Preston North End’s manager, Paul Heckingbottom, expressed optimism following his team’s solid defensive performance in their opening match of the season against Queens Park Rangers (QPR). The match at Loftus Road wrapped up with a tense 1-1 draw after a dogged comeback from Preston North End. Despite the setback of losing forward Daniel Jebbison to injury, the team demonstrated a commendable effort, particularly in the second half.
Jebbison, a recent addition to Preston on loan from Bournemouth. Unfortunately, he did sustain an ankle injury that will have him out for a few weeks. Heckingbottom pointed out his annoyance at the club’s players training with personal trainers outside of the supervision of the club itself. He did suggest that changes in policy would be forthcoming to avoid any additional injuries.
Match Summary
The game started with QPR storming into an early lead, courtesy of a first-half own goal from Preston’s Ben Whiteman. Just three minutes after the break, Milutin Osmajic leveled for Preston, celebrating exuberantly with his new teammates. This new goal was a total game changer. As they played for the win, it ignited Preston’s killer competitive instinct as they pursued the win.
Prior to Osmajic’s equalizing goal at the hour mark, QPR had looked likely to double their advantage. Lewis Gibson narrowly missed with a header from a Small cross, while Joe Walsh, QPR’s goalkeeper, faced pressure as he fumbled a low cross from Stefan Thordarson. Osmajic’s follow-up was cleared off the line by Sam Field, highlighting the intensity of the match.
After a very sleepy first half, Preston came out like gangbusters in the second half. Heckingbottom lauded his players’ resolve and running at both ends of the pitch. He stated, “The players gave everything in the second half,” reflecting on their ability to regain control of the match after a shaky start.
Injury Concerns for Preston
With Jebbison having picked up an ankle injury on international duty, it’s one more worry for Heckingbottom to contend with. The forward’s injury was described by the manager as a “totally freak accident” while working in the gym. He was understandably upset to hear that outside training factors can contribute to these types of injuries.
“I’m angry about it. It’s a growing trend in football where they work with people outside – they have their own people.” – Paul Heckingbottom
Heckingbottom is reportedly considering a rule against players using outside personal trainers. He hopes that this would help minimize the likelihood of injuries, like the one Jebbison sustained, occurring. He further noted that the lawyers who arrange for these settlements never pay the price when a victim is injured.
QPR’s New Leadership
On the opposite side of the pitch, QPR’s new head coach, Julien Stephan debuted in this match. Though holding no victory in hand, he credited his team’s impressive play, especially in that first half. Stephan noted, “I think we did very well, especially in the first half. The players did very well and I like the different movements that we showed. In possession and out of possession it was very good.”
Stephan deployed young midfielder Kieran Morgan as an unconventional right-back, demonstrating flexibility in his tactics amid injury challenges within the squad. He would like to get more important pieces such as star striker Michael Frey and captain Jimmy Dunne back into the first team fold as soon as possible.
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