Portsmouth's 4-match unbeaten run comes to an end following a narrow defeat at Deepdale.
Despite penalty shouts and 14 corners, Pompey were unable to cancel out Alfie Devine's first-half header, which proved to be the only thing to separate the 2 sides at Deepdale.
The Blues sit 19th in the Championship and are just one point above Blackburn Rovers, who are 22nd following their 2-0 defeat away at Norwich City.
There was one change to the XI that defeated West Bromwich Albion 3-0 at Fratton Park last weekend.
Deadline day signing Jacob Brown was in from the start for Colby Bishop, while Paraguayan winger Gustavo Caballero, who joined on loan from Santos, was on the bench.
Whereas Keshi Anderson and Senegalese defender Madiodio Dia were both not named in the matchday squad.
Brown came close to opening the score from close range early on, but the Luton Town loanee’s effort was deflected wide for a corner.
Ebou Adams, like he has done all his Pompey career so far, then put his body on the line to deny Devine’s shot from the edge of the 18-yard box.
The Blues did have a penalty shout later on, when Adrain Segečic was chopped down by Jordan Storey, who attempted to play the ball out; however, referee Adam Herczeg was not interested in the appeal.
The Lilywhites did then take the lead on 40 minutes, when Andrija Vukcevic’s in-swinging cross was met by a free header from Devine, as the ball lopped over Nicolas Schmid and into the net to make it 1-0
HALF-TIME: Preston North End 1-0 Portsmouth
With just under 20 minutes left to go, John Mousinho made a double change, with Jacob Brown and Conor Chaplin coming off for Makenzie Kirk and Marlon Pack.
Portsmouth had an outstanding amount of corners to carve out an equaliser, with one being won due to Dai Cornell taking too long to kick the ball, but the Blues were unable to find a response.
Gustavo Caballero was Pompey’s fourth sub of the afternoon; he replaced Andre Dozzell, which forced Segečic into the number ten position and Adams back into holding midfield next to Pack.
Segečic and Zak Swanson were the final subs of the day, with John Swift replacing the Aussie number ten, while Aji Alese came on for his Blues debut at left-back.
Kirk had a chance to snatch an equaliser late on, but the Northern Ireland striker’s thump at goal from Alli’s low cross went over the crossbar.
Despite an additional seven minutes of added time and corners in the double digits mark, Portsmouth were unable to find a last-gasp reply at Deepdale.
FULL-TIME: Preston North End 1-0 Portsmouth
Next up: It’s back to PO4 for John Mousinho’s side, who will welcome Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United to Fratton Park next Saturday.
In the reverse fixture back in November, it was a 3-0 defeat for Portsmouth, where Terry Devlin was awarded a straight red card in the first half.
A penalty from Sydie Peck, plus goals from Patrick Bamford and Gustavo Hamer, earned the Blades the three points at Bramall Lane.
Preston North End: 13. Cornell (GK), 42. Offiah, 14. Storey, 19. Gibson, 26. Small, 4. Whiteman (C), 8. McCann (15. Thompson), 3. Vukcevic (2. Valentín), 21. Devine, Luković (24. Smith), 17. Dobbin (23. Moran) (Formation: 3-4-2-1)
Unused subs: 12. Walton (GK), 18. Lewis, 35. Mawene, 34. Nelson, 36. Nolan
Goal: Devine 40’
Bookings: McCann 71’, Thompson 89’, Cornell 90’
Manager: Paul Heckingbottom
Portsmouth: 1. Schmid (GK), 24. Devlin, 5. Poole, 3. Ogilvie, 22. Swanson (34. Alese) 38. Adams, 21. Dozzell (47. Caballero), 36. Chaplin (7. Pack), 10. Segečic (8. Swift), 27. Alli, 40. Brown (25. Kirk) (Formation: 4-2-3-1)
Unused subs: 26. Bursik (GK), 2. Williams, 16. Le Roux, 17. Bowat
Bookings: Alese 90+1’
Head coach: John Mousinho
Referee: Adam Herczeg
Venue: Deepdale
Attendance: 16,034 (including 1,748 Pompey fans)
The Pompey Live: Extra-Time podcast, recorded LIVE on Express FM from the Preston North End press box, is ready for you to listen back to - Jake Smith, David Howes and Danny Thompson were tasked with reviewing the action.
On the next episode of The Football Hour this coming Monday (February 9th) evening, Jake Smith will be accompanied by Sam Macey and Pepe Lacey to gather further reaction to the events of this match at Deepdale.
Comments
Add a comment