The wait goes on for a win away at Swansea with the last one coming in 1961, after we fell to a disappointing 3-2 defeat on Saturday against Swansea. A long-range strike from Joe Rafferty and a Daniel Johnson penalty were not enough as a Borja Baston double and a George Byers strike meant Swansea kept all 3 points in South Wales. Here is how we thought the Preston players rated:
Declan Rudd
Probably harsh on Rudd who was not at fault for any of the goals. He wasn’t really tested much either, perhaps surprisingly given we lost 3-2. He made a good 1 on 1 save early on in 2nd half when Swansea had their tails up.
Rating – 6
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Darnell Fisher
Two goals came from crosses down North End’s right. The 1st of which Fisher was slightly caught out too high up the pitch for. He also got a somewhat harsh booking early on in my opinion but he did get forward very well down the right helping out Bodin.
Rating – 6
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Patrick Bauer
Patrick was pulled out of position for the 2nd Swansea goal due to Fisher being caught out. However, it was overall a fairly solid performance from the German, especially in the air (again). He was up against £15m striker Borja Baston and being ultra-critical could have maybe could have headed clear the cross for the winner, other than that, fairly solid.
Rating – 6
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Ben Davies
Nice on the ball, as usual, moving the ball up into midfield well, but sadly, he lost Borja Baston for both his goals with the striker’s movement both times leaving the Barrow-born centre back behind. Obviously, he’ll be disappointed, although it was clever movement from Baston. Not the time to change the promising partnership he’s building with Bauer just yet.
Rating – 6
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Joe Rafferty
Not many if anyone would have had Raff down as the first goalscorer, however, he took his goal fantastically well, even though there was a slight deflection. Many fans scapegoat him because of the club’s current left-back issues, but he was not helped at all by Maguire not tracking back well enough for the 1st Swansea goal. He defended well overall, though it clearly hampers him being right-footed, especially when it comes to attacking the opposition.
Rating – 7
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Ben Pearson
Carried the ball from the back to the front fantastically well, particularly in the first half when North End should have really been more than just 1 goal ahead. He made most second balls his and his distribution out to the flanks started most of Preston’s forward moves. He also looked a danger in and around Swansea’s box which was good to see.
Rating – 8
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Paul Gallagher
Gally wasn’t as instrumental as he usually is in the midfield. He still received a fair bit of the ball and used it well enough just didn’t make as many killer passes as he usually would. His set-pieces weren’t as good as we have come to expect from him either to be quite honest. He did seem to fade as the game went on which may show why usually he comes off towards the end.
Rating – 6
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Daniel Johnson
His penalty was the only real highlight of his game which he slotted away very well. Other than that, he was mostly a passenger in the game, a game in which he struggled to make his mark. Play seemed to bypass him which was a shame after a great performance against Wigan, Browne should have been introduced for him much earlier.
Rating – 5
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Billy Bodin
Like most of Preston’s players, Billy was only really involved in the first half of the game. He did show more good wing play and linked up well with Fisher. Of course, he beat his man on a few occasions too as well as blazing a good chance over the bar. However, he lost Bidwell on the overlap for what proved to be the winner leaving and with this, he left Fisher exposed. This is why maybe sometimes Alex Neil prefers Tom Barkhuizen when we play away from home.
Rating – 6
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Sean Maguire
Somewhat similar performance to Billy Bodin; decent enough wing play where he looks much more dangerous than being stranded up front alone. When running at a man one on one he does look dangerous and he won North Ends penalty putting his head in where some players might not have done. He gave the ball away in first-half injury time quite cheaply which ultimately led to the game-changing goal, like Bodin, he needs to improve defensively.
Rating – 6
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Louis Moult
Every Preston fan will be gutted for Louis Moult who looks like he may be out for a while with a serious knee injury. After a fantastic performance against Wigan where he led the line very well, it’s a real shame for him as he must have been looking forward to a run of games in the coming months. In his 26 minutes though, he did carry on where he left off against Wigan, showing with good link-up play and hard work as ever. Good luck Louis and we all hope for a speedy recovery.
Rating – 6
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Substitutes
Andre Green
Did not suit the lone striker role at all, you can see why Neil brought him on to try and replicate Moults movement and mobility which Stockley does not have but it simply didn’t work. He’s much better running at defenders than having his back to goal holding it up and trying to bring others in to play. As we saw at Bradford in midweek, Green clearly has talent but as a winger rather than a lone striker.
Rating – 5
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Alan Browne & Tom Barkhuizen
Unfair to judge either player on the limited time that they had on the pitch. Both came on in the 81st minute and probably should have been on much earlier to give them more chance to influence the game.
Let us know what you think of our player ratings on social media. Have we been a bit harsh? Too soft? Tweet us on twitter @FromtheFinney and let us know your thoughts.
If you want more of a tactical insight into the game against Swansea, you can hear that in the latest episode of the From the Finney podcast on our web player, just hit play below and voila. Or, if you have Spotify, Apple Podcasts or any other major podcast streaming platform, you will find us on there too.