Gillingham completed a superb league double over Preston with an impressive
2-0 victory at Deepdale.
Andy Hessenthaler's men had handed out a 5-0 thrashing to North End on the
opening day of the season.
And while a similar goal-fest never looked likely at Deepdale, the Kent club
showed a similar tenacity, nicking a breakaway goal through Simon Osborn and
then successfully frustrating Preston for the remainder of the game before Paul
Smith grabbed a late second.
Preston, who had knocked Brighton out of the FA Cup in midweek, had been in
search of a third league win in four games to step up their play-off push.
But a combination of slack finishing and some unforgivable passing in midfield
condemned them to a third home league defeat of the season.
The crowd had to wait until the 24th minute for a goalscoring opportunity,
with Northern Ireland international David Healy firing just wide of Vince
Bartram's near post after a sharp cross from Rob Edwards.
But just four minutes later it was the Gills who broke the deadlock, with good
work on the right from Ty Gooden allowing Osborn space to fire a six-yard shot
that Teuvo Moilanen could not quite keep out.
The goal, somewhat against the run of play at the time, injected new life into
the visitors and in the 32nd minute Moilanen had to be at full stretch to tip
over Gooden's left-footed curler.
Preston finished the half by squandering two opportunities, both through Jon
Macken.
The former Manchester United man was firstly unlucky when a solo run came to
nothing, but on the stroke of the interval he wasted a golden chance tolevel
when presented with a free header seven yards out.
Boss David Moyes would no doubt have been looking for a quick response after
the break following what was a fairly dismal first-half performance, and he
nearly got it in the 47th minute.
Healy and Macken, starting together for the seventh game in a row, combined
well before the latter fired just wide.
Macken was in fact having a miserable afternoon, constantly a threat butunable
to find a way through.
At the other end, Gooden should have increased the Gills' advantage
butwastefully skied a close-range shot when freed by Marcus Browning's
pull-back.
North End were gradually beginning to threaten Bartram's goal on a regular
basis, with both Healy and Macken forcing good saves with powerful shots.
But probably the home side's best chance of the match arrived in the 64th
minute, when triallist Eric Skora, making only his third start for the club,
almost grabbed his second goal in two games but his header clattered against the
inside of the post to safety.
That was as good as it got for the hosts however in a deeply uninspiring
display, and with three minutes on the clock Marlon King's shot was spilled by
Moilanen, allowing skipper Smith to gleefully wrap up the three points.
Teams:
Preston: Moilanen, Alexander, Murdock (Gregan 77), Lucketti,
Edwards, Skora, Keane (Basham 76), McKenna, Anderson, Macken,
Healy.
Subs Not Used: Cartwright, Eaton, Lonergan.
Booked: Lucketti.
Gillingham: Bartram, Hope, Ashby, Patterson, Smith, Osborn,
Gooden (James 82), Browning, Nosworthy, King (Ipoua 89),
Shaw (Saunders 72).
Subs Not Used: Butters, Hessenthaler.
Booked: Smith.
Goals: Osborn 29, Smith 87.
Att: 13,289
Ref: R Furnandiz (Doncaster).
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