A COUPLE OF Irish players played crucial roles for Preston North End tonight as they got the better of Championship leaders Cardiff City at Deepdale.
The home side took the lead over Neil Warnock’s side on 38 minutes when Josh Harrop grabbed the opener.
But, after the break, PNE took full control of proceedings as former Cork City striker Sean Maguire, who again was in from the start, scored for the second successive game to double their advantage.
🎥 @Seani_Maguire_ scores again tonight for #PNEFC #CCFC84 pic.twitter.com/ck5WKbn8vr
— Trevor Carey (@trevorcarey1982) September 12, 2017
But the best was arguably saved until last.
Another former member of the Rebel Army, midfielder Alan Browne, conjured a spectacular third for the home side on 78 minutes.
Picking the ball up on the halfway, he spotted Cardiff goalkeeper Neil Etheridge off his line and struck from all of 45 yards to cap a memorable result for Preston and for two of their extensive Irish contingent in particular.
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He’s doing brilliant, knew he would do well.
@Jordan Callaghan: God bless you Jordan.
@Tom Allen: thanks for that, Tom
Three things in life. Death, taxes and the 42 to write an article on any Irish guy that scores a goal in England!
@Ryan: McGuire is English born so now the 42 are doing articles on english players scoring in england,ground-breaking stuff
@j lad: bite my ballsack
@Ryan: And if there’s a fourth thing in life,it’s you will never be able to leave a comment on a 42.ie Pat Hickey article
@j lad: Who is McGuire ?
@j lad: Ronan O’Gara is American born. Both he and Seani are Irish. Sad people in the world always finding some perceived negative to rain on a positive. Pathetic
@j lad: GOWL
Daryl Murphy scored a late winner v Sunderland. Another Irish striker in form
@Kyle Nolan: don’t mention him with Flembomb floating around here lad! You’ll only set him off again!!:)
Bet mon still won’t include him even though he is our best goalscorer by a mile
@running man: let’s settle down there now! 2 goals in the Championship doesn’t mean you’re our best goalscorer by miles! Hopefully He continues and he becomes our best goalscorer but it’s only 2 goals so far. Let’s keep our feet on the ground
@Colm O’Donnell: that’s 2 more than Richie “the dub” Towell has scored since he went to the championship and remember how much the 42 was fussing over him.
@Tom Allen: he scored last week
@smithers: So he did smithers. 1 goal & he’s been there over a year. He’s not fit to clean McGuire’s boots.
@Colm O’Donnell: Still think he should be in Irish squad, why not, we have no one else who can score goals.Something about him is different, seen him loads of times, has that bit of quality that we are missing, his pace and movement way ahead of present forwards we have. Long,Walters, Murphy no spring chickens, try a younger fella for a change, won’t do any harm. With world cup probably gone we should have some new faces in.
@Colm O’Donnell: why the negativity?Give him his chance and he will prove you wrong.
@Gene O’Keeffe: what’s negative? I said I hope he becomes out best goalscorer but it’s 2 goals in the Championship, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves! I 100% agree he deserves a chance in the Ireland squad and probably did even before his move to Preston but let’s not do the same that we did with Jack Byrne, Jack Greelish, Stephen Ireland to name a few and big him up to be a world beater before he’s even settled into his new club! If he scores 20 goals this year, which I hope he does, then we can start to get excited
@Colm O’Donnell: we can’t wait until he scores twenty goals . We need him in the Irish team now. What current striker have we that’s better than him?
@Gene O’Keeffe: read what I’ve said! I agree he deserves a chance in the squad straight away. However, I simply said that we need to keep our feet on the ground about him. The original poster said that he was the best goalscorer we have by a mile. Thats getting way ahead of ourselves when there are at least 2 Irish players with more goals in the Championship this season already. Daryl Murphy and Conor Hourihane have 4 goals so far this season each!
@Gene O’Keeffe: none
Leeds top of the league!! MOT
@Ruairí Mul: too right hopefully we can stay there
@Ruairí Mul: can we just stop the league now were done :) MOT
@Ruairí Mul: O’Kane and Shaughnessy from ROI and Dallas from NI.
Dallas is on fire when he comes on , O’Kane should be in Ireland first 11 and Shaughnessy is a coming force at the back.
Oh , and Leeds are top of the league!
Early doors but who cares !!!
Are we seeing the future?
@GARFARKLE: definitely
Well done seanie
@billy Dorney: fair play to the kilkenny lad
@Jerry Sharma: actually English,but cork city FC claim him, Johnny c and company made him ,gave him self belief,nurtured him
Scored over 50 goals for Evergreen in Kilkenny in 2010 season, he always knew where the goal was.
No doubt something clicked when he went to Cork.
Doubters silenced
@billy Dorney: always a group who wanna rain on the parade Billy and knock the lad cause he’s only scored 2 goals. He’s putting in good shifts too. Works hard for the team. Definitely worth his place in the Ireland squad.
@Nollaig Elliot: agree N
Alan fantastic strike
Since it appears that we can’t say “I knew he wouldn’t make it”, I’m waiting for someone to say “I knew him when he had nothing”, or “Isn’t it far from £X/big houses/ flash cars he was raised”.