NEIL: GOAL RUSH IS JUST THE START
Ten-man Latics are punished
ALEX NEIL says his Preston side can go forward with optimism after thrashing ten-man Wigan in the Lancashire derby at Deepdale.
Strikes from Callum Robinson, Tom Barkhuizen and Paul Gallagher, along with a late own goal, helped the Lilywhites earn Lancashire bragging rights, after Darron Gibson was shown a straight red card for a clumsy tackle on Ben Pearson
Neil said: “Scoring four goals is obviously pleasing but we have been scoring goals regularly – the best thing for me is the clean sheet.
“That has got to be your foundation. Everyone is a hell of a lot happier now.
“We go forward with more optimism than before. Everyone will go home a lot happier tonight and it means we will be going in to the international break in much better spirits.”
Promoted Wigan have had a far more vibrant start to the season than the Lilywhites and they went into this clash in ninth place with five wins – yet only one on the road – while the home side have been looking like relegation favourites as they started the match rooted to the bottom of the table.
However, Preston twisted the knife at the crucial moments in this occasionally badtempered encounter.
After an even start, Preston took the lead in the 17th minute. Alan Browne threaded a pass through to Barkhuizen on the right and his low shot from 12 yards squirmed under Christian Walton. Tempers beinto gan to fray towards the break as Browne stupidly tripped Sam Morsy before Josh Windass then aggressively pushed Browne in response.
Seconds later, Cédric Kipré dived into a tackle with Lukas Nmecha inside the area, but referee Lee Probert waved away Preston’s furious penalty claims.
Robinson doubled Preston’s lead in the 52nd minute as he kept his nerve on the edge of the six-yard box to slot past Walton. Wigan’s hopes of clawing their way back into the match took a further blow after 56 minutes when Gibson was sent off for challenging Pearson down the left wing.
Shortly afterwards, Wigan manager Paul Cook was booked for dissent.
Preston’s first Championship win since the opening day was finally confirmed in the 85th minute when substitute Gallagher crashed home a penalty after Nmecha was dragged down in the area.
To compound Wigan’s misery, in injury time Robinson’s close-range strike was turned the net by the unfortunate Dan Burn.
Cook knows his team will have to respond immediately to the defeat.
He said: “This is probably the biggest disappointment I’ve had since I started managing the club.
“We have underachieved for our fans and they go home hurt and I’m as hurt as them. The best team won the game, I have no complaints about that.
“When you’re not great at both ends of the pitch then this is what happens.”