Can Preston's FA Cup exit spur them on in the Championship?

Preston North End crashed out of the FA Cup yesterday in the 5th round to Premier League side Portsmouth after a heartbreaking last minute Darren Carter own-goal at Deepdale.

The Lilywhites seemed to be heading to Fratton Park for a replay until the last-gasp controversial goal involving Herman Hreiderson gave Harry Redknapp’s side a 1-0 victory. Preston winger Simon Whaley missed a second-half penalty with the score goalless, and Pompey can thank some inspirational goalkeeping from Man of the Match, David James. The England number one produced moments of real brilliance to keep the European hopefuls in the game, saving brilliantly from a Neil Mellor shot late on that seemed destined for the top corner.

But despite the disappointing defeat, PNE can take so many positives out of the game. Alan Irvine’s men fought magnificently and could maybe count themselves unlucky not to go through to the quarter-finals themselves, let alone earn a replay at the Premier League sides home patch.

In my last blog I raved about front man, Chris Brown’s role upfront, and his performance earned himself the Preston Man of the Match and would probably have been runner-up to Sky’s choice for the game, James. He made life difficult for one of the country’s best centre-half pairings in Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin, challenging for every ball both in the air and on the ground. Karl Hawley chased balls over the top of the full backs, and Paul McKenna and Darren Carter made it tough for French international midfielder, Lassana Diarra and Senegalese anchorman, Papa Bouba Diop, to stomp any authority on the game.

The obvious immediate reaction to the defeat was disappointment; however, every Preston fan should be delighted with the effort, desire and commitment of the players in a game they were already written off in before kick off. The Lilywhite never rested and tirelessly gave it their all for 90 minutes, something which the fans, manager and players alike should be proud of.

The FA Cup is without question a magical competition, which can bring the best out of players and surprise everyone, including themselves, so it can sometimes be tough to judge how a team will fair in the league compared to their cup performances. But I think here you can make an exception. There must be a massive amount of belief and confidence within the squad following their great effort. I believe this is a sign that the side does possess quality and can safely achieve a position away from the relegation zone. On Sunday evening, Preston produced something inspiring. The fans at Deepdale backed their heroes for the full 90 minutes and after the full time whistle, so the players need to watch back that performance and look at all the elements which made them out-play their opponents. For me, it doesn’t matter that PNE are out of the FA Cup. I think it’s fair to say the most important thing now, and was before the game, was achieving a safe position in the league. If they can play anything similar to the way they played against Pompey, Preston will steadily climb the table to safety.

But if there is one area which may let the side down then it’s their finishing. David James did have a superb game, but a penalty is a one-on-one situation and requires composure. The ‘keeper can make himself big and imposing, but the striker must still be able to put the ball somewhere which at least makes it difficult for him. I think that this point here maybe sums up Preston’s performance infront of goal. Do they have the composure to finish moves or make that final ball across the face of the goal a good one? That little bit of coolness in the final third is what PNE need to work on, because that’s what is letting them down. As mentioned in my previous blog, they do everything right starting from the back with a solid defence and a midfield which creates enough chances, but don’t score the goals which they deserve.

The team now has the tough task of traveling to promotion hopefuls Watford, looking to build on the impressive Portsmouth performance. I think if the team remain organised and play with the same commitment they did in the previous game, they stand a serious chance of coming out of the game with all three points.