The John Smith column: Storm Amy can’t blow North End off course as they rise to fourth in table
Having survived the previous night’s Storm Amy, just like Dorothy and her dog Toto in the classic film "The Wizard of Oz", I too woke up the following day to find myself in a magical land.
Mine had no yellow brick road to follow but it did have my team playing Charlton on the green turf of Deepdale.
PNE’s 2-0 victory over Charlton Athletic stretched our unbeaten home league run to five matches so I, unlike Dorothy, did not have to say the words aloud with my eyes shut or click the heels of any ruby slippers to realise that "There's No Place Like Home".
Although her magical land had felt so real at the end of the film Dorothy awoke to find out that it had all been just a dream, seeing North End in fourth spot in the Championship was very much reality.
Being three points off the top spot going into the second international break of the season was something most North End fans could only of dreamed about in the summer.
It was an all-round workmanlike display from the team.
Milutin Osmajic, our own "Wizard of Os", was on the bench but on the field of play some of our players displayed the brains, courage and heart wished for by Dorothy's companions the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion and the Tin Man who accompanied her on her journey to the Emerald City.
Harrison Armstrong belied his youthful years by showing an intelligent football brain in his distribution of the ball in the middle of the park and reminded me of a young Brian O’Neil.
Ali McCann played like a lion in the centre of the park breaking up the play on numerous occasions with some of his trademark fierce tackles.
Thierry Small was a constant target for the boo boys supporting his former club showed that all his feelings are now reserved for North End when he knee slid towards an ecstatic Alan Kelly Stand in delight after scoring our opening goal midway through the second half.
Daniel Jebbison was rewarded for running his socks off all afternoon with his first North End goal which all but clinched our win10 minutes from time.
Man of the match Andrija Vukcevic was up and down the line particularly in the first half showing a great deal of determination to get his crosses in while also being strong in the tackle.
No game in this division is easy and although we dominated the game going forwards, Charlton we're well organised and though they never managed a shot on target, they were always looking to catch us out on the counter.
The "Goodbye Horse" song which their fans chanted at various times during the game is one of the strangest ones I've ever heard at a football match.
I was wandering what our late horse loving owner Trevor Hemmings would have made of it had he been still here watching the game from his box in the Invincibles Stand.
One thing what is certain though as we approach the fourth year anniversary of his passing next Saturday is that his team is riding high in the early stages of the Championship race.