Preston North End came through a battle for a narrow 1-0 win over Ipswich Town in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday. The victory represented a vital step for Preston, as they remained undefeated through three league games—their first such run without losing since March 2021. Milutin Osmajic has been very good, too. Osmajic was a dominant player in the conference this fall. He earned the winning penalty himself, coolly slotting home after Jacob Greaves of Ipswich pulled him down.
The game exploded in Deepdale. Preston’s impressive, defensive organization smothered Ipswich, a talented team full of well-known players who were unable to convert their opportunities into goals. Ipswich have an extremely expensive squad, and yet they did not take their chances. It has produced two defeats and they’re still winless in their last three league outings.
Key Moments of the Match
Osmajic’s third minute goal was the play of the match. He coolly slotted home the penalty to give Preston all three points, his third goal of the season. The offense that led directly to the penalty awarded was a silly foul by Greaves, who took down Daniel Jebbison inside the area. This was an important point in the game as it helped Preston jump out to an early lead.
Central to their victory was Preston’s defense, what director stars call a “honey badger” mentality. Lewis Gibson and Andrew Hughes were particularly commanding at the back as they prevented Ipswich’s efforts to draw level. Goalkeeper Daniel Iversen had an easy afternoon, besides one headed chance that went wide. In the dying seconds, he was on hand with a terrific stop to deny Jack Taylor’s late equaliser in stoppage time.
Ipswich created a number of opportunities of their own, but were unable to find the back of the net. George Hirst connected on the volley from 10 yards out. Despite the well executed curling cross from Jack Clarke, he heads wide of the target. Midfielder Kasey McAteer made his debut, coming on for Ipswich. All too often he would waste a good chance, as seen here as he shot over from a tight angle.
Managerial Perspectives
In the wake of that match, Paul Heckingbottom, Preston’s manager, said he was proud of his players’ performance. He highlighted the importance of focusing on the team’s efforts rather than external pressures related to spending and player acquisitions.
“I go back to what I was speaking about in pre-season: forget the negativity, why are we talking about what other clubs are spending or this player and that player or why aren’t we spending? If that was important, we’d have lost the game today.” – Paul Heckingbottom
Heckingbottom also commended his players for their amazing never-say-die spirit. Their excellent defensive display had kept Ipswich’s traffic at bay for the whole game.
Ipswich’s head coach Kieran McKenna was left to lament what might have been after the match. He explained that his group wanted to put together a more respectable showing for themselves and their fans.
“(I’m) really annoyed about the result. We wanted to give ourselves and the supporters a better day today.” – Kieran McKenna
Looking Ahead
As Preston enjoy their most important victory since the summer transfer window, they’ll be hoping to carry their new-found momentum into the Premier League. The rigid structure of their backline and lethal, swift counter-attacks have made them a dark horse at the top of the Championship.
Ipswich needs to shake this off and re-focus on what made them successful or risk repeating their mistakes. With an expensively-assembled squad, expectations are high, and they will need to find ways to convert opportunities into goals in future matches.
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