GRAYSON: ‘HUNTS’ IS ON A HIGH
SIMON Grayson was not afraid to nominate his star of the show after Paul Huntington enjoyed a match-winning return to Huish Park.
Huntington captained Yeovil during a two-year spell in south Somerset before moving closer to his home town of Carlisle to play for Preston North End.
Injury to Bailey Wright has offered him a route into the first team and Huntington has responded with a series of impressive displays, most recently breaking the deadlock against Yeovil with a thumping fifthminute header.
Paul Gallagher scored Preston’s second in the final minute on the counter-attack after the hosts had Ryan Inniss sent off, but it was the intervention of Huntington – who also excelled defensively – that proved decisive.
Grayson said: “I thought he was probably our best player. His defending, his use of the ball, I can’t speak highly enough of him.
“The easy decision for him a couple of months ago when he wasn’t in the team was to go out on loan somewhere to get first team football.
“He had faith in his ability and confidence that he would get an opportunity. And when he got his chance he took it.
“There is probably nobody playing better than Hunts at this moment in time and he’s making it hard for me to leave him out, particularly when we’re keeping clean sheets.The back four picks itself at the moment.”
Yeovil have now won just one league game at home all season and remain entrenched in the League One relegation zone.
Despite an encouraging debut from new striker Tom Eaves, the Glovers failed to seriously trouble Preston keeper Thorsten Stuckmann.
Huntington headed Preston in front when he lost marker Stephen Arthurworrey and powered the ball past Yeovil stopper Artur Krysiak.
Eaves came close to an equaliser when he flicked a header just over the crossbar, while Arthurworrey also headed narrowly off target.
But after the break Yeovil were reduced to ten men when Inniss dived in to tackle Kyel Reid and was shown a straight red card.
In the final minute Gallagher clinched three points when he ran on to a pass from Kevin Davies before sweeping the ball past Krysiak.
Yeovil boss Gary Johnson said:“We came up against an experienced Preston team and I think that showed.
“We had a lot of play, a lot of possession, but our inexperience showed for their goal when we lost their man Huntington from the corner.
“It was a mistake from us and left us chasing the game. That’s how the second goal came, when we were down to ten men and committing players to look for an equaliser. “I can’t really comment on the red card because I haven’t watched the DVD yet but being down to ten men certainly made it harder for us.”