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.