Changes on Pulis’s mind as he keeps one eye on Hull test
AFTER back-to-back defeats at Elland Road and Bramall Lane inside five days last week, Preston North End are no doubt mighty glad to be nowhere near Yorkshire tonight.
Not that the Championship’s bottom club can escape the White Rose totally with Middlesbrough the visitors to Deepdale in the Carabao Cup third round.
Tony Pulis is set to make wholesale changes once again as the Boro manager makes the trip to Deepdale with one eye on his side’s weekend clash away at Hull City.
Ashley Fletcher and Grant Leadbitter are expected to come in along with Rudy Gestede, the French-born striker being in line for his first appearance of the season and only his second since February due to a knee injury.
Also expected to feature are youngsters Dael Fry, Lewis Wing, Marcus Tavernier and Stephen Walker, while 16-year-old Nathan Wood will also travel.
Alex Neil, in contrast to his Boro counterpart, plans to name an XI that will be much closer to his first-choice team as the Scot looks to bounce back from a 3-2 defeat at Sheffield United that came via a dramatic 87th-minute winner from David McGoldrick after North End had come from two goals down to level.
Neil said: “We need to find a solution and a winning habit, where we can play well and get what we deserve. On Saturday I don’t think that we got what we deserved.
“At two-each we did remarkably well to get ourselves back in that position.
“Against a really difficult team at home and I honestly felt – and I think everybody did – that we were going to go on and win the game and It was another kick in the teeth for us.” NEITHER Harrogate Town nor Wrexham could have imagined heading into last weekend that their first league meeting would come on the back of a 3-0 defeat apiece.
That, though, is the reality after a Saturday afternoon that left both Simon Weaver and Sam Ricketts bemoaning how anything that could have gone wrong had done.
Leyton Orient’s win over Harrogate means what seems certain to be a bumper crowd at Wetherby Road tonight is denied a top-of-the-table clash, the London club now sitting at the summit.
But that does not make it any less fascinating. “We are looking for a response,” said Weaver. “By our standards, we fell below them on the day.
“But we move on. You move on quickly in this game. I certainly think confidence will not be undermined. We are glad it is a big game against Wrexham.
“If someone had told us we would be playing Wrexham in the 13th game and have 25 points we would have bitten their hand off. We are delighted to be in such a good position.”
As Harrogate lost to Orient, Wrexham were crashing by the same scoreline at Sutton United.
Weaver added: “Wrexham will be hurting and looking for a response, too.
“That is the nature of the beast at this level. You have off days where everything goes right for the opposition. You don’t get the rub of the green.”
meanwhile, are also at home as AFC Fylde make the trip across the Pennines.
Matty Brown and Matty Kosylo must sit out the clash with the seasiders following their red cards in the weekend defeat at home to Hartlepool United.
Jamie Fullarton’s men are without a win in five games, a run that has seen Halifax drop from top spot in the fifth tier to 11th.