Saturday 17th October 2009
The Coca-Cola Championship
Loftus Road Stadium
Referee: R J Booth
Kick-off: 15:00
Queens Park Rangers (13th) V Preston North End (5th)
By The Godfather

Queens Park Rangers return from the international break to face a high-flying Preston North End side at Loftus Road. After suffering a defeat to Swansea City a couple of weeks ago, Magilton will be hoping to bounce back this Saturday. However, without the presence of the suspended Ben Watson and Martin Rowlands (who is now also injured) in central midfield, this could prove to be a very difficult test for the Super Hoops.

Preston North End

Season 2008-09 finish: 6th place.

Manager: Alan Irvine.

Under the leadership of Alan Irvine, Preston enjoyed a highly successful 2008/09 season, beating QPR on the final day of the campaign to earn themselves a play-off place. Although the Lilywhites were knocked out in the semi-finals by Sheffield United, there was (and still is) an air of confidence around Deepdale.

After the superb start Preston have made to the season, supporters will no doubt be aiming for a top-six finish. North End have taken 19 points out of a possible 33 and sit in 5th place in the league table, only two behind the automatic promotion positions. Of course, it’s early days, but for the fans there is certainly a cause to be optimistic.

Despite the team’s success on the pitch, attendance figures have fallen. Less than 12,000 people turned up to watch a recent match against promotion candidates, West Brom. Clearly this is an issue that needs to be addressed.

Over the last couple of years I’ve watched Preston on a number of occasions. They appear to be a well-organised, very physical team. My concern is whether the likes of Taraabt and Buzsaky will be able to influence Saturday’s match against such brawn and aggression.

Men to watch

North End’s main attacking threat will be striker, Neil Mellor, who has already notched 6 goals this season. The 26 year-old started his career with Liverpool, where he made 12 appearances. Loan spells at West Ham and Wigan followed, before he signed for Preston on a permanent basis in 2006. Mellor is a clinical finisher who must be marked properly by the QPR defenders on Saturday afternoon.

Jon Parkin could partner Mellor up front. Nicknamed “the Beast” for his sheer size and aggression, the 27 year-old always causes problems whenever he comes up against the Super Hoops. Parkin, who has scored 4 times this season, could pose a threat to the QPR defence on Saturday afternoon. Alan Irvine could also select striker, Chris Brown, in his starting line-up. He has netted six goals so far this campaign.

On the right flank, expect to see the talented Chris Sedgwick. The 29 year-old has made over 200 appearances for the Lilywhites since 2004, becoming a favourite with the fans in the process. I’ve always been impressed by Sedgwick’s skill and pace. I do hope Magilton has identified this threat.

In the heart of midfield, Irvine could hand a start to Richard Chaplow. The 24 year-old has established himself as a first team regular since signing for the club in 2008. Chaplow, who lists Burnley and West Brom among his former teams, has represented England at Under-20 and Under-21 level.

Velice Sumulikoski could play alongside Chaplow. The 28 year-old signed for North End during the summer from Ipswich Town and could make an important contribution over the course of the season. Sumulikoski has 59 caps for the Macedonian national team to his name.

At the back, Liam Chilvers is likely to retain his place in the starting line-up. The 27 year-old has earned a reputation of being a reliable centre-half since signing for the Lilywhites from Colchester in 2006. The former Arsenal trainee has made over 70 appearances for Preston so far.

Youl Mawene could partner Chilvers in the heart of defence. The Frenchman signed for the Lilywhites in 2004 from Derby County and has notched over 150 appearances for the club. The 30 year-old could provide a stern test for the QPR forwards on Saturday afternoon.

In goal, expect to see Andy Lonergan keep his place. The 25 year-old, who has signed a new three-and-a-half year contract at the club, has registered over 140 appearances for North End since 2000.

Previous Match

May 2009 – Preston North End sneaked into the play-offs by beating Queens Park Rangers at Deepdale on the final day of the 2008/09 season. Jon Parkin put the home side into the lead, capitalising on a mistake by Kaspars Gorkss and slotting into the back of the net. Patrick Agyemang rifled home the equaliser after the break, before St Ledger headed past Cerny for the winner. However, Rangers finished the stronger and almost found an equaliser with the last kick of the game, Youl Mawene having to clear the ball off the line.

QPR Caretaker Manager, Gareth Ainsworth: “Make no bones about it, we wanted to come here and win the game and finish the season well. I think attacking-wise it was probably one of our best displays. We played some really good stuff, and but for our final ball we could have scored a few more. We had one cleared off the line in the last minute, and that's testament to how we went right to the end.”

Preston North End 2-1 Queens Park Rangers

League Form

Queens Park Rangers league form: DWWDL (Last match – Swansea 2-0 QPR).

Preston North End league form: LWWLD (Last match – Preston 0-0 West Brom).

QPR Team News

Ben Watson was sent off during the 2-0 defeat to Swansea City and will miss Saturday’s fixture. Martin Rowlands is also suspended, but more worryingly picked up a serious injury on Wednesday night in a Republic of Ireland international. Fitz Hall and Angelo Balanta could return from their groin problems. Lee Cook remains a long-term absentee.

Prediction

As already mentioned, I think this could be a difficult match for Jim Magilton’s team. Without the presence of Watson and Rowlands, the Rs could struggle to win the midfield battle. It will certainly be interesting to see the team selection: will Mahon be given an opportunity to impress? Or will Leigertwood move into the middle of the park? In my view, Preston’s brawn and aggression will cancel out Queens Park Rangers’ skill and flair. For me, this has a draw written all over it.

Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Preston North End.