Johnson spot on for gritty Preston

HERE’S one for the ‘Did you know?’ trivia questions around the dinner table this Christmas: Preston have the worst defence in the Championship, with 30 goals conceded.

It would certainly take you by surprise based on last night’s performance, Alex Neil’s side defending valiantly to see out a 1-0 win over Bristol City after a first-half Daniel Johnson penalty.

It was a clinical performance in both boxes by Preston. Scott Sinclair had the best chance of the opening stages — showing he still has pace in abundance at 31 — with a driving run at City’s defence before firing just wide. He continued to cause problems and, on 21 minutes, won a penalty. He seemed to shimmy across the box, a bit like you see Raheem Sterling do, selling defenders a dummy or two with fake shots, before Taylor Moore left a lazy leg and fouled him. Johnson (right) made no mistake with the spot-kick, sending Daniel Bentley the wrong way.

Preston continued in the ascendancy and, with the last kick of the first half, Sinclair could have scored a goal of his own but failed to get any power on a volley at the back post.

The away side had no shots on goal in the first half but they came out firing after the break. Substitute Antoine Semenyo went close twice before Callum o’Dowda forced Declan Rudd into a full-stretch save in the bottom corner.

After being so comfortable in the first half, it felt like the Alamo for Preston as the game went on, with City creating a wave of chances. But they all did their task, stood tall and saw out the game for a vital win.