Preston North End v Swindon Town: League One play-off final stat pack
Sunday 24 May 2015 08:25, UK
We look at the key stats as Preston and Swindon prepare to battle it out in the League One play-off final.
Favourites Preston fell just short of automatic promotion but they eased past Chesterfield in their play-off semi-final, winning the away leg 1-0 before sealing a 3-0 victory at Deepdale which featured a long-range wonder goal from Jermaine Beckford.
Swindon’s route to the final was less serene, as Sheffield United made them sweat as they played out a remarkable 5-5 draw in the second leg of the other semi-final, giving them a 7-6 aggregate victory.
So who will emerge triumphant? Here, we take a look at some of the key stats ahead of the Wembley showdown.
Preston favourites
In Joe Garner, Preston have the League One top scorer with 26 goals. The 27-year-old netted a hat-trick in the last meeting between the two sides, a 3-0 home win in April.
Garner’s strike partner Beckford has also scored 12 goals in his last 17 appearances, and Preston are unbeaten in the 13 games in which he has scored.
Indeed, Preston’s last 11 goals have been scored by their in-form strikers. Garner has six goals in his last six games for Preston, while Beckford has five in five.
The Lilywhites are the form team. They have only lost once in their last 19 games, while Swindon have lost seven times in the same period.
Preston have a superior head-to-head record against Swindon having won 15, drawn eight and lost nine of their previous 32 encounters.
Manager Simon Grayson has overseen two League One play-off finals in his managerial career, winning them both.
In total, Grayson has won promotion from the third tier of four separate occasions. No manager has achieved more promotions from that level.
Preston have an impressive recent record in penalty shoot-outs, winning four of their last five.
Positive omens for Swindon?
Preston have lost all three of their previous appearances in a play-off final – against Wycombe in 1994, Bolton in 2001 and West Ham in 2005.
By contrast, Swindon have won three of their four appearances in a play-off final – against Gillingham after a replay in 1987, Sunderland in 1990 and in 1993 against Leicester. Their defeat came in the 2010 League One final against Millwall.
This is Preston’s 10th play-off campaign – more than any other side in play-off history – but they have failed to win promotion in any of the previous nine.
The Robins were beaten 3-0 when the two sides met at Deepdale in April, but they have not lost consecutive fixtures against Preston since May 1977, when they had lost five in a row against North End.
This is the fifth successive season that the clubs who finished third and fourth have met in the final – and the side finishing in fourth place have won on all four previous occasions.
Preston have failed to score in 10 of 23 play-off games, while Swindon have only failed to find the net in five of 22.
Preston’s clean sheet against Swindon in April was their only shut-out in their last eight meetings, and the Robins hit seven goals over the two legs of their semi-final with Sheffield United.
Watch the League One play-off final live on Sky Sports 1 HD at 5.30pm on Sunday
