With another impressive win under their belts at the weekend, Alan Irvine’s men now find themselves in a lofty 3rd place in the Championship. Just two points separate the Lilywhites and the automatic promotion places heading into Tuesday’s clash with strugglers Reading, a win could put daylight between Preston and the chasing pack.
Such cannot be said for Brendan Rogers’ side who find themselves languishing in the depth of lower mid-table obscurity after a slow start. The Royals have just one away win to their name after beating Barnsley in August who were under the stewardship of former North Ender Simon Davey at the time.
Coincidently, the win against the Tykes is Reading’s last victory and are will be looking for their first win in five come Tuesday night.
Previous Meetings
Reading’s last visit to Deepdale saw North End come from behind to secure an unlikely victory. Stephen Hunt put the visitors ahead from the penalty spot just shy of the half-hour mark after Sean St Ledger was adjudged to have bundled over Noel Hunt.
Just ten minutes after the restart, North End got themselves level thanks to an own goal from Ingimarsson who headed the ball past his own goalkeeper. Then, with just 9 minutes of normal time remaining, Stephen Elliott tapped home a Ross Wallace cross to seal the victory for the home side, much to the delight of the Deepdale crowd.
When Preston visited the Madejski Stadium in February, Alan Irvine’s men secured a 0-0 draw to earn themselves a valuable away point. Jon Parkin had a golden opportunity to snatch a win for the Lilywhites but in the end a point proved to be a good result.
Overall the Lilywhites and the Royals have gone head-to-head 47 times with North End having the edge slightly in terms of wins; 20 over Reading’s 16. Reading have only recorded 3 wins at Deepdale, their last coming in the 2005/2006 season when Steve Coppell’s side recorded a 3-0 win.
Team News
Influential defender Ivar Ingimarsson is set to return to first-team action after spending eight months on the sidelines. Preston fans will remember that it was the Icelandic who netted North End’s equaliser on his last visit to Deepdale.
For North End, Paul Parry still remains a doubt whilst Chris Sedgwick is set to deputise once again. Callum Davidson is also not likely to feature.