Preston 3-2 Coventry: North End finally back to winning ways

Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Preston North End and Coventry City at Deepdale on Saturday | Milutin Osmajic's second goal in three games sees Ryan Lowe's side to victory.

Saturday 4 November 2023 18:48, UK

Preston came from behind to beat Coventry 3-2 at Deepdale to end a winless run of seven games and climb back into the Sky Bet Championship play-offs.

Haji Wright put the Sky Blues ahead before Duane Holmes swiftly equalised, and Preston skipper Alan Browne put the hosts ahead from the penalty spot before half-time.

Milutin Osmajic headed North End's third after the break, before Wright grabbed his and Coventry's second before full-time.

The win sees Preston move into sixth place while Coventry remain in 20th and have now lost four games in succession.

Both sides went into the clash out of form and Preston's Jordan Storey had the afternoon's first chance, side footing over from close range.

From a Sky Blues corner, Preston countered through Liam Millar who fed in Osmajic but he fired straight at Ben Wilson after 10 minutes.

The hosts continued to have better opportunities as Liam Lindsay nodded Mads Frokjaer-Jensen's right-wing cross wide on the quarter-hour mark.

Coventry stopper Wilson was fortunate not to concede after failing to hold on to Browne's effort but saw it bobble just wide.

The visitors took the lead against the run of play when Freddie Woodman parried Matt Godden's shot into Wright's path and the Sky Blues man put Coventry ahead after 33 minutes, though there were suggestions of offside.

However, Preston were back on level terms not long after when Coventry failed to clear and Holmes blasted a low effort past Wilson seven minutes from half-time.

North End won a penalty shortly after when Kyle McFadzean bundled Osmajic over in the box and skipper Browne duly converted to give Preston the lead.

Ryan Lowe's side looked for a third before the break, but Osmajic could not direct Brad Potts' dangerous low cross to the target.

Following an open start to the second half, Coventry substitute Ellis Simms fired at Woodman as the hour-mark approached, before the Preston stopper tipped Ben Sheaf's fierce drive over.

Sheaf rifled through a crowd as Coventry sought an equaliser, while Millar's deflected shot was claimed by Wilson at the other end.

But Preston got their third when Millar's floated cross was nodded home from close range by Osmajic with 19 minutes to go.

Wright tried to reduce the deficit with a long-range effort but could not find the target, while Simms lashed against the side-netting shortly after.

Coventry did grab another back when substitute Josh Eccles fired at Woodman and, though he kept the 83rd-minute effort out, Wright was again first there to tap home.

But it was not enough for the Sky Blues to avoid defeat with late pressure not yielding an equaliser.

The managers

Preston's Ryan Lowe:

"What I will say about Coventry is they're well coached and have got a fantastic manager and they've got some fantastic players and they're in a false position as we speak.

"I said that to Mark at the end, 'keep going because you've got some players and a good team'.

"Of course it's a bit of a relief when you get that third goal but they're never going to lie down, they were play-off finalists last year and they're not just going to roll over and say take the three points.

"They're going to keep fighting and that's what they did so we had to show a different side to us again.

"Their second goal I'm disappointed with because it shouldn't get to that, but I said to the group about management in-game and what we need to do and how we do it, and they know, they take it on board.

"A two-goal cushion is fine for a while and then they get one back. But I'm just pleased for the lads, they've been working hard.

"The performances have been good but the results just haven't been, so to take three points off a good team in Coventry is pleasing."

Coventry's Mark Robins:

"I think there was definitely nervousness. What happened was the first half we were pretty poor, couldn't really get out and they had a lot of the ball and their intent was clear.

"Ours wasn't, we couldn't move it, we turned the ball over too much, but then we took the lead probably against the run of play.

"The second half was chalk and cheese really, it was a proverbial game of two halves, and we showed the intent that our team shows generally and has done for years and we've got to hold on to that.

"The second-half performance was pretty good, apart from the goal that we conceded.

"The three goals we conceded were soft, they were poor, so that's got to improve, but we looked better.

"We've broken that duck of not scoring away from home and then we've ended up with two from Haji which is good for him and his confidence."