Preston Athletic Hold Firm for Vital Win Over Newtongrange Star

Preston Athletic 1-0 Newtongrange Star

An EOS First Division clash at Pennypitt Park saw a Preston Athletic side looking for points to start pulling them away from the bottom three, while Newtongrange Star were very much in the hunt for a top-three finish. This was a huge game, whichever camp you were in.

Within thirty seconds, Preston’s Lloyd Fiddler got himself in trouble with the referee for trying to wrestle the ball away from Star’s Liam Reid after the visitors were awarded a clear midfield free kick. The feisty start continued a minute later as Star skipper Shaun Conlon went into referee Richie Kay’s book for a reckless challenge on Kieran Jack right in front of the Preston dugout — a decision he couldn’t complain about as he got nothing of the ball.

The first real bit of football came from the resulting free kick as the ball dropped for Athletic’s Calum Stark, but his twenty-yard drive was blocked by a Star defender. It took eight minutes for Star to threaten when Liam Gray nipped between two Preston defenders, worked his way along the goal line, and won Star’s first corner of the match, though his delivery was cleared by the home defence.

However, it was the home side who took the lead after ten minutes. Ciaran McKenzie initially did well sweeping up at the back, but a careless pass out saw Stark race through for Preston and fire a left-footed effort from the edge of the box. Visiting keeper Shea Dowie brilliantly parried the shot, but the ball fell back to Stark who, despite being off balance, managed to get his right foot to the ball. His fifteen-yard drive found the back of the net, even though Dowie got a slight touch while still on the ground.

Two minutes later, Stark found himself on the end of a warning from referee Kay for a midfield foul on Star’s Richard Hutton as the game continued at a cup-tie pace. Star were desperate to level things up quickly, and Preston keeper Sam Gray did well to turn an angled drive from Fyn Connor past the far post.

The visitors suffered a blow after a quarter of an hour when their main strike threat, Frazer Sutherland, collided with the fence behind the goal while chasing a cross and injured his right arm, forcing him off. Adam Nelson was brought on as his replacement.

After twenty minutes, Fiddler sent a free kick into the Star box, where the ball looped up off Nelson’s head, but keeper Dowie confidently grabbed it inside his goal area. Two minutes later, Preston should have doubled their lead when Sam Kilboy muscled past Reid down the right flank, cut inside, and squared the ball to the unmarked Stark. However, Stark, perhaps with too much time, skied his shot over the bar with the goal at his mercy.

At the other end, Michael Jones laid the ball off to Hutton on the edge of the Preston box, but Hutton skewed his shot well wide. Preston keeper Gray got a bit lucky after 24 minutes when a casual clearance smacked off the body of Jones 25 yards out — the ricochet could have gone anywhere but thankfully ran safe.

Three minutes later, Gray did better when Jones and Liam Gray combined down the left, and when the latter floated over a cross, the keeper was there to grab it. Liam Gray was proving to be Star’s liveliest threat, and on 32 minutes, he beat a couple of Preston defenders down the right flank but let himself down with a poor final delivery.

A minute later, Preston’s Seb Mrowczynski made a powerful sixty-yard run down the left before crossing for Jack, but Star keeper Dowie took the ball confidently. After 35 minutes, the visitors missed a great chance to equalize when Nelson’s pinpoint corner found Scott Brogan arriving late, but his six-yard header glanced wide when a stronger touch would surely have found the net.

Star continued to press. Nelson found Gray, who fired the ball across the face of the goal, but Jones failed to connect, missing another decent chance. Preston remained dangerous on the counter, and after 38 minutes, Kilboy raced forward after a foul on Stark. He laid the ball off to Mrowczynski, whose fierce effort forced Dowie into tipping the ball over the bar. Referee Kay returned to book Nelson for the initial foul.

Three minutes before halftime, the visitors nearly equalized when Liam Gray sent a cross into the Preston box that came off the face of the crossbar with keeper Gray stranded. A minute into stoppage time, Gray’s inswinging corner dropped onto the roof of the Preston net. At halftime, the home side held a deserved lead after an energetic and aggressive first half that unsettled Newtongrange Star.

A minute into the second period, referee Kay reached for his pocket again, this time booking Preston right-back Lloyd Fiddler for an accumulation of offences. Star’s Liam Gray took the resulting free kick, and when the ball was cleared back to him, his second effort from just inside the box was also blocked.

Preston quickly countered, and an attempted defensive clearance was hammered off the legs of Preston striker Sam Kilboy, who was standing just outside the box. The ball looped harmlessly behind, but it could easily have gone anywhere.

