On Gentry Day Preston North End could only manage a 0-0 draw with Watford at Vicarage Road as their play-off ambitions slipped away even further.
The task to get into the top six was made harder before kick-off as Norwich City edged the East Anglian Derby with a 1-0 win over Ipswich Town. At this stage points aren’t enough for Preston, they need to win as many games as possible.
With some very tough fixtures on the horizon it looks as if yet again the season will fizzle out in April.
A baffling team selection
When the team news came out an hour before kick off, many Preston fans were scratching their heads on how exactly The Lilywhites would be lining up. Ryan Lowe had named five players capable of playing at centre-back, three strikers and only one recognised central midfielder.
In the end Jack Whatmough partnered Ali McCann in the middle of the park. Robbie Brady played on the right with Andrew Hughes in the left-wing-back role. Will Keane sat in just behind Emil Riis and Milutin Osmajic but surprisingly those three failed to create too much between them.
Mads Frokjaer and Duane Holmes were left on the bench, and there were also two others on the bench who would create history.
Mawene brothers in the squad together
For the first time since 1985, Preston North End named two brothers in the squad. Nearly 30 years ago Mark and Dave Jones were part of a North End defence, with Dave later going on to manage Wolverhampton Wanderers and Cardiff City among others.
Youl Mawene was a fan favourite in the mid 00’s and it’s great to see his children now coming through the ranks at Preston. Noah made his first start for the club on Monday at Birmingham and although he didn’t keep his place on Saturday he was joined on the bench by his younger brother Theo.
Theo is just 16-years-old and is capable of playing in defence or midfield. An incredible moment for the Mawene family and hopefully the brothers can become fixtures in the side for years to come.
Did we push hard enough for the win?
There weren’t too many chances created against Watford, with the best opportunities coming from set-pieces. Whatmough nodded a header wide whilst Hughes snatched at a great chance.
Keane went close with a volley in the second half but aside from that North End never really troubled the opposition goalkeeper. Watford didn’t have anything to play for and are under an interim manager in Tom Cleverley. It felt like it was an opportunity where Preston should have pushed for the win.
Freddie Woodman was doing his usual time-wasting towards the end of the game which is becoming very frustrating. The point does nothing for us, especially after a defeat on Monday. We need wins, and you’d think the players particularly would realise this.
Lowe only made a substitution in the 82nd minute which felt far to late with the game having already become stagnant.
A lot of what Ryan Lowe said after the game was negative. About staying in the top half for as long as we can, and concentrating on not losing the game. The gap between ourselves and Norwich looks too big now, but Lowe has said next week is a big one, with home games against Huddersfield Town and The Canaries.
Lowe refuses to answer why Frokjaer was left out
Mads Frokjaer has been one of the standout players for Preston in 2024. Since coming into the side on the 21st January, he had started all 12 games since then. He has linked up well with Riis and Keane so it was strange to see him left out on Saturday.
We are already severely depleted in midfield with Alan Browne, Ben Whiteman, Ryan Ledson, Liam Millar and Brad Potts all missing. Dropping Frokjaer and playing Whatmough in midfield was a strange decision, and certainly a very defensive one. Frokjaer could have still just played behind a front two, but having three strikers on the pitch didn’t pay off.
When asked after the game why Frokjaer was left out and that the supporters may be frustrated with that, Lowe responded to the Lancashire Evening Post with “Don’t ask me those questions, because you are now asking me to go against the fans and I am not doing that. So, don’t put those words into my mouth, because that’s not happening. So, ask me a different question because that’s poor from you.”
A feisty response, but ultimately when such a talented player is left out he should be expecting those questions.
This article is dedicated to my former school friend and Preston North End fan Alex Bantleman who sadly passed away last week.
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