MILLWALL travel to Preston tonight to take Alex Neil’s side at Deepdale.
The Lions have won two of their three league games away from home this season. Preston have lost all three of their league fixtures in their own back yard.
Alex Grace spoke to North End fan Olly Dawes ahead of tonight’s clash.
Twitter: @DeepdaleDigest
Why do you support Preston?
Very much forced into it by my family at the age of about six. Somehow approaching nearly 25 years supporting North End now.
What season did you first start following North End?
As best as I can remember, it was the 1998-99 season; a 4-3 home defeat to Stoke City is the first game I properly remember going to, and that was in August 1998.
What is the most memorable Preston game you’ve seen?
It’s hard to overlook the 4-0 League One play-off final win over Swindon Town in 2015, having previously failed in nine successive play-off campaigns. Bouncing back from final-day heartbreak at Colchester by producing a convincing win at Wembley was just incredible.
An honourable mention for the 1-0 home win over Blackpool in 2013.
Last season started well but ended in a frustrating manner not qualifying for the play-offs – what do you think you can achieve this season?
I think we can again push towards the play-off places; we were quiet over the summer, but kept our top players, and have now added a striker in Emil Riis. If Alex Neil stays put, I think we’ll be a top-10 side at least.
Neil has been at the club a while now – are the fans still happy with him?
I think most fans appreciate the work he has been doing on a restricted budget. Some grow frustrated with his tactics, changing the set-up to match up our opposition, but he is a top young manager who has taken North End closer to the play-offs than predecessor Simon Grayson, and deserves backing.
It would be great to even just get into the play-offs, as few would fancy playing against us even with our torrid play-off record. Automatic promotion seems a little too ambitious given our small budget, but a play-off chase is certainly realistic.
Gary Rowett was appointed Millwall boss last October – what do you make of the job he’s done so far?
He seems to have been an ideal fit. He had his issues at Derby County and Stoke City, but Rowett is a savvy Championship manager who just seems better suited to Millwall than those two sides.
Our record against him is all pretty poor, so I certainly respect him as a Championship boss for sides who are deemed rather ‘unfashionable’, like Millwall or even ourselves.
It’s been an indifferent start for Preston so far – why do you think that is?
We ended last season needing a new striker, and went into this season still needing a new striker. Add in that some players have contract uncertainty and transfer speculation hanging over them, and it hasn’t been an ideal situation.
Home form so far this season has been a concern – no wins and no goals in the league – what are the problems?
I think we do miss something by not having fans at Deepdale, as while it may be isn’t the most raucous crowd of all time, it does contribute to what has historically been a tricky place to play.
Additionally, we don’t particularly fare well when the impetus is on us to take the game to the opposition and break them down.
Were you happy with Preston’s summer business?
The big thing was signing a new striker. We simply had to leave this window with a new striker, and we just about managed it by signing Emil Riis from Randers.
Keeping hold of Ben Davies, Ben Pearson, Alan Browne and Daniel Johnson was a huge boost, and while another winger or full-back would have been nice, signing a striker and keeping key players is a more than reasonable window.
If you could add two Millwall players to the Preston side, who would they be and why?
I’d certainly add Jake Cooper, I think he’s one of the best centre-backs in the division, such a dominant presence in both boxes. It’s also hard to ignore Jed Wallace, a hard-working and creative player and also a goal threat.
Who are Preston’s danger men?
Scott Sinclair is the big name. He maybe isn’t quite as dynamic as he once was, but he is a great finisher when given the chance.
New signing Riis has been exceptional since coming in, and should continue to cause problems if he starts.
Johnson is our main creative player, and Tom Barkhuizen’s pace will be a threat if he is recalled to the starting XI.
Obviously due to Covid-19 fans are unable to attend games at present – will you following from home?
Yes, I live in Manchester so I may not have been able to be at the game anyway, but I’ve been following all the games from home during the pandemic.
What’s your predicted Preston starting XI and formation?
I think if Millwall go with a back three, we may stick to a similar set-up as we did against Huddersfield.
That would be Declan Rudd in goal, a back three of Jordan Storey, Patrick Bauer and Andrew Hughes.
Alan Browne and Joe Rafferty as wing-backs, with Ryan Ledson and Brad Potts in midfield. Daniel Johnson would then operate behind Emil Riis and Scott Sinclair, but Neil has suggested he wants to find answers at home, so maybe a creative player like Josh Harrop or pace in Tom Barkhuizen could come in.
Finally, a score prediction?
Games between Preston and Millwall tend to be pretty tight, so I’ll go with a 1-1 draw for this one.
Graphic: @ShedCreative