PRESTON NORTH END 0 MIDDLESBROUGH 1
FIRST HALF REPORT
ComeOnBoro.com, 24 Oct 2009
The post-Southgate era started with only one change effected by caretaker-boss Colin Cooper. This was Marvin Emnes who played in place of Jeremie Aliadiere, who had an ankle injury.
This saw Brad Jones in goal with Justin Hoyte, David Wheater, Sean St Ledger and Joe Bennett across the back.
The midfield consisted of Gary O'Neil, Rhys Williams, Didier Digard and Adam Johnson.
Leroy Lita partnered Emnes in attack.
Jones, Hoyte, Wheater, St Ledger, Bennett, O'Neil, Williams, Digard, A Johnson, Lita, Emnes, Coyne, Pogatetz, Grounds, McMahon, Arca, Yeates, Franks
Report Continues Below...
THE FIRST HALF
The Boro started brightly, with Adam Johnson launching a ball into the Preston box. It was comfortably caught by Andy Lonergan in the Preston goal.
The first shot of the game came through Leroy Lita, who was unlucky not to dispatch. Gary O'Neil, as usual, was pulling the strings and he passed to Johnson on the left. His cross was met by the big striker but it was deflected out for a corner.
Little came from this but caretaker-manager Colin Cooper's side had started brightly. In fact, they had Preston rocking, particularly Adam Johnson who was brighter than a Teesside flare (but not as pretty).
David Wheater had a shot that was charged down by the Preston defence before Justin Hoyte ballooned his effort over the bar. If only there was a balloon to deflect his ball into the net from that height...
In the sixth minute, Johnson's ball was cleared by Neil Collins after he destroyed Liam Chilvers for pace. Two minutes later, Lita's shot was accomplishly blocked by the same pesky Preston player.
In the eleventh minute, Johnson got on the ball again, and again he delivered a perfect pearler into the box. Lita got on to it but his shot missed.
Johnson decided that he might as well attempt what the strikers had failed to do and he powered his foot through a right-footed shot. The ball ruffled the side netting.
In the fifteenth minute, a Gary O'Neil free-kick from thirty yards out forced an excellent save out of the Preston keeper. From the corner, Williams had a free header but he didn't get enough purchase on it and the chance disappeared quicker than Liverpool's title chances.
The Boro had dominated the match thus far but had failed to score the goal that their play deserved. Let's hope that their dominance wouldn't go unrewarded as had so often been the case under Gareth Southgate's tenure.
Preston's first foray into the Boro half occurred in the nineteenth minute through Ross Wallace. He got a shot in after a soft headed clearance out of the Boro defence but his effort went wide. Two minutes later, Paul Parry tried to take advantage of a Bennett slip but his shot was charged down like a battery in a slut's favourite toy.
Then it was Boro's turn as they took advantage of the number of Preston bodies in the Boro half by hitting the hosts on the break. Emnes passed to Johnson who returned the favour. The Dutchman cut in on his right foot and unleashed the beast. Unfortunately, his effort was obscene as it was deflected wide.
Then Didier Digard had a go after Lonergan had come a long way to deal with the corner. His punch allowed the ball to fall to Digard and he cut in and lashed a shot towards goal. His shoulder dipped, he put too much spin on the ball and it twirled gracefully wide like a rotating salmon in spherical form.
On twenty-seven, Neil Mellor forced a save out of Brad Jones but it was still largely all Boro.
Preston's defending was more wobbly than a jelly in an earthquake and on thirty-two Emnes almost capitalised on a soft header from Billy Jones back to his keeper. Unforuntately for Boro, Lonergan reached the ball and Emnes crumpled to the floor in a heap.
On thirty-two Chilvers was caught in no-man's land and O'Neil managed to sneak in and pass to Lita. His missile bombed as it joined the RAF.
Preston had a spell of pressure on the thirty-five minute mark, winning two corners in the process. Paul Parry's shot was deflected by Wheater for the second but the Boro managed to clear, undistracted over a newly roused home faithful.
A good ball into the Boro area through Eddie Nolan allowed Jon Parkin to have an effort but Brad Jones, who was called into making his first save of the game, saved well.
Paul Parry's cross into the Boro area a minute later was cleared by Wheater and this allowed the Boro to break. This eventually resulted in Boro winning a free-kick, twenty yards out. It was Paul Parry who conceded the free-kick on Gary O'Neil. It was going to prove to be ironic.
O'Neil stepped up to take it. He struck it well and scored after Andy Longeran dived over the ball rather than saving it. It was no less than what the Boro deserved. Meanwhile, it was a major blot on the Preston keeper's copybook after some impressive saves thus far.
PRESTON NORTH END 0 MIDDLESBROUGH 1 (O'Neil, 43)
The game had been characterised with Chilvers being unable to deal with Johnson's pace. Thirty seconds after the goal, the Boro man terrorised the Preston defender again and cut in to take a shot. The ball went narrowly wide.
Apart from Gary O'Neil being clattered on the stroke of half-time, little else of incident could be reported from a half where Boro dominated and should be more than one goal to the good.
