Preston North End's goal-scoring struggles persist as they were held to a 1-1 draw by West Bromwich Albion at Deepdale. The result leaves Graham Alexander's side 24th in the Championship with only five points from their opening 12 matches.
Andrew Hughes gave Preston the lead in the 78th minute, flicking Leo Leroy's corner into the net. West Brom's Aune Heggebo equalised four minutes later, capitalising after Daniel Iversen had tipped a close-range strike onto the post. The draw gave Alexander his first point as Preston manager, but the team's inability to convert chances remains a pressing concern. They have found the net only 10 times this season while conceding 25, leaving them with a goal difference of minus fifteen.
Finishing woes
Preston created opportunities against West Brom, registering 19 shots with an expected goals figure of 1.78. Only four of those efforts hit the target, however, with Johnny Kenny, Delano Burgzorg and others failing to beat goalkeeper Max O'Leary. "I don't think we'll improve their technique, that doesn't happen over night," Alexander told reporters after the match. The manager's point was illustrated by a recent 4-1 defeat to Wrexham, where he expressed frustration that the required technical improvement was not coming quickly enough.
Their current plight is thrown into sharper focus by the form of former strikers. Milutin Osmajic, sold to Genoa for £2.1 million, has scored three goals in Serie A this season. Cameron Archer, who had a productive loan spell at Preston in the 2021-22 campaign, has netted five times in 524 minutes for Auxerre in Ligue 1. Lewis Dobbin, another former North End forward, scored his first league goal of the season for Southampton in a win over West Ham. Combined, those three ex-players have nine goals between them this term, just one fewer than Preston's entire squad.
The scale of the task
The club's recent fixtures have been unforgiving. Before the West Brom draw, they suffered heavy losses to Wrexham and Birmingham City. Their recent form reads no wins, two draws and three defeats from their last five outings. They now sit 20 points behind league leaders Middlesbrough. Last season, Preston's main strike force contributed 24 of the team's 28 Championship goals. This campaign, with new signings yet to fire consistently, the burden has not been shared.
Preston will have to wait until the January transfer window to attempt a major overhaul of their attacking options. In the immediate term, the focus turns to an away trip to face Stoke City on October 31. Stoke currently occupy ninth place in the standings, and the last meeting between the sides in March ended in a 3-1 victory for Preston.
Further reading: Lancashire Evening Post