With 49 minutes gone, Star came close again. Jones and Brogan combined well down the right flank before Brogan whipped in a low cross towards the near post. Aidan Barrowman arrived at full stretch but was just inches away from getting the final touch.

Preston created their first real chance of the second half in the 52nd minute when a foul on Stark allowed Anes Subasic to deliver a dangerous free kick to the back post. Preston captain Brad Donaldson misjudged the flight of the ball and barely made contact with his header from only seven yards out. Less than a minute later, Subasic tried his luck with a snap shot from the edge of the Star box, but Nelson was there to block it.

Kilboy continued to cause problems for the Star defence and nearly got the goal his performance deserved after 55 minutes. He burst into the Star box on the right and unleashed a low right-footed drive that beat keeper Dowie but smashed off the base of the near post — another let-off for the visitors.

Just before the hour mark, Liam Gray’s corner for Star was returned to him, and his second delivery into the box had home keeper Sam Gray diving onto the ball with Hutton lurking for a possible fumble. Moments later, Preston skipper Donaldson was rightly cautioned for a clumsy challenge on Jones in midfield. His protests to the referee about the decision left many puzzled.

Star continued to push forward. Barrowman laid the ball off to Jones on the edge of the Preston box, but Jones fired over the bar. In the 63rd minute, Star made a change, bringing on Jack Neilson for Hutton. Two minutes later, Fiddler floated a cross into the Star box, finding Stark’s head, but his effort was straight at Dowie.

Preston made their first substitution after 69 minutes, with Stark — the game’s only goal scorer so far — making way for Lewis Allan-Brown. Four minutes later, Preston keeper Sam Gray went down inside his goal area, requiring treatment. Star supporters voiced their frustration, believing it was a time-wasting tactic, but Gray soon continued.

His recovery was put to the test almost immediately. Brogan and Liam Gray combined again down the right, with Brogan cutting inside and sending a low angled drive towards goal. Gray stuck out a big left boot to block the ball right on his goal line, preserving Preston’s lead.

Nelson then slipped in midfield, allowing Kilboy to break down the right again. Kilboy cut inside and fired a powerful twenty-yard shot, but Dowie was well-positioned to save. Shortly after, Jones picked up a knock but, after some treatment, was able to continue.

With twelve minutes remaining, Preston almost sealed the win. Donaldson’s towering header from the halfway line found Kilboy, who laid the ball off to Jack. Jack let fly with a fierce right-footed drive from fourteen yards, but it flew just over the bar.

The game had become end-to-end. Star’s Jones released Brogan down the right, and his pass inside found Liam Gray, who weaved into the box and tried to curl a low shot into the far corner. Sam Gray, however, got a crucial fingertip to the ball, turning it behind for a corner.

Preston responded immediately. Fiddler found Mrowczynski on the break, who sent a dangerous ball across the face of the goal, narrowly missing Kilboy as Dowie bravely dived at his feet to make the block. The clash left Dowie needing treatment, as did McKenzie, who went down during the Preston attack with what looked like a knee or ankle issue, but both were able to continue.

With eight minutes remaining, Star made a triple substitution, bringing on Jayden Bradley, Mason Beattie, and Sam Buchanan for Conlon, Barrowman, and Jones. Four minutes from time, Jack’s corner picked out Donaldson, but once again, the Preston captain failed to make meaningful contact from close range.

Preston had been running down the clock, and referee Kay finally lost patience in the final minute of normal time. Mrowczynski delayed taking a throw-in, changing direction and walking away, earning himself a yellow card for time-wasting.

A minute into stoppage time, the drama continued. Preston keeper Gray flopped onto the ball with Neilson standing over him and then theatrically rolled over as if he’d been caught. The game was stopped for treatment, and during the break, Dale Pennycuick of Preston was booked for a comment made to the referee, while Neilson also saw yellow for his contact with Gray — breathless stuff!

Star weren’t giving up. Three minutes into stoppage time, Neilson forced another brilliant save from keeper Gray, who tipped his 17-yard drive behind. In the end, however, Preston held on for a deserved victory.

This win was a huge boost for Preston Athletic as they look to climb the table, having effectively countered Star’s pressure and taken their chances. For Newtongrange Star, it was a frustrating afternoon — despite plenty of possession, they didn’t test the Preston keeper often enough. They’ll be hoping next week’s cup tie against a bottom-three EOS Premier side offers the perfect chance to bounce back and rebuild momentum as the season approaches its climax.