Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue

After a few mediocre performances really there is a feeling of optomism around Deepdale after a 3-2 home win against struggling Wycombe, despite being second best for most of the first half, an inspired change to 4-4-2 saw Preston dominate the game and had Steven Smith not been harshly sent off just after we got our third goal there is no doubt that we could have won by more than 1 or 2 goals.

But the first 40 minutes before the change we were playing probably the worst we had played all season and Wycombe were unlucky not to be 3-0 up by the time Harry Bunn netted his first goal for the club on his debut, Thorsten Stuckmann was in fine form and was keeping us in the game making some fine saves and was unlucky to concede the first goal after good work from Marcello Trotta to fire right into the bottom corner after just 8 minutes. Taking off Barton for Mayor was a brilliant decision by the caretakers and when we went 4-4-2 they had no answer for the pace of Parry and Mayor who dominated when in possesion. It has to be said though that Wycombe were awful at defending corners, our first two goals came from the keeper coming for the ball and totally missing with Bunn and Jarvis having very simple chances to score on their home debuts.

Harry Bunn was deserving of his man of the match award as he caused Wycombes defence problems all game and created several chances and was unlucky not to add to the goal he got just before half time, it is very pleasing that he's on a loan to the end of the season as he is a very similar player to Hume and with Hume out for a while with a torn hamstring it appears that his absence will be minimal if Bunn continues this form for the rest of the season. Jake Jervis continued to impress and got his second goal in two games with a poachers effort tapping in from two yards with the ball bobbling around the penalty area. It also seems that we've found a more dependable penalty taker than Alexander as Parry made it two in two with a well placed effort sending Nikki Bull the wrong way. It was just after that that the game was turned on its head when Steven Smith was given a debatable second yellow card for a challenge on the half way line, we defended very well onwards apart from one lapse in concentration and Trotta pounced to score his second of the game and create a tense finale, but despite six minutes of added on time, most of them were spent in front of the Town End and Preston got a deserved victory.

Today was the last game with Alexander and Unsworth in charge before Graham Westley takes charge on Monday, they signed off with a win and a record of 2 wins 2 draws and 1 defeat which isn't great but not bad and fans will surely remember them best for a magnificent 1-0 win away at MK Dons just days after Phil Brown had been sacked, some of that football was replicated today when the switch to 4-4-2 was made and perhaps if they had managed to get us playing like that for all 5 games then perhaps they might have had the job full time but they deserve a lot of credit for getting us through this difficult time still in the top 10 with a chance at the play offs, what they have given us is optimism for the future and a belief which can certainly be harnessed by Westley when he takes training for the first time on Monday Morning. His appointment has been welcomed by the majority of Preston fans and I certainly think that he can get us to the play offs at the end of the season (possibly overhauling Stevenage in the proccess) and if it goes brilliantly we could yet be a Championship team again by the summer, there's certainly positivity again, how long it lasts remains to be seen, along with the futures of Alexander and Unsworth as Westley is bringing his own staff to Preston