Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
TAKING STOCK ‘I’m more than a big lump’ says Jayden after helping Preston seal fightback win
JAYDEN STOCKLEY showed there is more to his game than just being ‘a big lump’.
The Preston striker played a key role in setting up Alan Browne’s winner with a perfect cross for his fellow sub to score his fifth of the season.
“I’m not just a head on a stick,” said 6ft 2ins Stockley.
“I might be the big man put on up front as an impact sub, but I fancy myself as a bit more of a footballer, not just a header of the ball in the middle. I was happy to be the provider.
“Not everyone realises that Brownie is good in the air. He has a great spring on him.
“Our away form has been brilliant, but we had to rectify our home performances.
“Now we face two huge away games – West Brom and Fulham. At West Brom we’ll meet up with our old team-mate Callum Robinson. It’ll be good to see him again.” North End boss
Alex Neil said: “It’s going to be difficult. West Brom are a good passing team, but we are excellent against top teams.
“They don’t like playing against us, and they know how we get at them.”
Hull’s Mallick Wilks scored his third goal in four games since joining on loan from Barnsley in January to put the Tigers ahead before half-time.
And his header from a Callum Elder cross was just reward as Hull ran the first-half show.
Tigers manager Grant Mccann, though, was furious with the “soft penalty” awarded in the 67th minute when Darnell Fisher went down – which Paul Gallagher converted to get Preston back into the game, four minutes before Browne struck.
Mccann also has major problems up front for Wednesday’s game with Barnsley after Tom Eaves was carried off with an ankle injury and with Wilks unable to play against his parent club.