Wrexham 2-1 Preston North End: Lilywhites edged in North Wales as Milutin Osmajic misses out
Alfie Devine scores late on but North End defeated
Preston North End fell to a 2-1 defeat against Wrexham at SToK Cae Res on Monday night.
Nathan Broadhead got the opener late in the first half before Ollie Rathbone doubled the advantage with little over 10 minutes to play. Alfie Devine pulled a goal back and PNE fought for an equaliser but couldn’t find one before the referee blew for full time.
North End’s first clear cut chance came around the 10 minute mark, with all of PNE’s more creative players combining in a free-flowing counter-attack. Mads Frokjaer teed up Brad Potts across the goalmouth but Arthur Okonkwo blocked his effort.
Daniel Iversen then pulled off yet another superb double save midway through the first half, denying Broadhead and Kieffer Moore in the space of 10 seconds. The Dane beat away the Wrexham duo’s efforts with both hands to calm nerves during a shaky period.
Frokjaer, who had looked to create early on, had a chance to go for goal himself outside the area, but it was straight down the throat of Okonkwo. Broadhead seemed the most dangerous man in a Wrexham shirt and on the half-hour he danced through the North End defence and had a go from the edge of the box, only for it to go just wide of the post.
The Red Dragons’ summer signing was rewarded for his threat with a goal on 39 minutes, though. A deep, pin-point cross from Kieffer Moore on the right found Broadhead who precisely headed into the bottom right corner past Iversen.
The opening stages of the second half were a significant improvement from North End. Devine was unlucky with a couple of really nicely worked moves that just lacked a final pass against a Wrexham side sitting fairly deep.
In contrast to the first half, PNE’s best opportunities came on the break and the first of those saw Daniel Jebbison set Thierry Small up down the left. He wriggled into yards of space but was denied by Okonkwo.
Two substitutes combined very soon after their introductions as Pol Valentin found Michael Smith but the striker just headed wide of the right post. At the other end, Callum Doyle saw a powerful strike whistle past the side netting before Sam Smith’s header crashed against the woodwork.
Substitute Rathbone made it two after being played in on goal with 12 minutes to play but PNE didn’t go down without a fight. Some great work from Smith, with a turn and flick, allowed Devine to open up his body and drive from outside the box.
That added a tense dynamic to a game many in the home end may have thought was a sealed result. North End huffed and puffed but the equaliser proved elusive and a second defeat in 13 matches was suffered.
Attendance: 10,616 Preston North End starting XI: Iversen, Offiah, Storey, Lindsay (McCann 79’), Potts (Valentin 59’), Devine, Whiteman, Armstrong (Lewis 79’), Small, Frokjaer (Smith 64’), Jebbison (Keane 79’). Unused subs: Walton, Thompson, Mawene.