THE VERDICT: TOWN 0 PRESTON 0 Battling point may be crucial for Town
TOWN RATED BOSS WILL BE SATISIFED TO GET SOMETHING OUT OF PHYSICAL SCRAP WITH PLAY-OFF HOPEFULS
IT’S not too long ago Danny Cowley was demanding his senior professionals stood up to be counted.
Well, the message seems to have been received loud and clear - not only by the 30-somethings but also by the younger battlers in blue and white stripes.
Cowley was determined not to get bullied by Preston, as his team were for large parts of their 3-1 defeat at Deepdale in November.
That was before the manager made significant changes to the squad in January and achieved more of the consistency which has gradually revived them from the depths of one point from the first eight league matches.
“We know with Preston exactly what we are up against,” said Cowley ahead of the game.
“We need to make sure we compete with them.
“They will come and they will try to bully us and we have to make sure, collectively, we stand up - and that’s what we intend to do.”
His message was not ignored, even though Town survived late chances for Preston substitute 7
Rudd, Rafferty, Bauer, Davies, Hughes, Pearson, Browne (Stockley, 72), Barkhuizen (Bodin, 89), Ledson (Sinclair, 84), Harrop (Maguire, 72), Potts. Not used: Fisher, Bayliss, Storey, Ripley, Nugent.
Scott Sinclair (twice) and Sean Maguire in stoppage time.
Captain Christopher Schindler, who finished the game bloodied and bandaged, was a tower of strength, Richard Stearman followed his lead and, in midfield, Jonathan Hogg crowned his 200th league start for the club with a fearless show of fight.
This was the sort of physical scrap in which Hogg thrives and Town needed to make sure they gained rewards for a physically draining 90 minutes.
Mentally, it will also have drained Cowley’s men because Preston dominated the ball for long spells and forced set-piece after set-piece, the majority delivered testingly by Josh Harrop.
Town had to stick to their guns and no-one raised a white flag, even though opportunities at the attacking end were few and far between, although Lewis O’Brien’s first-half drive rattled into the ribs of goalkeeper Declan Rudd.
Fraizer Campbell, so effective against Birmingham, had to fight for scraps. But he did. And his most telling contribution, perhaps, was to block a drive from Preston skipper Browne at the other end.
Perhaps that’s why he and Elias Kachunga were replaced at half-time for the taller duo of Steve Mounie and Collin Quaner.
Cowley didn’t waste too much time replacing Alex Pritchard with Emile Smith Rowe, either, in an attempt to give Town more control of the ball and more threat in the attacking third.
All the while, O’Brien was a willing ally for Hogg in the centre, ferreting for every inch of territory and every morsel of possession.
Smith Rowe showed glimpses of his class with some sweet turns and close control, but
Alan