Now we must take three points against Stoke City says PNE Fans’ Panel’s Tim Mercer

Whilst getting 
another point on the board is welcome, this fan cannot help feeling that without a win soon it could turn into a bit of a ‘draw crisis’. Two 
of the next three matches are at home and a couple of 
wins would make an enormous difference and get 
our season kick-started. 
As for the game, the term stalemate is an apt description for what happened out on the pitch with both sides having a couple of good chances apiece in the first half.

For North End, Josh Earl received a good cross into the box with all the space and time needed but chose to go for the nearside of the Blues’ keeper and give him a relatively easy save.

Then Emil Riis was put through the inside-right of the box with an incisive pass but found the keeper instead of the net with a shot that also lacked some power.

There was a scare early in the second half that required Ben Whiteman to clear off the line and Daniel Iversen again played his part with two good saves, one in each half, but from then on that was about it.

The quality dwindled as both sides cancelled each other out and it was a relief for both sets of fans to hear the final whistle.

Not a game that will live long in my memory and with a niggling feeling that a lack of creativity and firepower going forward is letting us down now that we have a settled and solid defence.

It needs fixing soon if we are not to be dragged back down the table and beating Stoke City on Tuesday night under the Deepdale floodlights would be a good place to start.