Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
PRESTON BOSS: I’M REALLY PROUD
Ice cool Alex has his men firing in their greatest ever fightback
PRESTON manager Alex Neil inspired the best comeback win of his time at Preston – and all without throwing a single tea-cup.
The Scot stayed ice-cool delivering his half-time talk and then watched his team rattle i n four goals i n 18 minutes to claim a stunning first league win of the season.
Scott Sinclair with two goals, Brad Potts and Sean Maguire turned this match on its head after Brentford’s Ivan Toney scored twice in the first half.
Neil (below) said: “It is the best comeback of my time here. We have come away to such a difficult opponent – I have a l ot of respect for Brentford – and scored four in the second half.
“I hope that this result can now be a springboard for us. In terms of the half-time talk, I was angrier last weekend against Stoke!
“I am just really pleased with the reaction.
“We are alw always seen as un underdogs because we don’t spend a lot of money and Brentford’s squad probably cost 10 times what ours did – but we don’t lack character.”
Brentford, who l ost the play-off final to Fulham last season, didn’t concede three goals i n a Championship match ALL of last term.
An d b e w i l d e re d b o s s Thomas Frank, who could lose star winger Said Benrahma before the next match, admitted that shipping four in 18 minutes had left the team in shock.
He said: “I can’t remember the last time we let in four goals, but the second half took me back to the horror run of results at the start of my time as manager here, when goals were flying in.
“Last season we were very strong defensively – and so I am 100 per cent sure this will be a one-off. All the goals were avoidable, and of course I am disappointed.
“Sometimes things happen that you just can’t explain.”
Daniels 6, Dalsgaard 6, Pinnock 6, Jansson 6, Thompson 6, Norgaard 6 (Jensen 20, 6), Dasilva 7, Mbeumo 6, Marcondes 6 (Benrahma 68, 6), Canos 6 (Ghoddos 68, 6), Toney 7.
Rudd 6, Rafferty 6, Bauer 6, Davies 6, Hughes 6, Pearson 6, Ledson 6, Potts 7, Browne 7, Sinclair 8, Maguire 7 (Jakobsen 78).