Preston North End v Blackburn Rovers team news: Alan Browne returns for PNE, no Ben Pearson, three youngsters on the bench

The Lilywhites skipper replaced Brad Potts in the side, Browne having sat out the win over Sheffield Wednesday as he was self-isolating after testing positive for Covid-19 while on international duty with the Republic of Ireland.

Darnell Fisher was included in the side, North End having had until 6pm to responded to the disciplinary charge levelled at him by the FA.

North End's substitutes' bench raised a few eyebrows, with no Ben Pearson, Josh Earl or Paul Gallagher on duty.

Adam O'Reilly was included among the nine subs, as were second-year scholars Jacob Holland-Wilkinson and Lewis Coulton.

Holland-Wilkinson is a striker and Coulton a left-back, Coulton needed as cover for that side of the defence in the absence of Earl and Andrew Hughes.

Rovers included former PNE scholar Tyrhys Dolan on their bench, the 18-year-old having been released by North End in the summer.

PNE: Rudd, Fisher, Bauer, Huntington, Rafferty, Ledson, Johnson, Barkhuizen, Browne, Sinclair. Riis. Subs: Storey, Coulton, O'Reilly, Bayliss, Potts, Stockley, Holland-Wilkinson, Maguire, Ripley.

Rovers: Kaminski, Nyambe, Lenihan, Wharton, Douglas, Trybull, Holtby, Rothwell, Gallagher, Brereton, , Armstrong. Subs: Carter, Bell, Davenport, Buckley, Downing, Chapmna, Dolan, Elliott, Pears.

Referee: Tony Harrington (Hartlepool)

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