Preston North End vs Barnsley. Sky Bet Championship.
Deepdale.
Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Preston and Barnsley at Deepdale as goals from Jordan Storey and Ched Evans earned North End a 2-0 victory and slowed the play-off bound Tykes' momentum on Saturday
Saturday 1 May 2021 19:10, UK
Preston beat Barnsley 2-0 to halt the Tykes' Championship play-off momentum.
Goals from Jordan Storey and Ched Evans sealed victory in the Lilywhites' last game at Deepdale this term.
Frankie McAvoy's men are ending the campaign on a high after securing their third straight win.
Barnsley have already confirmed their play-off spot but missed the chance to climb the table.
The Reds could not handle the physical threat of the hosts as their run of four wins in five ended. Conor Chaplin fluffed a great early chance after top-scorer Cauley Woodrow's pinpoint cut-back.
The visitors were let off the hook after Brad Collins misjudged a corner and Preston could not convert. Liverpool loanee Sepp van den Berg tested Collins at the near post as neither side took control.
Preston got joy from forward Tom Barkhuizen's deceptive throw-ins and Barnsley's defence looked uneasy. Michal Helik's acrobatic effort forced North End stopper Daniel Iversen's first save.
Moments later, Storey pounced on a goalmouth scramble to give Preston the lead when he poked home his first of the season after Ryan Ledson's corner caused havoc.
Barnsley striker Daryl Dike fed off scraps and was limited to one speculative header before the break.
Tykes boss Valerien Ismael demanded a response with three changes at half-time but they made the worst possible start as the hosts doubled their lead.
Barkhuizen's long throw caused problems and Storey turned provider with a flick on for Evans, who smartly finished his fifth goal since joining the club in January.
It was the striker's second Deepdale goal in two games after signing a new two-year deal.
Barnsley captain Alex Mowatt's corner was headed just over by Mads Andersen after the hour mark.
USA international Dike was destined to halve the deficit but his shot was blocked and trickled just wide.
Iversen then had to be alert to punch away Mowatt's corner as the visitors got a foothold and he made a superb save with his feet to deny Jasper Moon as Preston held firm.
And Evans could have had a second late on but unselfishly squared to substitute Brad Potts, but he failed to convert.
Preston interim head coach Frankie McAvoy: "We knew beforehand that Barnsley were a threat from set-pieces. We worked hard yesterday on our own set plays because your strength can be your weakness at times. We were desperate to do well and the game plan worked exactly how we wanted it to.
"I was given an opportunity here for eight games and this opportunity might never have come up again. I didn't think for a minute we would win four, draw two and lose one of our last seven. The players have done me and the coaching staff brilliantly over the seven games I've been in charge, I can't praise them highly enough."
Barnsley's Valerien Ismael: "We didn't put in the performance we wanted and it's a big disappointment. It's a typical case that when we reach our goal last week the pressure came down and we need to raise that. It's a warning for everyone that we need to refocus and come back to our strength and intensity. (The goals) show it was a concentration problem, it seems that the guys switched off this afternoon which I guess is a normal human process.
"Now the good thing is we will refocus and know what we have to do and find the right solution against Norwich. The training week was good and the intensity was there but at 3pm in the afternoon the guys switched off. We need to come back to our strengths which we did not do. We deserve our position in the league and when you win it becomes an addiction so we're disappointed. We were not able to win so we deserve to stay where we are."
