PNE 0 Norwich City 1

Another disappointing afternoon for the Deepdale faithful as Preston failed to capitalise on a tremendous attendance of over 18,000 due to a discounted ticket offer. On the evidence of what those new supporters witnessed today, it is unlikely any of them would pay full price for the privilege. 
Preston, missing King, James and Davidson gave a start (and the captaincy) to Wayne Brown who did well considering his unfamiliarity with the team. New loan signing Iain Hume was on the bench.
A drab 90 minutes followed with both teams missing chances but with Norwich coming closest to opening the scoring. The biggest failing for Preston was their inability to keep possession and the wayward passing which, if Norwich were a better team, would have cost them dear.
It was the Norwich captain, Grant Holt who scored the only goal of the game and left Preston in the relegation zone with only one team below them, Portsmouth, who also happen to be the only team Preston have beaten in the league this season.
Match Sponsors, Stagecoach, gave the Man of the Match award to Sean St Ledger and below is footage of him speaking in the Great Room after the match. Apologies for the poor sound and video quality but it was shot on a mobile phone.

Ferguson charged by the FA

Preston's manager, Darren Ferguson, has been charged with improper conduct following an incident with referee Kevin Friend following the local derby against Burnley on Saturday.

In a comical display, Friend managed to ignore a malicious foul, the ball go out of play, various Burnley fouls and a stamp on midfielder Matty James' hand while he was lying on the prone following a suspected broken ankle. 

In a statement, the FA said

Preston North End manager Darren Ferguson has been charged with improper conduct aggravated by insulting and/or abusive language and behaviour.
Ferguson is charged for his conduct towards referee Kevin Friend in the tunnel following Preston's match against Burnley on 11 September.
Under The FA's new fast-track procedures, Ferguson has until Friday 17 September to respond to the charge.
No standard sanction is offered as Ferguson has a previous incident on his disciplinary record from last season.
He was given a two match touchline ban, suspended until the end of the 2009-10 season, for improper conduct towards the referee at Peterborough United v West Bromwich Albion in August 2009.
A Regulatory Commission will hear the case within 10 days of his reply.
Additionally, Ferguson has been asked to explain media comments made about the referee following the match.
He has until Thursday 16 September to provide his observations on the comments attributed to him in the media.

What the FA fails to appreciate is the fact that it wants supporters, players and managers to respect referees and their decisions, then the officials themselves must be held more accountable for their actions. It is not good enough for the FA to hide behind the 'difficult job' mantra and blindly support incompetent officials when it is clear to everyone how badly they have performed. When the wrong decisions are made on the field by referees like Kevin Friend, the effects on clubs and their employees can be far reaching. Clubs can lose millions of pounds from being relegated, managers and players can lose their jobs while supporters can become disillusioned with the game. If they are intent on charging Ferguson with improper conduct, then the FA must also look closely at the actions of the referee to understand the background to Ferguson's outburst and comments in front of the television cameras. Hopefully they will give him longer to defend himself than the 18 seconds Kevin Friend gave Billy Jones before sending him off for wasting time.

He's No Friend of Preston's!

Kevin Friend

The performance of referee Kevin Friend has been the big talking point of Saturday's derby defeat to Burnley. There is no doubt that for the neutral, the game was an exciting and incident strewn match which showcased what an exciting and competitive league the Championship really is. Despite the millions of pounds Burnley received as parachute payments from the Premier League, they were outplayed and made to look very ordinary by a Preston team who had only scored one League goal before Saturday's game.
The first incident which has provoked much discussion is the injury to Preston's Joshua King following a dangerous foul by King. This foul went unpunished, but not only did the officials miss that but went on to turn a blind eye to the fact that the ball then went out of play, hit the prone King, nursing a suspected broken ankle and came back onto the pitch to allow Burnley to continue their attack. Had the officials acted correctly and blown for either, or both, of those infringements, then the tug by Jones, after which he was grabbed round the neck, hauled to the ground and then tripped would not have occurred and neither player would have been awarded a yellow card.
Later, this poor refereeing came back to haunt Preston, as Friend, influenced by an aggressive Burnley crowd, booked Jones a second time for taking 5 seconds extra to take a throw in. Referees are given the power to add time on following the end of the 90 minutes for any such time wasting, but the referee decided to hand Burnley a huge advantage by dismissing one of Preston's key players.
Following a terrific comeback by Preston which saw them turn a 1-0 deficit into a 1-3 lead, this was a cruel turn of fate, especially as it directly led to three quick goals from the home team who won by a single goal.
Friend himself states that the skills needed to be a good referee are "Knowledge of the laws of the game and very good man management skills". Sadly, neither were in evidence on Saturday. The actions of Mr Friend had a direct, negative and unfair impact on the game and if the FA are serious about wanting supporters and players to show respect for the officials on matchdays, then they have a duty to ensure that those charged with upholding the rules of the game are competent to do so.

