Preston North End 1 Cardiff City 3 - Match report from Deepdale as PNE's play-off hopes take a huge hit

Preston North End's play-off hopes took a massive blow as they were beaten by Cardiff City who leapfrogged them into the top six.
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All the goals were squashed into the last 21 minutes, the play pretty low-key up until then.

Joe Ralls headed the Bluebirds into a 69th minute lead, Daniel Johnson bringing PNE level within four minutes after a blocked Alan Browne shot had fallen into his path.

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However, substitute Nathaniel Mendez-Laing restored the visitors lead after a one-two between him and Lee Tomlin sliced open the North End defence.

Preston North End right-back Darnell Fisher goes past Cardiff's Junior Hoilett at DeepdalePreston North End right-back Darnell Fisher goes past Cardiff's Junior Hoilett at Deepdale
Preston North End right-back Darnell Fisher goes past Cardiff's Junior Hoilett at Deepdale

Andrew Hughes and David Nugent missed great chances to equalise a second time, before Robert Glatzel's deflected shot in stoppage-time sealed Cardiff's victory.

The sides had gone into the game level on points with North End's goal difference marginally better.

That was all wiped-out by the final whistle, leaving Alex Neil with a big task to lift his side for Wednesday's 5,000th league game against Derby.

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The North End starting XI showed two changes from the 1-1 draw at Luton, with Jayden Stockley and Darnell Fisher coming into the side - Paul Gallagher and Sean Maguire dropped to the bench.

Fisher's return at right-back allowed Browne to move into midfield, while Stockley led the attack with Tom Barkhuizen and Scott Sinclair wide of him.

It was Deepdale's first behind closed doors game, the atmosphere as would have expect rather eerie with every shout on the pitch audible

A downpour greeted the teams as they came on to the pitch separately, safety protocol not allowing for the traditional walk-on side by side.

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PNE started brightly, moving the ball well in the first few minutes and having a couple of sights of goal.

In the second minute Fisher got down the right hand side of the box and drilled over a low cross which Stockley with his back to goal laid off into the path of Barkhuizen who rather disappointingly shot wide.

Sinclair shouted for a penalty when he went down under a challenge from Will Vaulks but referee Oliver Langford shook his head and waved play on, much to Sinclair's annoyance.

The build-up to that penalty claim had come from Ben Pearson's determined run.through midfield after he had nicked the ball just over the half-way line.

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At the other end, Albert Adomah and Leandro Bacuna shot wide in quick succession of one another.

Stockley in the first half found it hard going against Bluebirds skipper Sean Morrison, Morrison winning the majority of their aerial battles.

In the 44th minute, Morrison headed over from a Vaulks corner, then three minutes into stoppage-time at the end of the half Ralls hit a low shot straight at Declan Rudd.

The game's first yellow card arrived nine minutes into the second half, Cardiff right-back Dion Sanderson booked for bringing down Browne.

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Fisher took the resulting free-kick, his effort hitting the wall and looping into the box where it was cleared.

Sinclair came close to breaking the deadlock in the 57th minute, working goalkeeper Alex Smithies for the first time in the game.

He tried his luck with a low shot from 25 yards which Smithies dived to tip past the base of the post.

The resulting corner eventually bounced into the path of Stockley who off balance, could only shoot wide.

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A heavy touch from Sinclair gave the ball away and presented the visitors with a chance just past the hour, Ralls driving through midfield and hitting a low left-foot shot which Rudd dived to save.

Cardiff took the lead in the 69th minute, a poor ball out of defence putting Browne in trouble in midfield and allowing Cardiff to break.

Glatzel was brought down from behind by Ben Davies on the edge of the 'D', earning the Welsh team a free-kick.

Junior Hoilett took the free-kick and saw it blocked by the wall, but when the ball was returned into the middle, Ralls sent a header back across Rudd into the net.

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During the drinks break which followed the goal, Maguire replaced Barkhuizen, and the substitute had a hand in Preston's 73rd minute equaliser.

Stockley won a header down the right-channel which Maguire collected and squared low to find Browne in the box.

Browne's low shot was blocked but the ball fell straight to Johnson who found the net from eight yards.

Parity lasted only nine minutes though, as Cardiff regained the lead in the 82nd minute.

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It was a bit too easy for the visitors, Mendez-Laing playing a one-two with fellow sub Lee Tomlin which took him clear of the North End defence and allowed him to slot a shot past Rudd.

Andrew Hughes should have equalised straight away, substitute Gallagher lifting a delightful ball over the Cardiff defence which picked out Hughes' run.

But the left-back could only send his header straight at the keeper rather than being able to angle it down past him.

Brad Potts, David Nugent and Josh Harrop came off the bench in a triple change, two of them involved in an opening which almost brought an 90th minute equaliser.

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Potts burst forward into the box, his run was halted by a challenge, the ball breaking into the path of Nugent who curled a shot across goal and wide of the far post.

Cardiff sealed victory in stoppage-time as a thunderstorm drenched Deepdale.

A ball down the left channel was misjudged by Bauer as he went to clear, that allowing Glatzel to nip it, cut into the box and hit a shot which deflected off Davies past Rudd.

PNE: Rudd, Fisher (Gallagher 77), Bauer, Davies, Hughes, Pearson, Johnson (Potts 84), Barkhuizen (Maguire 71), Browne, Sinclair (Harrop 84), Stockley (Nugent 84). Subs (not used): Ledson, Huntington, Bodin, Ripley.

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Cardiff: Smithies, Sanderson, Morrison, Nelson, Bennett, Bacuna, Vaulks, Ralls (Tomlin 77), Adomah (Mendez-Laing 65), Hoilett (Pack 90), Paterson (Glatzel 65). Subs (not used): Flint, Whyte, Ward, Smith, Etheridge.

Referee: Oliver Langford (West Midlands)