BROWNE 6 LEDSON 6 BRADY 7

WOODBURN 4

KEANE 5 RIIS 5

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SUBS

FROKJAER 6

STEWART 6

HOLMES 6

OSMAJIC 6

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MOTM: Liam Millar

Attendance 16,464

Preston Fans 730 (4.43%)

The nearest North End got to Southampton on Tuesday evening was when they shook hands before the game!

Pointless Preston

Nil pois for North End this week just when we needed them the most. A narrow home defeat to Norwich City last Saturday saw the play off flame almost extinguished befored it was completely drowned with a shocker of a performance a Southampton on Tuesday evening in front of the watching nation. Against the Canaries we had our chances earlier in the game but as time ebbed away it was the visitors who took the points with a goal by Sara four minutes from time. On Tuesday evening on the South Coast it was another embarrassment and humiliation as North End tamely surrendered to the Saints and the only reason the score remained at three was that the home side clearly took their foot off the gas in the second half otherwise God knows what score it might have been.

North End went into the game against Norwich City on the back of a really good 4-1 home win against Huddersfield the previous Tuesday but failed to find that goal scoring touch that was evident against the Terriers. When you dont put your chances away against a good footballing side like Norwich then you often pay the price in the end. To be fair there was not a great deal between the sides but the visitors were always playing the better football and looked much more confident on the ball. North Ends play was a little rushed at times and as the game wore on Ryan Lowe had four forwards on the field but no real strategy as to how to win the game. It has been a failing of Lowe`s for most of the season that if plan A doesn`t work then plan B is usually weak and ill thought out and so it proved to be in this encounter.

On Tuesday afternoon the North End faithful made their way to the South Coast for the second time in a month for the previously postponed game against Southampton. What they were served up was back to the bad old days of late Autumn as North End were three down in thirty three minutes and looked absolutely clueless on how to stop a Southampton Tsunami heading towards Woodman`s goal. I really felt the record league defeat of 0-7 was in danger at one point such was the Saints superiority against a North End side that looked like they had come from League Two. The fact that Lowe threw one or two under the bus after the game was really poor style in my opinion and did nothing to detract from the fact that the homework on the Saints prior to the game, plus the game plan, was woefully weak and gave no insight into what to expect.

Unfortunately the North End faithful will have to battle on for another three weekends as we travel to West London for a Saturday tea time game against QPR at Loftus Road. Another show like Tuesday evening and people will be baying for blood because this season looks like it could finish in a similar vein to last term when we picked up just one point from the final fifteen on offer. The manager needs to be acutely aware that the fans are not happy at all with the way seasons seem to fade out once all chance of the play offs is gone. North End must go to London determined to win the game against a side who desperately need points to avoid the drop into League One which would be disasterous for Rangers. A win would take North End to sixty six points and keep us on course for a top ten finish. A defeat would just sharpen the knives, which already appear to be out in some quarters.

And finally this week:- Huge congratulations to the U18s who won the EFL Youth Alliance Trophy at Fratton Park last Wednesday evening. It is a great reward for the work done behind the scene`s by the North End staff and a great honour for the lads and for the club to have our name on the trophy. Well played boys!

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MATCH PREDICTION -

QUEENS PARK RANGERS (A) League - Score Draw

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JR`s HIGH FIVES

Correct Score QPR 2 -2 PRESTON 16/1

A £5 Stake returns £85.00 on bet365

SEASONS STATS

Returns £101.00 Stake £185.00

Percentage profit+/-loss - 45.41%

Predictions 37 won 10 lost 27

North End warming up before the horror show on the South Coast

The Saints go marching in

Total embarrassment for North End after a shocker of a defeat, 0-3, away at Southampton. North End were three down in thirty three minutes and at that point our record league defeat of 0-7 looked in great danger. It needs to be said at the outset that Southampton are a very good side and are in a rich vein of form but the application, or lack of it, shown by North End was spine chilling for the 556 fans inside St Marys and the many thousands watching on Television. Seldom, in recent years, have I seen North End so over-run as they were in that haunting opening half hour on the South coast as we looked like a team that had never played together before. Im not sure what homework was done on the Saints before the game by North End but it was woefully lacking as we were humiliated, again, in front of the nation.

