Year: 2012
NEW BOSS AT FLEETWOOD
Posted on December 20, 2012 in Millwall
The former Scotland international Graham Alexander has said that he feels that Fleetwood town is the great place to start his managerial career. The 41-year-old was recently appointed as the successor for the sacked Micky Mellon. This announcement was made by the club on Thursday at Highbury. He has said that he hopes that he can prove himself and the chairman Andy Pille right in the decision that they have taken. Micky Mellon was responsible for getting Fleetwood town into the football league for the first time in their history, but poor results at the start of the season culminated in his sacking recently.
Fleetwood Town recently lost against Aldershot, who are themselves struggling with form, in the FA Cup. The former Burnley and Preston defender has a wealth of experience of having played in a number of leagues in Britain. He was recently involved in the Premier league with Burnley only a few seasons ago. His first game will be coming up against Southend United, and he will be hoping to improve the position of the club, who are currently in the seventh position going into the match. The team still have an outside chance of getting into the League One automatically, as they remain only a handful of points away from the leaders.
“You have to take every opportunity that comes along and this was definitely worth going for. Hopefully I can prove myself right and the chairman [Andy Pilley] right. I want to be successful. There’s no other way to approach professional football. You have to strive to succeed. The club have been doing that for a few years now and hopefully I can take it forward,” said Alexander after assuming position at the club. He has also managed to bring his former colleague Chris Lucketti to the club as well.
PRESTON NET VICTORY
Posted on November 15, 2012 in Millwall
Preston North End has defeated Scunthorpe United FC in a League One match played at Glanthorpe Park on Tuesday. Preston won the match by a close margin of 3-2. This was the sixth victory for Preston in the ongoing Football League One. With the help of this victory, Preston has now moved up to no. 8 in the points table.
The Preston team has played 14 matches in the tournament so far out of which the team has secured victory in 6 matches. The Lilywhites have been defeated in 5 matches, while, the rest three matches have ended in a draw. Preston currently has 21 points in 14 matches.
On the other hand, this was the eighth defeat for Scunthorpe in the competition. Due to this defeat, Scunthorpe has moved down to no. 22 in the points table with only 10 points. Scunthorpe has played 14 matches in the ongoing League One so far out of which it has managed to win only two games. Scunthorpe has lost 8 matches, while, in the remaining four matches, the points have been shared.
Nicky Wroe was the hero of Preston’s victory. The English midfielder scored all the three goals for Preston and all those three goals were scored in the first half. Leon Clarke reduced the lead to 3-1 by scoring the first goal for Scunthorpe just before the half time break.
The match became interesting when the score became 3-2 in the 72th minute of the match. It was Karl Hawley who scored the second goal for Scunthorpe. Hawley got the ball outside the penalty box and he just blasted the ball into the left hand corner of the net.
The Scunthorpe team had to find the net at least one more time in order to stop Preston from registering a win, but, that didn’t happen and the Lilywhites grabbed all the three points.
Preston will play its next match against Tranmere Rovers on Saturday.
PRESTON IMPRESS WESTLEY
Posted on October 18, 2012 in Millwall
The Preston North end manager Graham Westley has said that he is extremely happy with the attitude shown by his players in the recent Johnstone’s Paint Trophy match against Morecambe. Preston were taking on Morecambe at Deepdale looking to progress to the quarter-final stage of the competition. Despite struggling with form in the league, they have been looking to take advantage of the brilliant run they have had so far in the cup competitions. However, the match against Morecambe was a crucial test, but Preston came out in the successful manner after beating the opposition 4-2.
The club were coming into the match on the back of the 3-1 defeat at the hands of Oldham athletic during the weekend. The Preston manager Westley admitted that his players were short on confidence ahead of this match, but they showed the right attitude to take them through to the quarter-finals of this competition. He is now hoping that the club will get the opportunity to play at Wembley if they win the next two matches. Preston were expected to challenge for promotion spot, but they are currently outside the play-offs position in the eighth position. They have 17 points from the 11 matches played so far.
“We needed to bounce back after a disppointing performance at the weekend. I thought the guys put in a terrific second-half performance, especially after going 1-0 down. I’ve said to the lads who haven’t been involved over the past few weeks that they have a special responsibility, because it’s the work they do then which dictates the success they have when they get in the side,” said the Preston manager after the match. The club will also be hoping to use this great result going into the match against Milton Keynes in the league during the weekend.
