Match Day Thread Preston North End v Sunderland AFC – Monday 8th May 2023 - KO 15:00

Sunderland travel to Deepdale to face Preston North End in the Championship.
Last time out Sunderland drew with Watford and Preston lost at Sheffield United.
Patrick Roberts last gasp goal kept the Black Cats hopes of making the play-offs alive after coming back from 2-0 down. Dan Ballard remains unavailable for this game but could be back in time for the play-off games.
Tony Mowbray should have recovered from his hamstring injury in time for the game. The Sunderland gaffer should have the same squad available for selection.
Preston have little to play for except their pride and to put in a good performance in front of their fans. The Lilywhites fell to a crushing 4-1 defeat at Bramall Lane and will want to make amends in their final home game of the season.
Preston manager Ryan Lowe is banned from the dug-out for 3 games, following an incident against Swansea last month.
Tony Mowbray:
"It gives us real clarity that we have to go and win at Preston next week and if we do everyone around us has tough games from what I can see on paper, so you never know.
"I'm pretty relaxed about it. The expectation is what the expectation is - we've given ourselves a really good opportunity going into the last game of the season.
"We didn't quite deal with their two set-plays. We know it's an Achilles heel of ours at the moment without (Danny) Batth and without (Daniel) Ballard and (Aji) Alese.
"We kept going until the death and got our rewards from what I thought was some pretty decent play."
“There were one or two not training today for different reasons. Without giving any names away, one woke up with a crick in his neck, his neck was a bit stiff, and with modern-day footballers, that’s enough for them not to train. One wasn’t feeling well, but should be alright in the next day or two.
“I’m hoping that come the weekend, we’ll have Saturday and Sunday training before going to play on Monday and we’ll have a full squad. Or at least what the squad has been.”
Ryan Lowe:
"My emotions are high at the moment so I'll be careful what I say. I'm disappointed obviously as I wanted to take it to the last day of the season and give ourselves a chance.
"I've just said to the group in there that if they don't want to follow suit, then move on because I'm not hanging around to take a bang-average team through the division.
"I need a team of men, of good-quality players, a team of players who are going to do what I ask them to do, which they've done for large parts of the season.
"But when you fold the way we folded there, it's disappointing."

Match Appointments:
Referee: ROBERT MADLEY
Assistant Referees: Andrew Fox and Carl Fitch-Jackson
Fourth Official: Robert Lewis

Team Lineups:
Sunderland AFC: (4-2-3-1) Patterson, Cirkin, O’Nien, Hume, Gooch, Neil, Michut, Clarke, Amad, Roberts, Gelhardt.

Subs: Bass, Anderson, Taylor, Pritchard, Ekwah, Lihadji, Ba.
Injured: Embleton, Stewart, Evans, Ballard, Alese, Batth, Bennette, Huggins, Rigg

Preston North End (3-1-4-2) Woodman, Storey, Bauer, Hughes, Ledson, Potts, Onomah, Johnson, Fernández, Parrott, Cannon
Subs: Lindsay, Delap, McCann, Woodburn, Cornell, Slater, Leigh,
Injured: Evans, Browne, Cunningham, Jakobsen

Betting Odds:
Sunderland 10/11 Preston 11/4 Draw 11/4

Prutton Predicts: tbc

My two pence:
A good weekend up in the northeast and great to see a few not606 lads at the Museum. It was worth the long trip just to see Patrick Roberts goal at the end - what a strike.
All we have to do is win, then hope that Coventry lose or Blackburn can get a draw or even a win at Millwall.
I’m going for a 2-1 away win and look forward to 3 more match threads...

Live Stream:
https://www.safc.com/news/team-news/live-video
(Overseas fans)
Sky will be showing this game and the Millwall v Blackburn game live

Ha’way the Lads

 

Tony's Presser:

 

Absolutely brilliant mate ...

... no kidding, your match threads are the best thing on here by a mile.

Everything else is just flim flam in comparison.

