Match Preview: Watford (H)

19 August 2022

Preston North End are at Deepdale for the second time this week on Saturday afternoon when they take on Watford.

Match Information
Venue: Deepdale
Date: Saturday 20^th August, 3pm kick-off
Competition: EFL Sky Bet Championship (Matchday 5/46)
Kit: Home kit – available to buy in-store and online.

Supporter Information

Tickets for this fixture will remain on sale right up until kick-off, with fans able to buy online from www.mypne.com, in person from the ticket office and over the phone on 0344 856 1966.

The Bill Shankly Kop will once again be open to home supporters, with season card holders able to relocate at the ticket office or over the phone. Tickets in the Kop are available to purchase online.

Fans can find all the matchday information, such as fan zone timings, half-time drink tokens and the shuttle bus service, by clicking here.

How To Follow The Game

Supporters worldwide can listen to the game live on iFollow PNE with a £2.50 match pass or £4.49 monthly pass, with live commentary from Jonathan Breeze and Andy Fensome. You can subscribe to your match pass here.

However, this game has been selected for international broadcast, therefore it will be unavailable to watch on iFollow PNE in most locations worldwide. Supporters are advised to check their local TV listings.

We will be providing our usual coverage of the match across our social media platforms and right here on PNE.Com.

Matchday Programme

Freddie Woodman is this week's featured interview in The One And Only, as he talks about his journey into footballer, how he nearly became a roofer, and his time at Deepdale so far.

Also in the programme, Ben Woodburn takes on our player feature 'This Or That', while Finlay Cross-Adair starts a new 'Getting To Know' series for the Academy.

You can buy a copy of the programme from around the ground for £3.50 on Saturday, or alternatively order a copy online from our official publishing partners, Ignition Sports Media.

In The Dressing Room

Álvaro Fernández will be unavailable once again as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury. The Manchester United loanee will be assessed by his parent club on Friday, while Ryan Lowe expects the left wing back to be back in action at some stage next week.

Sean Maguire returned to training on Thursday morning with the squad, but this game will likely come too soon for him.

Bambo Diaby also remains sidelined, with the defender expected to return to training next week.

A Look At Our Visitors

It’s been a steady start to life back in the Championship for Watford, under the management of Rob Edwards, who was appointed after his success in achieving promotion to League One with Forest Green Rovers.

The Hornets have taken eight points from their opening four games of the campaign, winning both of their matches on home turf and drawing away at West Brom and Birmingham City.

While Emmanuel Dennis has moved on to the Premier League, and Ismaïla Sarr could yet also depart, there has been plenty of encouraging inbound movement, with Hamza Choudhury and Keinan Davis both arriving on loans from top flight clubs in the past ten days.

Going Head To Head

Games played: 44
PNE wins: 18
Draws: 13
Watford wins: 13
Last PNE victory: PNE 1-0 Watford, 25^th August 2015.

One To Watch

João Pedro is one of many attacking threats Watford possess which PNE will have to be wary of on Saturday afternoon, if he is to play.

The Brazilian forward showed what he can do at this level in the 2020/21 campaign as a teenager new to English football – netting nine goals – and his game has only improved since then.

Despite transfer speculation surrounding him, he has started each match so far this season, and head coach Rob Edwards is unsurprisingly very keen for the 20-year-old to stay at Vicarage Road.

Match Officials

Experienced official Darren Bond will referee at Deepdale for the first time in almost two years on Saturday afternoon.

He last took charge of a PNE home game in October 2020, when Millwall were the visitors, while the last time he refereed North End was last season’s 1-0 away victory against Hull City.

Bond has taken charge of three Championship fixtures so far this season, showing 13 yellow cards.

Pre-Match Thoughts

Gaffer Feels Performance
Benchmark Has Been Set Troy Parrott Vows To
Not Let Head Drop

Match Reports

Match Report: PNE 0 Watford 0

20 August 2022

Preston North End kept a fifth consecutive clean sheet in the Championship as they were made to settle for a point in a goalless draw against Watford.

The hosts had the better of the play for much of the contest, with Alan Browne perhaps having the pick of the chances in both halves, but they could not find an opening goal.

Ryan Lowe named an unchanged side from midweek against Rotherham United and the Lilywhites looked to pick up where they left off, with a bright start against the Hornets.

Robbie Brady and Andrew Hughes combined neatly down the left flank, with the latter cutting back for Browne to control superbly with his back to goal, and his effort was acrobatically turned over by goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann.

Vakoun Bayo provided an early threat at the other end, going close when he latched onto strike partner Rey Manaj’s pull-back from the right, being kept out by Brad Potts’ crucial block, before breaking in behind minutes later and being denied by a fine Freddie Woodman one-on-one save.

Hughes made way after 19 minutes, with the Welshman unable to continue having gone down around ten minutes earlier, allowing Greg Cunningham to come on in his place to make his 150th appearance for the club.

Cunningham flighted a lovely cross just over the head of Troy Parrott moments after his arrival, with the Lilywhites’ No.15 having also just stung the palms of Bachmann with an effort from distance, while Daniel Johnson was narrowly off target from similar range.

It was Ryan Ledson’s effort that was the pick of the strikes from range, though, with his effort looking destined for the bottom left corner until Bachmann parried it clear.

The final five minutes of the first half saw the visitors go close twice, as Edo Kayembe weaved his way to the edge of the box to curl just wide of the top left corner, and Francisco Sierrralta had his header well saved by Woodman on his line from a corner shortly after.

It was a quiet start to the second half until just before the hour mark, when Browne flicked a Ledson cross goalwards from the edge of the six-yard box, and the skipper was only denied by another outstretched Bachmann save.

The other side of the hour saw Manaj played in behind on a Hornets counter for an equally inviting opening, but as he moved in on goal, he blazed his shot over Woodman’s crossbar.

Browne looked to turn provider back in front of the Town End when he played Parrott in behind, but his shot was met by a sliding block from Christian Kabasele.

A spell of pressure from the visitors followed as Kayembe dragged a shot wide of the near post before Bayo went in behind again, but shot into the side netting from a tight angle down the right of the box.

Emil Riis went in behind down the left late on, but he too could only find the side netting as North End were ultimately made to settle for another point.

PNE line-up: Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes (Cunningham, 19); Potts, Ledson (McCann, 74), Whiteman, Johnson (Riis, 66), Brady; Browne (Woodburn, 74); Parrott. Subs not used: Cornell, Bauer, Evans.

Watford line-up: Bachmann; Kabasele, Sierralta, Cathcart; Sema, Choudhury, Asprilla (Gosling, 80), Kayembe, Kamara; Manaj (Hungbo, 84), Bayo. Subs not used: Okoye, Gaspar, Troost-Ekong, Pollock, Forde.

Referee: Mr D Bond.

Attendance: 15,317 (1,125 Watford fans).

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