LOWE FIRED UP BY ACE ARCHER
RYAN Lowe hailed loan signing Cameron Archer as “fantastic” after the striker shot down Tigers to give North End victory at the MKM Stadium.
The Aston Villa loanee hit a post in the first half before scoring the winner at the start of the second period, and boss Lowe insists there is more to come from the youngster.
“He’s a fantastic player,” said Lowe after a game in which North End hit a post, had chances cleared off the line and a goal disallowed for handball.
“He was brought here to score goals. We know he’s not 100 per cent but he’s a fantastic talent. We have to keep working with him to keep improving him.”
Both sides had chances to win, with Tom Eaves having an effort disallowed for offside, and Lowe praised his side’s defensive solidity to keep Hull City at bay.
“My heart was in my mouth at times, but the boys put their bodies on the lines,” he said. “We just needed that little bit more calmness.”
Both sides were buoyed by their respective vocal support and it was the home side who started strongest, with North End goalkeeper Daniel Iversen called into action after just two minutes to claw a deflected header off the line.
The game became progressively more open and Greg Docherty should perhaps have shot when clear on goal midway through the half.
Preston then came to life, and Matt Ingram, playing for the first time since November, and Sean McLoughlin combined on more than one occasion to clear the ball off the line as momentum swung towards the away side.
North End began the second half well and had a goal disallowed for captain Alan Browne’s handball. Two minutes later they struck when Archer finished well after Ben Whiteman crossed from deep. The home side thought they levelled but Eaves’ effort was ruled out for offside.
Hull threw everything they could at Preston in the final 15 minutes but owner Acun Illicali saw his side lose for the first time in the league since taking over last month as Preston took the sting out of the game with several cynical fouls at key moments to frustrate the Tigers.
Head coach Shota Arveladze said: “For every manager it is not easy to lose this way, but the next game is very soon.”
Hull have a tough schedule, and Arveladze has some big decisions to make with Derby County away on Tuesday night.
“I need to see which players understand the game better,” he admitted. “Every game will give us a clearer picture of this, and I have to act on this in training sessions.
“We need to take a shower and have a nice coffee. Then we can start to think about
the next game.”