Match Preview: West Brom (A)

3 May 2024

Preston North End’s 2023/24 season will come to a close this weekend with a trip to The Hawthorns to take on West Brom.

Match Details

Date: Saturday 4^th May, 12.30pm kick-off
Venue: The Hawthorns
Competition: Sky Bet Championship
Kit: Third kit

Supporter Information

Tickets for this fixture are now off sale and there will be none available to buy on the day.

Pre-paid tickets can be collected on the day from the East Stand ticket office from 11am.

Supporters should be aware that there will be no tram service running to the Hawthorns due to engineering works. Supporters travelling to Birmingham New Street are advised to walk to Birmingham Snow Hill station, where trains will run from to The Hawthorns.

Supporters are reminded that the club has a zero-tolerance policy towards behaviours such as abuse, discrimination, anti-social behaviour, pyrotechnics, and pitch encroachment, and each of these can result in serious sanctions.

Who’s Available?

Ryan Lowe is expecting everyone who was part of the matchday squad on Monday night against Leicester City to again be involved this weekend.

Ali McCann, Ben Whiteman, and Brad Potts will all miss out again through injury.

Ched Evans could make his 400^th career appearance if he features, while 16-year-old Theo Mawene, who became the club’s seventh-youngest appearance maker on Monday, will be hoping for more minutes.

Opposition Focus

It looked as though West Brom had all but sealed their Play-Off spot a few weeks back, but one victory in their previous seven matches has meant their fate is still to be sealed on the final day.

After finishing ninth last season, Carlos Corberán’s side have enjoyed a great campaign and they hold the division’s sixth best record at home, picking up 46 points from their 22 matches.

Heading into the final day, there’s three teams fighting for two Play-Off places, with Norwich City currently sitting fifth and travelling to Birmingham City, and Hull City in seventh head to Plymouth Argyle.

A Recent Clash

Goals from Emil Riis and Cameron Archer earned North End a 2-0 victory at The Hawthorns in January 2022.

Follow The Action

This fixture will be available to watch on iFollow for supporters around the world, including in the UK and Ireland. Match passes can be bought here.

Live commentary is also available around the world, with Jonathan Breeze and David Buchanan on the mic. You can buy an audio match pass here.

Extensive coverage can be followed across social media channels and here on the website.

Match Officials

Referee: Stephen Martin
Assistant Referees: Mark Dwyer and Rob Smith
Fourth Official: David Webb

Stephen Martin will referee his second North End match of the campaign on Saturday, after taking charge of the recent 3-0 victory over Rotherham United.

Martin has been the main official for 21 matches so far this season, showing 104 yellow cards and two reds.

Match Reports

Match Report: West Brom 3 PNE 0

4 May 2024

Preston North End finished the 2023/24 Sky Bet Championship campaign with a 3-0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion.

The Baggies took the lead in the second minute of first-half stoppage-time from the penalty spot, courtesy of Alex Mowatt.

West Brom then scored twice more in the second half through Kyle Bartley and Darnell Furlong, and they sealed a place in the Play-Offs.

Grady Diangana had the first effort inside the opening two minutes, which Freddie Woodman was equal to, while at the other end Alex Palmer was helped by a big deflection on Andrew Hughes’ strike from distance.

North End were looking bright and in the 17^th minute a long ball over the top looked to have sent Riis through on goal, but his touch took him wide past Palmer and his cross couldn’t quite be taken down by Liam Millar.

The Danish forward soon had to be taken off after taking what looked like a knock to his back, and Milutin Osmajić came on to partner Will Keane.

There was a let off for North End in the 35^th minute as a Mowatt free-kick was nodded down for Brandon Thomas-Asante, who sent a left-footed effort wide from six yards.

Woodman had to come up with a superb double save in the 38^th minute to keep out Mikey Johnston and Conor Townsend respectively, albeit the latter was flagged offside.

The sides were all ready to head into the break level, until Liam Lindsay was penalised for an alleged foul on Furlong, and Mowatt stepped up to send Woodman the wrong way from the spot.

West Brom had a golden chance to double their advantage five minutes into the second half, but Cedric Kipré volleyed over from six yards, unmarked on the end of a corner.

Thomas-Asante then had arguably an ever better opportunity in the 58^th minute following good work by Johnston on the left, however the striker somehow sent his close-range effort over.

A second goal was to arrive, though, and it came from a long throw-in by Furlong, which was headed over Woodman by Bartley and into the back of the net.

The Baggies had a third in the 68^th minute when Townsend made his way into the box and pulled it back to Furlong, who tapped into the open net.

There wasn’t much in the way of opportunities for North End in the second period, although Will Keane did have a chance in the 79^th minute on the end of Browne’s lofted free-kick, but he could only head wide.

West Brom line-up: Palmer; Furlong, Bartley, Kipré, Townsend; Yokuşlu (M’Vila, 76), Mowatt; Fellows (Wallace, 68), Diangana (Phillips, 85), Johnston (Swift, 76); Thomas-Asante (Maja, 85). Subs not used: Griffiths, Ajayi, Chalobah, Reach.

PNE line-up: Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes (Best, 84); Browne, Whatmough, Holmes (Seary, 72), Millar; Frøkjær (Stewart, 72); Keane (Evans, 84), Riis (Osmajić, 29). Subs not used: Cornell, Brady, T.Mawene, N.Mawene.

Attendance: TBC (1,266 PNE fans).

Referee: Mr S Martin.

Ticket News

West Brom Tickets On Sale

30 April 2024

Tickets for North End’s Sky Bet Championship season finale against West Brom remain on sale.

PNE will head to the Hawthorns for a 12.30pm kick-off on Saturday 4^th May, and the club have been allocated 2,009 tickets for this fixture. As of Wednesday 1st May, around 1,250 tickets had been sold.

You can buy yours online until 3pm on Friday, and in person from the ticket office and over the phone on 0344 856 1966 until 5pm.

Tickets can be collected from Deepdale up until 6pm on Friday, while any which haven't been picked up by this time can be collected on the day from the East Stand ticket office at The Hawthorns from 11am.

Prices

Adults (26 to 64) £28
Seniors (65+) £23
20 to 25-year-olds £17
17 to 19-year-olds £12
U17s (0 to 16) £5

Disabled Supporter Information

There are 17 tickets available for wheelchair users, each coming with a complimentary carer ticket, if required.

These are priced in accordance with the relevant age band below, as are tickets for ambulant disabled supporters, which also come with a free carer ticket.

Adults (26 to 64) £18
Seniors (65+) £18
20 to 25-year-olds £17
17 to 19-year-olds £12
U17s (0 to 16) £5

Five disabled car parking spaces are available to book by contacting liz.massey@wbafc.co.uk.

Coach Travel

Coach travel is available from both Deepdale and Leyland for this fixture, priced at £16 for Ambassadors and £18 for non-Ambassadors.

Coaches will depart both locations at 8.30am.

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