No home comfort: Poor defending and a lack of creativity costly for Preston boss Alex Neil

Alex Neil was left to lament issues at both ends of the pitch in Preston North End’s home defeat to Cardiff yesterday.
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The Lilywhites lost 1-0, all three Championship games at Deepdale having ended in that scoreline this season.

PNE boss Neil was unhappy with the defending for Sheyi Ojo’s winner early in the second half.

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Then it was a frustrating watch as North End laboured to try and find an equaliser.

Preston North End's Brad Potts battles with Carfiff City's Marlon PackPreston North End's Brad Potts battles with Carfiff City's Marlon Pack
Preston North End's Brad Potts battles with Carfiff City's Marlon Pack

One bit of quality, an 88th minute cross from Ben Davies, found Jayden Stockley but the substitute put a header straight at the Cardiff keeper.

Neil said: “It is always a concern when you don’t score goals and that is three home matches this season we have been beaten 1-0.

“We know we can score goals, we got four the last time out at Brentford.

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“We got into one or two good situations but it is about finding that little bit of guile.”

Cardiff caught North End on the break for their winner, a headed clearance out of their own box starting it off.

Both Patrick Bauer and Andrew Hughes dived in on Kieffer Moore as he took the ball up field before playing in Ojo to score.

Neil said: “Although our defending for the goal wasn’t great, it was a smashing finish from the lad.

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“He drives away, gets his head up and shot with his weaker foot.

“Saying that, we needed to do more to stop the break.

“When you are being countered, there has to be some caution about you, what you don’t do to rescue it is dive in and go to ground.

“If you go to ground, you have to make sure that stops the player.

“We needed to get to the line of the ball quicker too, not let the lad get his shot away like he did.”

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Neil chose to stick with the same side which had started the 4-2 win at Brentford two weeks earlier.

That meant only a place on the bench for Daniel Johnson who was returning after injury.

Alan Browne was given medical clearance to play having had to self-isolate for a spell since international duty with the Republic of Ireland.

Browne and three other players were deemed close contacts of a Republic team-mate who tested positive for Covid-19.

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Of that quartet, winger Callum O’Dowda played for Bristol City on Saturday, while John Egan turned out for Sheffield United against Fulham yesterday.

Neil said: “We just took medical advice on Alan.

“One of the players in the same situation as Alan had taken advice from an England doctor who the league have been taking advice from during all this. That allowed Alan to play.”