Fleetwood Beat Kilmarnock
Posted on August 28, 2012 in Millwall
Fleetwood Town has defeated Kilmarnock by 4-0 in a pre season friendly match. The banned midfielder of Queens Park Rangers, Joey Barton, played for Fleetwood Town in this match. He played in the match for 45 minutes. Barton has been banned by the Queens Park Rangers for 12 matches due to his behaviour in a match against Manchester City in the last season. Barton misbehaved with many players of Manchester City and his behaviour was certainly not acceptable.
After the match, the QPR immediately banned Barton. He was also fined heavily by the club. Barton admitted his mistake after the match and said that he should not have behaved in that manner. He was not in a right frame of mind at that time and he deserves to be punished. Barton was also terminated from the captaincy. He wasn’t allowed to practice with QPR during the ban period. So, he has been practicing with the squad of Fleetwood Town since then. Barton joined QPR in the last season and he captained the team in his very first match for the club. His first goal for QPR was against Wolverhampton Wanderers. He performed pretty well for QPR in the last season, but, in the last match of the season against Manchester City on 13th may, he did something which harmed his reputation big time.
After the match against Kilmarnock, Barton said that he is grateful to the authorities of Fleetwood Town that they allowed him to practice with the squad. On being asked about the Fleetwood squad, Barton said that there are some talented guys in the Fleetwood team and the team is on the right track. On being asked about that awful incident against Manchester City, Barton said that he did a mistake that day and he has learnt a lesson from that mistake.
NEW CHAPTER WITH FLEETWOOD
Posted on July 26, 2012 in Millwall
Newcomers to the football league – Fleetwood town – have secured the signing of the Preston North end midfielder Conor McLaughlin. The 20-year-old midfielder has made 28 appearances for the league one club last season, but the manager Graham Westley decided to put him on the transfer window during the final few months of the last season. Fleetwood town have moved in swiftly to secure the signing of Conor McLaughlin, who has the experience of playing in the high-end divisions of the football league. So far, the club has made eight signings in the transfer window ahead of their much anticipated start in the league two.
Conor McLaughlin this not the first Preston North end player to arrive at the club because the club has already secured the signing of Barry Nicholson and John Parkin from the league one club in the summer. Fleetwood town would be extremely pleased to see the arrival of Conor McLaughlin, who made his debut for the national team in 2011. The Northern Ireland midfielder also has the experience of playing in the league two when he was on loan at Shrewsbury town. The newly promoted club has released the midfielder Keith Briggs.
“It will be a fresh and exciting challenge for me. The club will be looking to push on from League Two and hopefully I can help them gain back-to-back promotions,” said the player after sealing his move to the newly promoted league two club. Meanwhile, the club has also sent the striker Danny Rowe on a season long loan deal to the conference club Stockport County in the hope of helping him gain some experience. Fleetwood town will be hoping to stay in the football league in their first ever season in the league football. They will be hoping that the high-profile signings they made will go a long way into helping them do so.
ON LOAN ST SHREWSBURY
Posted on May 15, 2012 in Millwall
Preston full back Conor McLaughlin joined Shrewsbury on a two month loan in order to see out the remainder of the season playing regular football in the latest stage of his recovery from a broken leg suffered last season.
McLaughlin has made two appearances for the Northern Ireland under 21s and has been tracked by Shrewsbury for a few weeks. His final game in a Preston shirt this season came in the reserves side win over Manchester City in a game which will be remembered as Carlos Tevez’s comeback from his self imposed absence.
McLaughlin has targeted promotion with Shrewsbury and praised the quality of football currently being played in League Two. “I’ve played twice against Southend in the FA Cup this season and they were strong opposition, and I’ve checked out Shrewsbury’s form. They’re playing well, and I’d love to be part of their promotion party” said the Northern Irishman. He was also happy to have played against one of the biggest names in world football in Carlos Tevez, describing the game as “an experience in itself”. The game was surrounded by a huge media presence by reserve team standards and Preston’s 3-1 victory in front of the media will have provided the reserves with a rare boost in a disappointing season for the Lancashire club.
Shrewsbury boss Graham Turner was full of praise for his latest acquisition describing him as “a utility player, he can play in either full back position, he can play in midfield as well and he likes to go forward.”
The Shrews have been playing well this season and are in a good position for promotion at the end of the season. McLaughlin will provide cover in the position they seem thinnest though. Injury to Joe Jacobson has left them struggling at full back and McLaughlin will slot in straight away to fill that gap.
COUNTY STAYING UP
Posted on April 27, 2012 in Millwall
Stockport County managed to avoid relegation this time around as well after securing a 1-1 draw against Braintree Town in the Blue Square Premier league. This draw now means that the club can relax over the next two games of the season. Stockport County will be facing Tamworth and Hayes & Yeading in the remaining two matches of the season.
