Spread the love

Preston arrive at Griffin Park on Saturday in an upbeat mood after finally ending their long winless run at Deepdale by beating Cardiff 3-0 on Tuesday.

The victory, only North End’s second of the season in the Championship, was their first at home in the league for 11 games since beating Charlton 2-1 near the end of February.

Their only other Championship win this season came in the middle of August – 2-0 at QPR – and they have lost their other five matches by a single goal, so are still awaiting their first draw.

Fulham (2-1), Derby (1-0) and Barnsley (2-1) have left Lancashire with all three points while on their travels, Preston have lost 1-0 at both Reading and Ipswich

They have enjoyed a cup run, however, in the EFL Cup, and travel to Bournemouth next Tuesday after wins over Hartlepool (1-0) and Oldham (2-0) in the first two rounds.

Manager Simon Grayson had a busy transfer window – signing 10 players but also losing prolific striker Joe Garner to Mark Warburton’s Rangers.

Among the new arrivals were Republic of Ireland international midfielder Aiden McGeady on loan from Everton, Denmark international goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard on a free from West Brom and former Belgium Under-21 full-back Marnick Vermijl for an undisclosed fee from Sheffield Wednesday.

North End finished 11th last season – their first at this level for five years.

Their previous stint in the second tier lasted for 11 seasons and they are one of only seven of this season’s Championship clubs, along with us, to have never played in the Premier League, with their last top flight season more than 50 years ago in 1960/61.

Quick quiz: Can you name the other five current Championship teams with no Premier League experience? (Answer below).

WHO’S IN CHARGE

Simon Grayson is the 13th longest-serving manager in all four divisions, and second longest in the Championship behind Ipswich’s Mick McCarthy, after becoming Preston’s fifth boss in four seasons in February 2013.

He has an amazing track record in League One having guided Blackpool, Leeds, Huddersfield and now Preston to promotion.

Grayson made more than 400 appearances in his playing career as a midfielder or full-back for Leeds, Leicester, Aston Villa, who paid £1.3m for his services, Blackburn, Sheffield Wednesday, Stockport, Notts County, Bradford City and Blackpool.

While at Leicester he collected a Coca-Cola Cup winners medal during the 1996/97 campaign in which he was also voted as the Foxes’ player of the season.

He retired from playing at the end of the 2005/06 campaign to focus fully on management at Bloomfield Road and took full charge the following season.

LAST SEASON’S MEETINGS

Brentford did the double over Preston last season – as we did in the previous campaign in which we met of 2013/14.

Last season’s Griffin Park match was on the same weekend as this season and fans were still coming in as Daniel Johnson put the visitors ahead after only 16 seconds.

The introduction of Sergi Canos as substitute just past the hour mark turned the match, as within a minute he set up Lasse Vibe for the equaliser before Marco Djuricin secured the 2-1 win three minutes later.

At Deepdale, Jake Bidwell’s deflected free-kick put us ahead but Adam Reach quickly levelled before a pinpoint 65-yard pass from Yoann Barbet set up Alan Judge to restore our lead.

Maxime Colin set up John Swift for a late deflected third goal to make it 3-1 and end our four-match losing streak.

WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT US

BBC Radio Lancashire’s Phil Cunliffe recalls previous meetings with the Bees – which for him bring back both good and bad memories.

Q After Preston’s difficult start, how do you see their season panning out – mid-table safety, relegation struggle or play-off push and why?

A Not suprisingly, North End’s poor start has had fans feeling nervous. Five defeats in six games, plus a lack of goals, has left some questioning whether the manager can hack it at this level. Despite that, PNE were competitive in those first half a dozen games and only just fell the wrong side of bad results.

It was no surprise, to me, that everything clicked nicely on Tuesday in the 3-0 drubbing of Cardiff. Simon Grayson has a capable squad, albeit one light on goalscorers and hopefully that win has silenced some of his doubters. Looking at the bigger picture, I think they will have just about enough to avoid relegation and with a strong showing after Christmas could finish comfortably in mid-table.

