Preston North End 0-1 Lincoln City: PNE slip to another defeat

Preston North End lost 1-0 to Lincoln City on Saturday, suffering their sixth defeat in seven games.

The result keeps them in the relegation zone, now 23rd. They are only not bottom due to Burnley’s poorer goal difference.

Lincoln City took the lead on 80 minutes after Freddie Draper headed home from a corner.

Ben House headed goalwards for the visitors inside three minutes but he was in an offside position as Daniel Iversen palmed it away. After a quiet opening quarter of an hour, PNE began to test the opposition.

Alfie Devine’s shot from range was charged down by an Imps man before Andy Vukcevic’s looped cross almost found its way into the far corner of the net, but it was tipped over by George Wickens. A promising ball in from Stanley Mills two minutes later was cleared, only as far as Johnny Kenny, whose effort flew over the crossbar.

Mills had a go himself halfway through the first 45 as he drove an effort towards goal from the right edge of the 18-yard-box, it needed a strong save from Wickens.

Dan Ogeyoke headed over from a Rob Street cross on 32 minutes before Alfie Devine’s low ball nearly crept in at the far post after some decent play through the middle.

With a minute of the second half played, North End’s record signing had another effort from range but it was blocked. Harry Clarke ventured into the Lincoln area on 51 minutes and was urged to shoot by the PNE faithful; his powerful strike from 12 yards out cannoned off an Imps defender before Kenny forced a corner from a similar distance.

Iversen made a smart stop down to his left to deny Conor McGrandles from just inside the box. After another quiet period during the second half, Jordan Storey saw a point-blank header from a corner cleared off the line by Sonny Bradley.

Clarke had another go from distance after some nice work from Mills but it deflected well wide off a Lincoln player. At the other end, substitute Chiedozie Ogbene tested Iversen at his near post. The Dane got down and saved well, but the visitors took the lead from the resulting throw-in.

With his back to goal initially, Draper got clear of Odel Offiah and rose highest and nodded an effort past Iversen.

Andrew Hughes, returning after a spell on the sidelines, had a header blocked from just outside the six-yard box, moments before the referee blew the final whistle.

PNE starting XI: Iversen, Clarke, Offiah, Storey, Vukcevic, Thompson (c), Gibbs (Leroy 64’), Mills (Hughes 78’), Devine, Lang (Burgzorg 64’), Kenny (Erabi 64’). Unused subs: Nicholls, Valentin, Lindsay, Small, Moran.