North End made two changes to the side that lost to Norwich City on Saturday with Emil Riis and Noah Mawene coming in for Will Keane and Alan Browne. Right from the kick off the home side were on top and had three good chances in the first twelve minutes. North End had their one shot on target via Frokjaer but it was only a matter of time before the Onion bag started rattling and so it proved to be. Che Adams fired the Saints into the lead after being left unmarked in the box with two North End players ball watching. Woodman was almost caught out from 35 yards with the ball just going over the bar but the Saints doubled their lead just before the half hour. Adams and Brooks combined and Adams scored easily courtesy of some woeful defending. Four minutes later it was 0-3 when a poor Holmes clearance fell to Armstrong and he beat Woodman easily as the North End fans cringed at what was happening in front of their eyes. Lowe replaced Holmes with Cunningham before half time and this, combined with Southampton having a breather, saw us reach the break without further damage.

Will Keane replaced Emil Riis at the break as North End looked to stop the bleeding and to try and make some impact on the game. Alas the second half didn`t really pan out that way although no more goals were conceded this was more due to Southampton treating the game like a training session. For Ryan Lowe to say that was much more North End in the second half than in the first is frankly laughable given the home sides approach. Adams had a good early chance but his effort was blocked by Mawene while at the other end a very rare Preston attack saw Frokjaer cut the ball back only to find three defenders waiting, The Saints had two more decent chances, which Woodman did really well to save, before the referee mercifully blew for full time and put an end to another Ryan Lowe horror night on the road.

The only mitigation I could offer is that the result could have possibly been different if the game had been played on the original date but that is pure guess work. I`m sure people do not need reminding that the last five games of last season yielded just one point and with QPR and West Brom away to come plus a final home game against Leicester there was real concern amongst the fans at St Marys that North End may well finish the season with five straight defeats. Of course that is just speculation and we must still take one game at a time. However I think it is a very big game for the manager on Saturday in West London and if he thinks the season is over and he can just serenely sail into next term then the fans may well make him think again. This was poor on the pitch and poor off it with the way some of the staff were thrown under the bus. Praise in public and chastise in private is a leadership behaviour that will serve you well in any walk of life.

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SOUTHAMPTON 3-0 PRESTON

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WOODMAN 7

STOREY 5 LINDSAY 6 HUGHES 6

HOLMES 4 WHATMOUGH 6 MAWENE 5 BRADY 7

FROKJAER 6

OSMAJIC 5 RIIS 5

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SUBS

KEANE 6

CUNNINGHAM 6

LEDSON 6

BROWNE 6

EVANS 6

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MOTM: Robbie Brady

Attendance 27,636

Preston Fans 556 (2.01%)

The flags fly high to welcome North End but it wasn`t to be and our play off hopes fall for another season

Play off hopes end after crucial home defeat

It was the end of the road as far as North Ends play off aspirations are concerned after this 0-1 home defeat at the hands of sixth placed Norwich City. The defeat leaves North End eight points behind the Canaries with four games to go and that is far too much to catch up even discounting the other teams in the race. North End put in a decent first half performance and created several good chances but after the break the game tightened up and Norwich got the crucial goal with just four minutes on the clock when Sara firing past Freddie Woodman. To some degree I thought we didn`t quite give it a real go in the second half but players from both sides were tiring and I guess that was to be expected from the amount of effort giving in the first forty five minutes.

Ryan Lowe made three changes from the team that beat Huddersfield on Tuesday evening with Cunningham, McCann and Riis being replaced by Whatmough, Browne and Osmajic. Norwich started slightly the better but North End had three chances in the opening twenty five minutes with Holmes , Lindsay and Storey making the visitors defence earn their corn. At the other end City had half chances through Sainz, Barnes and the dangerous Sara with Woodman called upon to make a couple of very good saves. North End`s best chance of the first half came almost on the stroke of half time when a free kick from Browne on the right was met the head of Whatmough only for the ball to hit the bar hard and bounce out to safety.

No changes for North End at the break but with only five minutes gone of the second period a Brady free kick forced a desperate clearance in the Canaries defence as North End looked for that all important goal. The game became a battle in the middle of the Park and Ryan Lowe decided to get four forwards onto the field with Riis , Evans, Keane and Osmajic, playing at right wing back, all trying to break the deadlock. As the half wore on it was the visitors who started to look the most likely and with just four minutes left Norwich scored the goal to keep them in sixth spot and to dash North End`s hopes for another season. Browne had a late effort saved by Gunn in the Norwich goal but it was all to no avail and it is Championship football again at Deepdale next season.

So another season goes by without getting near a play off campaign and it seems an awful long time since Alan Irvine's team reached the end of season jamboree in 2009. However now is not the time for the inquest on this season as there are four very important games left particularly for the manager. It is to be hoped that last seasons dismal return of just one point from the last five games is not repeated and that North End can finish the season on a high this time around. Some questioned the substitutions yesterday but football is a game of opinions and no one was questioning Ryan Lowes replacements on Tuesday evening when they won us the game. We must keep going right to the end and not throw the towel in because there is a big game at Southampton on Tuesday and we owe it to the other teams involve to give of our best.