Q What memories do you have – good or bad – of previous trips to Brentford to see Preston either for work or as a fan?

A My first-ever attempt at live radio reporting came at Griffin Park back in the mid 90s. It was for a local community station in Bolton and was something of a disaster – I think the Brentford press officer had it in for me that night and threatened to cut me off if my reports exceeded 30 seconds!

Brentford is special though as my wife worked around the corner so I got to know the Northfields/Brentford area quite well during my ‘courting days’ before we were married. The stadium has charm and I love the fact it had a pub on each corner, even though one has closed down now!

Q Have you had any amusing or unusual experiences at previous Bees-PNE games – and if so, what happened?

A Simon Grayson suffered his first defeat as PNE manager at Brentford in 2013 when ex-Brentford player John Mousinho conceded an injury-time penalty that Sam Saunders converted himself.

I remember thinking afterwards that Grayson had a big job on his hands to declutter the mess he inherited from Graham Westley. However, he did eventually get North End back into League One.

Q Which Bees players will you be most wary of?

A Lasse Vibe always excites me. He is a nuisance and I sense danger when he has the ball. Harlee Dean is another who can pose a big threat at set-pieces and North End will need to be watchful of him.

Q Who should Bees fans look out for particularly on the Preston side – any of the new signings or people from last season’s team?

A He may be feeling a little jaded after two tough games in a week, but Aiden McGeady has already shown he is a cut above most players of his type at Championship level.

The Irishman, who is on loan from Everton, is full of tricks and has the skill to receive the ball anywhere on the field, even when marked. He scored a sublime long-range goal on his debut last weekend and is genuinely two-footed. He could prove a handful for the Bees defence.

TEAM NEWS

Preston switched from five at the back to 4-4-2 on Tuesday and it paid off with that victory over Cardiff.

Behind goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard, the defence consisted of Marnick Vermijl and Greg Cunningham in the full-back roles and Alex Baptiste and Tom Clarke in the centre.

The recalled Alan Browne partnered Paul Gallagher in central midfield with Aiden McGeady and Callum Robinson on the wings behind a front two of Jordan Hugill and Eoin Doyle.

Striker Jermaine Beckford could be available again after he missed two matches because of a hamstring problem, while Stevie May and Calum Woods are long-term absentees.

Quick quiz answer: Brighton, Bristol City, Burton, Huddersfield and Rotherham are the other teams in this season’s Championship, besides the Bees and Preston, never to have played in the Premier League.

IAN WESTBROOK

@ianwestbrook

PUBS IN BRENTFORD

For Preston fans coming down, you are probably aware there plenty of pub options pre-match and all are most welcoming.

There are now only three pubs around the ground, following the closure of the Royal Oak.

The Griffin is closest to the away end (like 30 secs walk) and is very popular with away fans – but also very, very busy. The New Inn is on the other side and is also popular with away fans. The Princess Royal is the other option.

Other pubs slightly further afield for the more creative amongst you include (and this is by no means a definitive list) …. The Globe (Windmill Rd) is the Beesotted pre-match pub. This boozer & The Lord Nelson (Enfield Rd) are both incredibly friendly and cosy away-friendly pubs and about 1 min walk from each other .. frequented by ‘away fans in the know’.

The Plough (Northfields Ave) in Northfields is a decent stop-off if you are coming by tube to Northfields (it’s a much better pub crawl route getting off at Northfields than South Ealing) before making your way down to the ground (normally stopping off at The Globe and Lord Nelson en route).

There is also a pub right by Brentford station always referred to as … the Pub by Brentford station.

For ale head to the Magpie and Crown pub on Brentford High Street. The Royal Horseguardsman can probably hold 15 of you at a push. The Brewery Tap is a cosy boozer by the river. And if you are super adventurous, get off at Kew Bridge and visit the brand new boozer One Over the Ait right on the river – beside the bridge. There are loads more too.

A quick Google search and you’ll find them all. There are many many more too if you have a look around.

Parking is pretty easy away from the ground going up towards and over the A4 Great West Rd (ie. North) via Ealing Road or Windmill Road.