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Preston NE 0 Blackpool 1
Deadly rivals Blackpool delivered what is surely the coup de grace to Preston's play-off hopes when they took the points in a typical blood and thunder derby match at Deepdale.
A goal just before half-time from on-loan Rangers midfielder Charlie Adam was enough to leave North End needing a miracle from their remaining four matches to make the top six.
Sean St Ledger had a headed goal disallowed three minutes from time for what referee Andy D'Urso saw as a push by Jon Parkin on his marker.
But Alan Irvine's side had only themselves to blame after creating chances and only to waste them.
The winning goal came in the 45th minute when Ross Wallace gave the ball away in midfield and Adam was allowed to run through before firing in a shot which clipped the inside of the right-hand post and rolled into the net.
The goal broke North End's hearts after a first period where they had enough chances to go in front but, as at Bristol City a week earlier, failed to make the most of them.
It was a pulsating end-to-end game with the Seasiders also having opportunities to go in front before Adam's strike.
The nearest either side had come prior to that was a Ross Wallace free-kick which crashed against the angle of post and bar.
Deepdale was a cauldron of noise as the teams came out into bright sunshine.
In addition to the 8,000 flags handed out to fans on the two sides of the ground, supporters in the Alan Kelly Town End passed a huge banner over their heads along the length of the stand showing a picture of the great Sir Tom in his playing days.
Before kick-off both sides ringed the centre circle and the whole ground stood for a minute's applause in memory of former PNE owner Malcolm Woodhouse who died recently.
The visitors were the first to show and forced Youl Mawene into giving away a corner.
From the flag kick Burgess sent a header goalwards and Campbell tried to help it on, but Chris Sedgwick was on the line at the near post to block with his knee, Blackpool players making a half-hearted appeal for handball.
Andrew Lonergan incurred the wrath of his skipper Paul McKenna when he threw out a ball which put him under pressure 35 yards from goal, but fortunately the danger was averted when it was knocked into touch for a throw.
In the sixth minute North End forced a corner of their own at the opposite end when Parkin's shot on the turn was deflected behind.
When the kick came over from Williamson, Parkin failed to get enough contact at the far post, turning away with his head in his hands at a mikssed opportunity.
Moments later a delicate chip by Wallace with the outside of his boot found Elliott 12 yards out, but he could not get high enough and the ball skimmed off the top of his head and out for a goal-kick.
And in the very next attack Nolan played a neat one-two with Elliott inside the box only to see his resulting shot blocked by defender Alex Baptiste throwing himself in the way.
It was good end-to-end derby stuff by now and the next scare came in the Preston box when a corner on the left was met by Burgess beyond the far post, causing Lonergan to fling himself across and palm round to safety.
McKenna won a free-kick 25 yards from goal when he was up-ended by Charlie Adam and after Wallace had placed the ball carefully he curled a left-footed shot over the defensive wall and the ball slammed against the angle of post and bar with keeper Paul Rachubka rooted to the spot.
Sedgwick took a quick corner on the right to Wallace and the winger's accurate left foot put the cross right into the danger spot, but defender Shaun Barker just managed to get his head to it to glance it away from the lurking Parkin.
From the next corner Sean St Ledger got in the way as the big striker waited to pounce, Parkin letting his defender know in no uncertain terms who is the gaffer in the opposition penalty area.
Elliott was beginning to cause the Blackpool defence all sorts of problems with his pace and his ability to twist and turn away from opponents.
And after 27 minutes the Republic of Ireland striker went close to breaking the deadlock when he peeled off on the right of goal before turning to blast a vicious shot just inches the wrong side of the
woodwork.
Elliott then saw a shot from almost the exact same spot brilliantly turned away one-handed by Rachubka.
But when his strike partner Parkin gave the ball away on the edge of the visitors box he had to run three-quarters of the length of the field to try and retrieve it as North End were outnumbered four to three.
Burgess eventually put in a shot which Lonergan got down to block and Campbell followed up but his effort was snuffed out.
