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.