Thanks for another great season, shame it has to end

 

Thanks RTB, brilliant thread as ever, excellent work all season, really appreciate it.

Glad we haven't got the Preston manager in charge of us, sounds like a right knob after a great season from Preston as far as I can tell

 

there manager Ryan Lowe got a 3 match dugout ban so wont be in dugout Monday

 

He's also just said he needs to consider his future ...

... obviously has no loyalty to the club and thinks he's the next big thing.

In his mind he's the new Pep Guardiola ...

... in reality he's the new Gary Monk.

 

Poor form imo. Preston have never been in the PL and are doing well given their resources. If I was a PNE fan I'd say don't consider it just FO mate

 

Looking forward to this one big style. I think we will do the business and get the win and then let's see where that takes us with the other results.

I've bloody loved this season, it's been the best football I've seen us play (just beats Reidys season imo)

These threads are quality and they set things up very nicely every matchday, marvelous stuff RTB, you get the not606 SAFC POTY.

Straight into these ****ers on Monday and we will win 0-3.

Attack Attack Attack

 

Alex Neil inherited a L1 club with a very good squad of players that are now on the verge of promotion to the PL.

He finished the season in a lower place than when he arrived.

The players did most of the work and dug in to win promotion.

Neil decided he was the genius single-handedly responsible for dragging the club into the Championship. He convinced Stoke and went there puffing his chest out claiming he'd wave his magic wand and transform the club.

He's made a total mess of it, lost the faith of the players and the supporters want him out.

Some of these managers totally overestimate their brilliance.

 

Grass is rarely greener Smug! See it all the time at work and always say to lads thinking of leaving "who was the last guy who left and made a great success of things?" I would say 3 in the last 15 years, folk believe their own bullshit and don't appreciate the amount of positive influence their colleagues have on their performance. Ego is a funny thing mind, you need a bit of that and confidence but a dose of humility salted in goes far in lots of ways as well I reckon, it's a complicated thing Oh and AN can do one as far as I'm concerned haha! If TM is offered West Ham on ten times the money I say good luck mate and cheers, we've got to be realistic but AN did things badly.

 

Brilliant RTB. I hope the next game leads to a few more then the Premier League beckons. Also for you to RTB. With your posts you will go straight into the top position as you deserve. Going for a 2 - 1 win after being a goal down going into 85 mins. Then total madness will kick off. We never do things any other way right? Me I will just be on the Valium. Pacemaker by the end of the game will be f*cked in any case. HTL!!!!

 

Games against these have been tight but this one is a free hit for the lads imo. Give it all you've got, leave nowt in the dressing room and come off the pitch knowing you've done all you could...that's all we ask.
Not bothered what Preston do as it's all on our kids, go and smash it lads and keep this roller coaster on track.
Great thread RTB, your a top lad, hope this isn't your finale this season.HTL.

 

Great thread again @RTB.

Just want to see them go out on the pitch, give it everything and finish the season on a high, irrespective of what happens to results elsewhere.

Ive loved this season adn the direction the club is heading

Hawaaaaaaaaaaay

 

Thanks for a superb season of threads @RTB.
Much appreciated.
Quality read as always.
HTL

 

Ouch - just done it myself, I left a good local job to take up a higher paid contract.
Turned out to be a complete **** show, so I'm now looking for a new job

 

I hope it's not as dramatic as that - but wouldn't be surprised

 

Game chosen for Live broadcast by Sky

 

gerrin

 

Let's hope for another good away performance live on Sky.
Win and see what happens. It feels unlikely, but miracles can happen. Going to be a nervous afternoon watching all the scores - be nice if it similar to last season and we score early and Coventry (this year's Plymouth) are 3 down by HT

 

Come what may on Monday, this has been a great season to be a Sunderland fan , and thanks once again RTB for all the work you do in making this thread such an enjoyable one,

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if this is any standard, I am certain you will be OaU again in no time. so best of luck and ktf.