Birmingham City 2-1 Preston North End as it happened: Lilywhites rue nightmare start in away defeat
Midweek defeat in the Midlands for the Lilywhites
Preston North End fell to a 2-1 away defeat against Birmingham City on Wednesday night.
Manager Paul Heckingbottom made five changes to his starting lineup - two enforced due to injury - but it was the nightmare start at the now-named St Andrew’s @Knighthead Park. The home side had barely threatened but got their noses in front after 10 minutes, when Pol Valentin was dispossessed in a poor area and paid the price. Ibrahim Osman drove inside all too easily and his low strike was flicked home by Jay Stansfield, from one yard out.
Osman, full of skill and speed, was in the mood and just six minutes later he doubled the Blues’ advantage. Once again, the number 17 cut infield - this time past Jordan Thompson - and rifled into the far right corner. Fears of a PNE hiding were very much there at that stage but mid way through the half, the Lilywhites got themselves back into the contest when Andrew Hughes bundled home, on the line, from Alfie Devine’s wicked corner.
Preston grew in confidence from there with Birmingham unconvincing in their defending, especially from crosses. Loan star Lewis Dobbin started to carry a threat and fired two efforts over the crossbar, one from inside the box and the other from range. At the other end, PNE goalkeeper Daniel Iversen had been relatively untroubled, but did have to parry a powerful Stansfield strike away, just before half-time.
North End came out well after the restart and had a handful of opportunities to equalise, but James Beadle was there to deny Milutin Osmajic on two occasions. Firstly, he saved the Montenegrin’s bullet header with his legs before rushing out to smother his one-v-one effort. Crosses kept causing havoc inside Birmingham’s box and the ball dropped then dropped for Brad Potts, but his half-volley sailed over.
Preston did well to limit clear-cut chances for the hosts but in the latter stages, Carlos Vicente came agonisingly close to killing the game. The Spaniard worked room on the edge of the box and unleashed a swerving shot which cannoned back off the post. North End pushed until the end and asked some more questions from crosses, but were unable to find the killer touch and take a point back up the road.
Attendance: 23,789 PNE starting XI: Iversen; Offiah, Lindsay (c), Hughes, Valentin (Small 72’), Devine, Thompson, Vukcevic (Brady 78’), Potts (Moran 65’), Dobbin (Smith 85’), Osmajic (Jebbison 72’) PNE unused subs: Walton, Cornell; Storey, Lukovic.