Even though both the clubs are fighting against relegation, Stockport County have managed to stop the rot this season. Joe Connor has said that he is extremely delighted about the prospect of staying in the division for another season. Now, he hopes that the club will finish the remainder of the season in a much better way now that they have been relieved of the pressure.
If results go their way, Stockport County could find themselves in the 15th position, which is quite significant considering the relegation troubles they faced earlier this season. However, there is a possibility that they could also be down at the 17th position.
Joe Connor has said that the club should be focusing on winning the remaining two matches of the season because it would certainly elevate their position of the table, which would be respectable.
WESTLEY HAPPY WITH EXETER WIN
Posted on March 28, 2012 in Millwall
Preston North End manager Graham Westley has said that he is extremely happy with the performance of his team in the match against Exeter City recently. Ian Hume scored the two goals in the 2-1 win over Exeter City recently. The win is the first Preston North End have had in the last five matches.
As result, they still remain in touch with the play-off position, although that likelihood has been reducing for the last few matches now. Preston are currently a massive 10 points behind sixth placed Carlisle United, while they will be facing the likes of Bury and Barnsley in the next few matches.
Ian Hume squad after just 11 min on the clock after a cross from Danny Mayor. However, Liam Sercombe equalised for Exeter City just a few minutes later. Just when it seemed that it was going to be yet another disappointment for new Preston North End manager Graham Westley, Ian Hume scored his second goal of the night with a delicate finish. Artur Krysiak failed to collect the long ball from Thorsten Stuckmann, which Ian Hume promptly despatched into the back of the net.
“I am more pleased with the performance than the result. The players showed a tremendous work ethic and a lot of desire and commitment to go about their work in the right way. You can see they wanted the points and they made up their mind they were going to go and get them. We have been on the back foot and that can happen when you are a side that are used to posting negative results,” Westley said after the match. Preston have won just one match in the last five, but will be hoping that this victory helps them in some confidence for the upcoming matches.
CONOR ON THE UP AT SHREWSBURY
Posted on March 14, 2012 in Millwall
Shrewsbury Town are one of the clubs looking to get promoted into the League One of English football. They are currently in the League Two division of English football. They are one of the promotion contenders, although the possibility of Shrewsbury Town getting into the League One appear difficult indeed.
However, Shrewsbury Town can easily look at the possibility of getting promotion this season through playoffs and it seems that they are targeting just that. They have strengthened their squad massively by bringing in Preston full-back Conor McLaughlin. The Northern Ireland under 21 player has recently made his international debut and will be a massive boost for Shrewsbury Town.
He has been signed on a two-month loan deal from Preston North end. He has been slowly recovering from the broken leg he suffered last season. It is one of the reasons for this loan move to benefit all the parties involved. Shrewsbury Town can look at the possibility of getting into the play-offs with his experience, while the player will get regular playing time at Shrewsbury Town. Preston North End can also benefit if their player improves as a result of this continuous playing in the first-team.
PETERBOROUGH GIVE UP CHASE
Posted on February 23, 2012 in Millwall
Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony has said that he has given up on the deal to sign Preston North End player Paul Coutts. The Preston midfielder has been linked with Peterborough United for quite some time now. Paul Coutts has also played for current Peterborough United manager Darren Ferguson two seasons ago. Hence, both parties are interested in coming to a deal, but it seems that Preston North end were not interested in selling the player. After announcing that Peterborough United were out of the running to sign Paul Coutts, Darragh MacAnthony said that the valuations of Preston North End were too high.
Peterborough United are looking to strengthen their team after they have received a huge boost in finances through the sale of Ryan Bennett. Ryan Bennett departed to Norwich city in the January transfer window. Paul Coutts has been questioned by Preston manager Graham Westley recently, which has put his future at Preston into doubt. However, it is not seem to have prevented Preston North End from being firm on their valuations of the player. Peterborough United are looking to strengthen their team after suffering a poor run of form, which has resulted in fans disapproval of the club’s attitude recently.
“We’ve enquired, the manager’s pushed for us to enquire. But with the numbers we’ve been given back, it’s not going to happen. No disrespect to the player or the club but we don’t see value in the deal,” MacAnthony told in a recent interview given to BBC. Portsmouth defeated Peterborough United 3-0 to add more pressure on Darren Ferguson. Paul Coutts has so far made 72 appearances for Preston North End. Following the collapse of the deal, it now seems highly unlikely that Paul Coutts will be returning to Peterborough where he made 60 appearances.
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