Bantams dig Deep to penetrate Preston's home fortress

NAHKI Wells was still playing for City the last time a visiting League One team left Preston with three points.

While the Bantams toiled to defeat at Peterborough four days before Christmas, Championship-bound Brentford were helping themselves to three unopposed goals at Deepdale.

Little did we know – though some may have suspected – that Wells had already scored the last of his 53 goals for the club by then with a last-gasp free-kick against Leyton Orient the week before.

A considerable amount of water has passed under the bridge in the 11 months since.

But Preston’s indomitable home form has remained constant. In their 25 games at Deepdale in that time, they had lost just one – an FA Cup tie to Nottingham Forest at the start of February.

Winning at Deepdale has become League One’s equivalent of beating Chelsea on their own patch. So let’s not downplay Saturday’s magnificent achievement, especially from a team whose form had been on the slide.

And among the 1,300 jubilant away fans sat a certain Bermudian as he spent his free weekend watching the club that made his name.

There was an understandably mixed reaction from those around him but generally it was a positive one. The chorus singing his name drowned out any of the boos.

Wells arrived late in the first half and left early for another seat in a different stand to escape all the attention.

But most fans felt that he had shown some bottle to sit among them, given the acrimony over his January departure – and, of course, his destination.

If that demonstrated guts on his part, Wells will have appreciated the total bravery on display from his old colleagues in the Preston firing line.

For pundits and bookmakers alike, this was a tale of the unexpected. Did anyone really give the Bantams an earthly chance of pulling off a result?

But maybe we should not be so shocked by these so-called surprises. Think Bristol City away, think MK Dons ...

Phil Parkinson had called for that spirit to resurrect itself on the best pitch in the division – and he got his response in spades.

The sight of Wells in the crowd gave the day the impression of a school reunion. His partner-in-crime James Hanson was back on one bench; Kyel Reid, so often the goal supplier, was on the other – and greeted like a returning hero by the City fans when he finally joined the action.

And at the heart of the team’s magnificent resistance stood the “history -making” back four. With Rory McArdle preferred to Alan Sheehan in the middle, Parkinson named the defence on which that unforgettable 2012-2013 season had been forged.

Bizarrely it was only the second time they had all been together since Walsall away in October last year; a balmy afternoon when Reid’s wonder goal lifted City into fourth and turned promotion dreams into overdrive.

It had that warming feel of nostalgia, although Parkinson insisted his selection reasons were pragmatic. Sheehan, who had struggled at Halifax, had been in the wars of late.

“He got stitches in his head against Sheffield United, then had a tooth knocked out against Doncaster,” explained the City boss. “We’ve had to have a gum shield fitted for him.

“I thought it was the right time to give him a break and get everything sorted. But he was right behind the lads, which was great to see.”

Stop Joe Garner, stop Preston was effectively the pre-match rhetoric from the manager. McArdle took it as a personal command.

Hurting to be left out at The Shay after serving his recent ban, he was a man on a mission against North End’s leading scorer.

Those familiar faces alongside him proved equally up for the challenge.

After an early scare from Chris Humphrey’s pace, James Meredith slowly took a stranglehold on the Preston winger. On the other side, Stephen Darby had his best game of the season – helped by the excellent support and positional diligence of Filipe Morais ahead of him.

Andrew Davies was, well, Andrew Davies; the immovable object at the back four’s heart.

And behind them, Jordan Pickford oozed confidence with every catch and claim and pulled off two blinding saves when it seemed that Preston’s increasing pressure would surely break them down.

Unlike the FA Cup tie the week before, City were at it from the first whistle. They crackled with “real intent” in the eyes of Parkinson.

The visitors looked quicker and sharper to every ball in the first half and were duly rewarded after 26 minutes.

Simon Grayson had warned his team to watch for their threat from set-pieces. His defence must have clocked a deaf ’un though as McArdle arrived unscathed to meet Andy Halliday’s corner with a header in off the post.

For the second season running, the Preston faithful were greeted by the familiar tongue-out goal celebration as the centre half wheeled away.

Credit to Halliday, too, for the assist. The Middlesbrough midfielder, whose loan has been extended into the new year, had a far more effective game in the centre. His unlikely partnership there with Jason Kennedy, which appeared disjointed against Halifax, did a crucial job in muzzling Preston’s axis of Neil Kilkenny and Alan Browne.

Another Halliday set-piece nearly delivered another for McArdle before the break. Davies met the deep corner with a looping header right back into the mix, where Preston somehow managed to keep it out of the Northern Ireland international’s clutches.

The home record was creaking but then Fleetwood had blown a two-goal cushion to lose in the last game there.

City anticipated a “kitchen sink” response in the second half and were not disappointed. The defending became full on, intense and occasionally verging on the desperate.

Darby cleared off the line from Garner before Pickford brilliantly parried Humphrey’s follow-up. Garner and Callum Robinson then both went close.

A slip from Jamie Jones let Jon Stead in for the chance to make it two but the Preston keeper recovered in the nick of time.

That looked an even more crucial intervention when Preston finally levelled five minutes later. Robinson’s cross slithered behind some desperate claret and amber lunges and Garner tapped home.

Preston raced the ball back to the centre circle, suddenly sensing a dramatic victory.

“Bradford were dead on their feet,” claimed Preston’s former Stuart McCall loanee Tom Clarke. Or were they?

Precisely 50 seconds later, Preston were picking it out of the net again – at the other end.

It had taken City six passes from kick-off to the glorious curling finish from Mark Yeates and no home player had touched the ball.

Inconsistent referee Andy Haines ensured the drama did not end there by tacking on five added minutes. The Preston “Alamo” continued and Pickford broke home hearts once more with a fine stop from Jack King to see a memorable job through.

Preston v City picture gallery