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PRESTON 0-1 NORWICH CITY

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WOODMAN 7

STOREY 7 LINDSAY 7 HUGHES 7

HOLMES 8 WHATMOUGH 7 BROWNE 7 BRADY 8

FROKJAER 6

OSMAJIC 6 KEANE 6

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SUBS

RIIS 6

EVANS 6

STEWART 6

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MOTM: Robbie Brady

Attendance 16,322

Preston Fans 14,880 (91.17%).

The scene at Carrow Road earlier in the season. Norwich visit Deepdale on Saturday for North End`s biggest game of the season so far.

Still running, but only just.

With less than a month of the season left North End are still hanging in there in the battle to reach the top six. Norwich City are the team everyone is chasing in that sixth spot and the Canaries are next up to visit Deepdale this Saturday. North End`s interest in the end of season lottery was maintained after a thumping 4-1 win against Huddersfield Town and Norwich conceding a two goal lead to only draw at Sheffield Wednesday. At half time the difference was ten points and North End were gone but at full time the difference was only five points with Norwich coming to Deepdale this weekend and North End then playing their game in hand at Southampton next Tuesday evening. Of course there are other runners such as Hull, Middlesbrough, Coventry and, of course, Norwich themselves so it is not cut and dried but I think North End need to beat Norwich and win three out of the other four games to be in with a chance.

Last Saturday we went to Watford for our annual Gentry Day celebration and while off the pitch we were Premier League class I am afraid on the pitch we were mediocre given the circumstances surrounding the game. The Hornets had a couple of decent players it has to be said but you could see why they have not won at home since last November. North End probably only had two decent chances in the game via Hughes and Keane and I just thought we would show more hunger to take the three points than we did. The draw was a fair result on the day but we really must win games like this if we are to have any chance.

Only Tuesday evening the faithful at Deepdale were treated to a late, late show via Mulitin Osmajic. The big Montenegrin striker score a seven minute hat-trick in the last part of the game to turn round an encounter that was not going North End`s way at half time. It a poor opening half North End never really got to grips with the Terriers and the visitors found themselves one up just before the break. North End equalised courtesy of a Keane penalty ten minutes into the second half but it was the introduction of Browne and Osmajic with fifteen minutes to go that completely turned the game for North End. By the end of proceedings "Magic" had the match ball and with Norwich only drawing at Sheffield Wednesday it was game on again in the craziest league of all.

Saturday sees the biggest game of the season for North End with the team everyone is chasing, Norwich City, visiting the hallowed turf of Deepdale. The game is a must win for North End with anything else probably seeing the end of our interest in the play offs. Norwich have quietly crept into the top six almost under the radar although their away record is only nineteenth in the division. The Canaries have won five drawn six and lost ten of the twenty one games they have played away from Carrow Road and although they have scored thirty five goals they have conceded forty one. Just twenty one points of their sixty eight have come away from home so I really do think the this is a game North End can, and must, win if we are to carry the show on to Southampton on Tuesday evening.

Let us hope it is second tome lucky as we head to St Mary`s Stadium on Tuesday evening to play our re-arranged game against Southampton. It is possible the Saints may be confirmed in the play offs before we travel to the South coast and while many things are still undecided in the Championship it is a long odds on bet that Southampton will finish fourth. The Saints have a very decent home record having won thirteen, drawn three and lost only four this season. They have scored forty eight goals so far this term and only conceded twenty six and are the second highest scorers at home behind Ipswich Town. It looks tough on paper but not impossible and the home side may just be a little off the pace if their place in the top six has already been confirmed.

And finally this week:- We may not have quite reached the Premier League on the field but off it our fans must rank in the top flight. The superb, non stop singing at Watford on Saturday for those we were remembering was outstanding as was the various attire worn by the Gentry as we celebrated the lives of those no longer with us. We may not be the most fashionable team in the land but we are the one and only North End and everything that goes with us. These are not fans, they are Gentry!

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MATCH PREDICTION -

NORWICH CITY (H) League - Home Win

SOUTHAMPTON (A) League - Away Win

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JR`s HIGH FIVES

Preston to beat Norwich City 23/10

A £5 Stake returns £16.50 on bet365

SEASONS STATS

Returns £101.00 Stake £180.00

Percentage profit+/-loss - 43.89%

Predictions 36 won 10 lost 26

The teams are on their way out before North End`s 4-1 win against Huddersfield Town