Blackpool midfielder Charlie Adam became the first name in referee Andy D'Urso's book after 35 minutes for a crude challenge which left Sedgwick on the ground clutching his shin.
Preston skipper McKenna, a veteran of so many of these high-energy Lancashire derbies, tried his luck from 25 yards and was unlucky to see the piledriver skim inches over the bar.
Elliott found room on the right and although off balance delivered a great cross into the middle, but Williamson was just not tall enough to apply the finishing touch.
With less than two minutes to go to half-time disaster struck for Preston and the opening goal came from the most innocuous of situations.
Wallace who had buzzed around energetically all half overran the ball near the halfway line and presented Adam with a chance to take it through the middle.
The North End defence backed away and when the midfielder fired in a shot it beat Lonergan's dive, clipped the inside of the right-hand post and rolled into the net.
Preston came out in a determined mood after the interval and straight away Parkin was in the thick of the action, seeing a shot on the turn beaten away.
The 5,000 visiting fans behind Lonergan's goal were by now outchanting three times their number and they very nearly got something to sing about when Adam cut in from the left and hammered in a shot which clipped the boot of Billy Jones, went between Campbell's legs and out beyond the far post for a corner.
The on-loan Rangers player was a threat every time he moved forward and in the next attack he sent a rocket free-kick from 30 yards whistling narrowly wide.
More than an hour had now gone and boss Irvine was clearly getting rattled by his side's lack of punch up front and sent on Neil Mellor for Elliott and Simon Whaley for Sedgwick in an attempt to inject some spark.
Blackpool also made a change, replacing Roy O'Donovan with PNE old boy Brett Ormerod on the right of midfield.
Mellor's first touch was an attempted shot which was blocked by a defender's boot, his second was a glancing header which went wide of the right-hand post from Wallace's left-wing chip.
Wallace then swapped wings with Whaley in the hope he could have a greater impact on the right. But North End were beginning to look short on ideas.
Mellor had another snap shot beaten out and Wallace sent an effort spinning away into the Town End crowd.
Parkin looked as if he was about to level matters up after 74 minutes when he chested down a cross from Nolan and shaped to shoot, but referee D'Urso blew for what he saw as a push.
Then keeper Rachubka dropped an inswinging corner from Wallace in the six-yard box, but St Ledger was unable to turn the loose ball over the line before it was scrambled clear.
Time and again Preston tried hopeful high balls into targetman Parkin, but invariably the tactic did not work as central defenders Rob Edwards and Shaun Barker kept the big man quiet.
When they did play a ball in along the floor it fell for Williamson on his wrong foot and he sliced his effort horribly wide.
Williamson went down under a challenge from Stephen Crainey but referee D'Urso turned away unimpressed by a half-hearted penalty appeal.
Then Sean St Ledger looked to have headed the home side level three minutes from time at the back post but Mr D'Urso ruled he had pushed his marker.
Another corner came in and this time Parkin tried an overhead kick, but the effort was harmlessly off target.
It was all North End in the final stages, but they could not turn their possession into an equaliser.
Wallace's free-kick was glanced wide by Parkin and, from a corner on the left, Jones flung himself at the ball as it arrowed across the six-yard box, but he could not apply the all-important touch.
When the final whistle sounded the Tangering fans went ballistic in celebration and sang "We beat the scum 1-0" as Preston's players - and supporters - trooped off disconsolately.
Preston North End: Lonergan, Jones, Mawene, St Ledger, Nolan, Sedgwick, McKenna, Williamson, Wallace, Parkin, Elliott.
Substitutes: Neal, Carter, Chilvers, Whaley, Mellor.
Blackpool: Rachubka, Baptiste, Edwards, Barker, Crainey, O'Donovan, Southern, Adam, Vaughan, Burgess, Campbell.
Substitutes: Gilks, Ormerod, Hughes, Walton, Jorgensen.
Referee: Andy D'Urso (Essex)
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Friday 25 May 2012
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