Stoke 0 Preston (0) 2 – 2/9/23 3pm
Smash & grab by Preston in an energetic & physical game. 2 goals just before the hour, including a dubious penalty saw off Stoke, but new City players (particularly subs Gooch & Junho) shone brightly. Preston go top, Stoke drop to 16th. Here’s how the game unfolded in real time:
With 17 new signings, Stoke City look transformed. Today only 3 full-timers (Wilmot, Laurent & Tyrese) from last season start + 2 returning loan/signings (Pearson & Hoever). Mehdi Leris and Wouter Burger make their league start debuts. It’s a big crowd here today, which may help to pay for all these signings (apart from the sale of Taylor and Tymon).
0.55 BEN PEARSON GETS A YELLOW CARD!! What is he playing at?!
4.45 Ex-Stokie Liam Lindsay fouls Leris and gets barracked by the crowd.
9.01 Lindsay again pushing Leris around, but this time Mehdi gets a corner. North End seem prepared for Stoke’s onslaught.Even Lindsay is playing with the verve he lacked when playing for Stoke…
16.42 Keeper Travers makes a great save from a deflected shot by Preston Capt Browne.
23.57 Finally, Lindsay gets the yellow card, by up-ending Wesley! Liam is clearly trying to make a point. One card each!
29.45 Pearson is fouled and complains bitterly to the ref about some of the fouls that has left Wesley and Leris on the floor. The ref is soundly booed for not allowing the players back on the pitch immediately. This is turning into quite a scrap.
33.30 Hoever caught on the ball results in Travers having to save from point blank range and a bitter scramble at the back. Vocal crowd.
45+4 HT 0-0
49.22 0-1 !! Penalty for Preston. Holmes dives to the floor, with little contact with Burger, and Will Keane blasts the spot kick down the middle.
Attendance 22,957
52.35 Leris shows some skills before pushing over his opposite number, before going over to apologise to the ref! Leris then has a 50-50 with keeper Woodman. Mehdi is everywhere.
56.11 0-2 !!! Stoke caught on the break with a delightful ball that beats Wilmot, and Keane putting in the cross from Holmes.
60.55 On come Johnson, Lyndon Gooch, and Rose on for Pearson, Hoever and McNally. Stevens and Holmes get yellowed for a tussle.
66.20 Gooch beats his man but is immediately tumbled. Lyndon is looking sharp.
70.01 Bae Junho on for Leris.
72.05 Junho gets a shot on target, wins a dangerous free kick and injures one of the Preston players all in one movement! Tyrese’s kick hits the wall, and his 2nd attempt skews off towards Hanley.
78.45 Junho is everywhere, as is Gooch, but chances fall for Laurent and Tyrese and they won’t go in.
81.25 Great cross by Gooch causes chaos in the Preston area, but Junho and DJ Johnson can’t get their shots past the diving defence. Everyone piling forward for City, but they can’t make the breakthrough.
89.01 Nikola Jojic on for Burger.
90+6 Defeat for Stoke 0-2