Preston North End 1 Portsmouth 0

After two false starts, Preston's season finally sparked into life with an easy one goal victory over last season's Premiership strugglers.
From the whistle, Preston were in full control of this game and the only surprise was the score wasn't more convincing. Striker Brown was replaced by Manchester United loan signing Joshua King and Sean St Ledger was back from injury in the heart of a defence which also saw Billy Jones revert to his more familiar full back role. These changes revitalised a Preston team which had struggled in the opening games of the season and for once, their supporters were relieved to see old boy David Nugent leave his shooting boots in the changing room.
The only goal of the game came after a solid Preston opening which saw Billy Jones cross for summer signing Paul Hayes to side foot into the net from close range. Portsmouth were rarely in the game and slick passing, cohesive teamwork and multiple chances on goal lifted the atmosphere inside the Deepdale stadium.
Hayes nearly made it two but directed his volley wide while King had two efforts denied by Portsmouth keeper Jamie Ashdown. The young striker looks to be a very exciting prospect and with a few more games and goals under his belt could become a potent force in this young North End team.
The only frustration for the home fans was the inconsistent refereeing from Webb, who penalised Preston for minor infractions while ignoring more blatant fouls from the away team. However this could not detract from an impressive performance from the Lilywhites which they should gain confidence from as they begin to move in the right direction up the Championship table.

Swansea City 4 Preston North End 0

After a midweek reprieve which saw Preston knock Stockport County out of the League Cup, it was back to business as usual, as inexperience, slack defending and squandered chances saw Preston slump to a humiliating defeat. Even worse for Preston's long suffering supporters was that this defeat meant their team was rooted to the foot of the division on the same day that bitter rivals, Blackpool, not only comfortably beat Wigan by the same score but also went top of the Premiership, albeit after just one game.
This win, Swansea's biggest in two years, began halfway through the first half following a period in which Preston had looked comfortable, when Stephen Dobbie fired in from 18 yards following a mistake by rookie winger, Mayer. Preston nearly equalised immediately after the restart, but Hayes fired straight at the Swansea keeper. In the last 5 minutes of the first half, Swansea scored twice, first through Pratley on 40 minutes and then Dyer 3 minutes later, meaning the contest was over at half time with Preston showing little chance of getting anything from the game.
Preston's Keeper, Andrew Lonergan was kept busy in the second half and but for his acrobatics, firstly keeping out Sinclair and then Pratley, the scoreline could have been worse for the Lilywhites. However, Lonergan was powerless to stop the Swansea fourth as Cotterill scored from the spot following a foul on Dyer by Treacy. Treacy nearly made ammends soon after, but hit the bar when he should have done better.
Preston's manager Darren Ferguson was optimistic he could turn round Preston's first consecutive defeats at the start of a season for 21 years, as well as their failure to win in the last 10 away matches, but how long the North End supporters' patience will last may be a different story.

Stockport County 0 Preston North End 5 (League Cup)

A couple of penalties and a brace of goals from Manchester Unites loanees gave Preston a comfortable win in this League Cup opener.
A fairly uneventful first half livened up just before the break when Stockport's Andy Halls brought down Paul Hayes in the penalty area and captain Callum Davidson buried the resulting penalty to give the away team a half time lead.
The second half saw Preston take control and dominate the remainder of the game. On 58 minutes, Manchester United's Matty James, back at Preston for a second loan period, made it 2-0 with a well controlled volley. This lead was extended further when Chris Brown was brought down by Danny Swailes in the area which Hayes put away from the spot. Hayes got his second from close range after good play down the right side from substitute Joshua King, who scored himself to wrap up the win a minute before time.

PNE 0 Doncaster Rovers 2

Two goals from James O'Connor and James Hayter in the first twenty minutes gave Doncaster all three points on a damp and cloudy opening day fixture at Deepdale.
From the off, Preston were on the backfoot with a shambolic defensive display which looked more Sunday League than Championship and after conceding twice, Preston looked highly unlikely to get anything out of the game.
The first goal was finished with a fierce right footed strike by O'Connor following a fantastic move down the left flank. The second was scrappier with Lonergan parrying Billy Sharp's firm header from Friend's cross, but the keeper was powerless as Hayter was on hand to nod in the rebound from 12 yards out.
Doncaster's impressive passing made it difficult for Preston to get into the game although Hayes had a shot blocked by Martis seven minutes before half time followed by a 25 yard blast from Treacy which was comfortably saved by Doncaster keeper, Sullivan.

Word Cloud showing the frequency
with which Preston players were
mentioned by the online BBC
commentary. Click to enlarge.

A fussy refereeing display didn't help the game flow which further frustrated Preston, especially in the second half when Coutts replaced the ineffective Russell in midfield, sparking some life into the home team. This change came after Treacy had fired wide just after the restart whith Sharp and Stock also going close to putting Rovers three goals up.
Up front, Hayes and Brown looked unlikely to get on the scoresheet, but the introduction of Manchester United loan signing King is likely to give Preston fans some hope, despite him missing one of the five clear cut chances the home team had in the closing stages of the game.
The youngster showed speed, strength and a desire to win the ball, which as he settles into the team should prove invaluable.
The dismissal of Gillett for a second bookable offence wasn't enough to give Preston a way back into the match, but the home fans will take solace in the fact that in recent years, promotions have followed a defeat in the opening game of the season.