Two key men ahead of Preston North End and Cardiff City Championship clash

The manager – Steve Morison

Steve Morison has only been in charge of the Bluebirds since October but the Cardiff fans have taken to him very well. It has been an unexpectedly poor season for the Welsh side but the appointment of the young boss has been a positive and given the fans some hope moving forward.

He has looked towards youth players and embedded some of the young talent into the first team.

The 38-year-old has won and lost nine in the league so far, drawing four times since being put in interim charge, and then permanent.

A former striker, Morison is best known for his time at Millwall where he spent seven seasons in total, having worked his way up through non-league and is third in the club’s all-time goalscoring charts.

The referee – James Linington

James Linington has had experience of both sides this season, refereeing PNE’s early defeat to Huddersfield Town and then taking charge of Cardiff’s win over Millwall in the next game.

He has reffed Cardiff three times in total, their South Wales derby loss to Swansea and their loss to Bournemouth – both 3-0 defeats, handing out a red card to Cardiff's Leandro Bacuna in their defeat to the Cherries.

He has booked 108 players in his 24 games so far this season, across the Championship, League One, League Two and the FA Cup and he’s sent four off.

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