Preston North End Vs Barnsley
Coca-Cola Championship Saturday 12th April 2008 3pm Kick-off
With Alan Irvine's 54 point target reached after last week's 2-2 draw with QPR, sights are now set on finishing as high up the table as possible in a bid to carry as much momentum as possible into the new season. Duly, the PNE gaffer will be telling his players under no circumstances must the take the proverbial foot of the gas.
After Barnsley's disappointing exit in the FA Cup Semi-Final against fellow championship team Cardiff, Simon Davey and his men can solely concentrate on the task of staying up. As a result, it will not be an easy game for North End who will have to have their wits about them. An impressive win against Watford in midweek shows exactly why. A win for Preston, could see them move into the top half where they will be hoping to stay, whereas a win for Barnsley would see them shuffle further away from the bottom three.
Previous Meetings
The November visit to Oakwell was a disappointing one as far as Preston are concerned, a 1-0 defeat and a missed penalty ensured the pressure was firmly on manager Paul Simpson. Barnsley's last visit to Deepdale saw the same result but in Preston's favour after a Patrick Agyemang goal gave the Lilywhites all three points.
Team News
With just two other recognised strikers at the club, Alan Irvine had been sweating over the fitness of inform striker Neil Mellor after he limped out of the QPR match with a hamstring injury. Mellor, who has hit 3 goals in his last 2 appearances for North End, is reported to be fit enough to start.
After Barnsley's impressive win at Vicarage Road in the week, there isn't expected to be too many changes to Simon Davey's starting 11. Former Preston favourite, Jon Macken will be hoping to feature at his old stomping ground.