Preston North End vs Wrexham; Sky Bet Championship
Preston North End vs Wrexham. Sky Bet Championship.
Deepdale.
Preston North End 1-1 Wrexham: Everton loanee Harrison Armstrong scores late equaliser to earn hosts a point at Deepdale
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Preston North End and Wrexham at Deepdale on Saturday; Everton loanee Harrison Armstrong struck late to earn Paul Heckingbottom's side a point at home
Saturday 6 December 2025 18:34, UK
Harrison Armstrong came off the bench to salvage a point for Preston in a 1-1 draw with Wrexham at Deepdale.
The 18-year-old Everton loanee bagged his first goal of the season with a composed, close-range finish in the 81st minute, cancelling out Kieffer Moore's fourth-minute opener.
It was just reward for Paul Heckingbottom's men, who battled hard to ensure they avoided back-to-back home defeats, while Phil Parkinson's side are now unbeaten in nine league matches.
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Wrexham started with a bang as goalkeeper Daniel Iversen misjudged James McClean's ball to the back post, allowing Moore to tap in for his 10th goal in all competitions.
Lewis Dobbin nearly restored parity for Preston after 15 minutes with a sensational weaving run which required a brave block from Dominic Hyam and Alfie Devine made Arthur Okonkwo work with a smart tip around the post.
Chances kept coming for the hosts as Pol Valentin skied from inside the box, latching onto Ben Whiteman's direct ball, before McClean cleared Michael Smith's swivelling shot off the line after Okonkwo made a meal of a ball into the box.
The 24-year-old stopper made amends at the end of the first half, though, pulling off an excellent double save to twice deny Thierry Small, who made a late run into the box to meet Valentin's cross.
As the second half started, it was Iversen's turn for an impressive double stop. First, he reacted well to parry Moore's fierce angled shot before getting up to claw McClean's header off the line.
Shortly after, Nathan Broadhurst nearly found the net with a rasping 25-yard drive after a smart turn in the centre of the pitch but the effort fizzed narrowly wide.
Preston roared back and Small came within inches of levelling affairs on the hour mark, striking across the goal and off the underside of the post from just inside the box.
Eight minutes later, at the other end, the lively McClean found George Thomason with a teasing cross but the midfielder glanced agonisingly wide of the far post with Iversen well beaten.
Wrexham needed more heroics from Okonkwo in the 72nd minute, clawing away Jordan Storey's header as he rose to meet Whiteman's corner, and the busy stopper did even better to tip Andrew Hughes' header - also from a Whiteman delivery - around the post.
It looked like being one of those days until substitute Armstrong kept his cool at the far post to squeeze in an equaliser as Wrexham defenders buckled under the incessant pressure applied by the hosts.
Preston should have gone ahead just moments later as Storey was left unmarked on a second ball but ballooned his effort over the bar from six yards.
The managers
Preston's Paul Heckingbottom:
"It was a great advert for Championship football. Two really honest teams going for the win - committed but fair - and it was a great game of football in difficult conditions. Both teams deserve a lot of credit.
"The desire and the commitment of the team was very good when it had to be.
"Preston are a good side and they've come back into a lot of games but the way we defended set plays and last-ditch defending was brilliant but he also played some great football as well.
"We've had great chances, their keeper's made a double save, I know Arthur's [Okonkwo] made some great saves as well.
"Both teams were just going out to get the win. They went three up top and went really direct towards the end and they eventually got the goal."
Wrexham's Phil Parkinson:
"If we made little changes on the pitch or from the bench, I thought we always had an impact. So, I thought we would. I'm disappointed we didn't win the game but I'm really pleased with the performance and really enjoyed watching us.
"We'll do well to create that much in a Championship game between now and the end of the season and that's what we're striving for all the time.
"If we play like that or if we have that type of dominance in terms of chances between now and the end of the season in every game, we'll probably win 90 per cent of time but we know it's difficult to do that all the time."
