Preston Tonight

[Whalley Red]

First half line-up:

....................Alcock......................
.Jagielka - Flynn - Tretton - Latham.
Brown - Craney - Brennan - Roberts
.................Mullin - Hay..................


Latham looked composed on the ball and a decent player. Should certainly provide Butler with good competition for the left back position. Hay also looked lively, but more a player for the future than the finished article. He did seem to develop a good partnership with Mullin though, which Brown didn't do on Saturday.

Second half saw lots of subsitutions, so the game became very scrappy so difficult to judge the other trialists, but none particularly impressed, though I do hope Matty O'Neil did enough last season to earn a contract with us this season. As a result, I can't really comment on the second half performance, as the highlight of the half (and earned the loudest cheer) was Cookie falling on his backside when heading the ball.

Largely, we looked a decent team in the first half. Craney was as threatening to defences as he was at the start of last season, Mullin and Hay worked well together, though without really forcing Carlo Nash into a decent save, and Roberts once again looked the best player on the pitch. We have had some great wingers at the club in the last 25 years that I been watching Stanley and Roberts looks as though he will be up there with them.

Jaggers was played at right back and did as well as could be expected, but was at fault in letting them take a short corner from the right from which the cross found its target and it was 1-0 after about 20 minutes. Flynn, Tretton and Alcock will need time together as a unit before the start of the season and they were at fault on this occasion, but otherwise they were solid enough and the defence was much better than on Saturday.

Which leaves Brown and Brannan ... and while Brown didn't fall over every time he was near a defender as he did on Saturday, both he and Brannan were largely spectators in this game. Both looked lightweight.

In trust, Preston were not that good and we certainly deserved a draw, but the main point was that the first-half team looked as though they could pass the ball about and play some football as opposed to the 'punt-and-hope' tactics on Saturday, we just need a proven goalscorer to complement Mullin.

[Smiffy16]

It was just a typical pre-season game really nothing much to comment on......

Few new trialists none of which really impressed very dull and boring game not many chances for either side...got a feeling tomorrow will be different...hope so anyway!

[Wynonie Harris]

Ta, WR...sounds reasonably encouraging. I just hope this "proven goalscorer" turns up soon!

[Wynonie Harris]

Originally Posted by Smiffy16

...got a feeling tomorrow will be different...hope so anyway!

So do I! A win against Burnley would be just the morale booster we need at the moment!

[Cafu01]

All the Burnley first team wil be playing tomorrow, and a couple youths may come on for the last 10 minutes

[Smiffy16]

All the Burnley first team wil be playing tomorrow, and a couple youths may come on for the last 10 minutes

Encourages me even more then for a win no only joking should be another good test for the lads tomorrow.....

[Ber999T]

I was informed that the game had "friendly" written all over it as the players were just having a good run round to get warmed up for the season ahead, or as I put it to my mate at the game "Handbags at ten paces type of game" to which I got the reply "YES!"

I was hoping to attend the game against Burnley but got duties mixed up and have to cover the cycling event in Colne. My fault for not reading e-mails enough before replying lol.

Hope that Accrington Stanley play well on Wednesday and hope to be able to get to the ground more this season than last.

[Adam Cottier]

they were good tonight on the whole. Fitness wise they looked superb; defensively they were organised and have to say again that Gary Roberts looked the part. Tretton and Flynn have - potentially - a good partnership going on and triallist (Hay and Latham) looked okay as well. Still need another striker though and Martin O'Niell to lower his wage demands because he is well worthy of playing for Stanley.

All in all a good work out.

[Tin Monkey]

Originally Posted by Adam Cottier

and Martin O'Niell to lower his wage demands because he is well worthy of playing for Stanley.

I wonder how much he was on at Celtic?

[AccyMad]

I thought the lads played well last night - a much better game than on Saturday anyway. Jags in particular played well at right back, Gary Roberts had another cracker and it was good to see Danny in the nets. I wouldn't have said we played the weaker Preston side, there were quite a few of their first team in there and we played quite a few trialists in the 2nd half.

[Adam Cottier]

Whalley Red you are spot on