East Lothian Courier | Sport | Doig strike saves point for Preston

Thursday, 24th July, 2008

Published: Thursday, 27th September, 2007 09:30

Doig strike saves point for Preston

PRESTON ATHLETIC had to be content with a point at the Pennypit on Saturday in a pulsating 1-1 draw with rivals Edinburgh City in the Tyreman Premier Division.

Preston were in front after a fairly even first half through a route one strike from Alex Doig, but City’s Dougie Gair rattled home a tremendous individual effort in the second half to earn a point for his side.

The visitors dominated most of the play, especially in the second half, but they couldn’t force the winner thanks to resolute defending from Preston.

Preston lined up without the injured Sean McAuley who has a hip injury, while City were missing Neil Campbell and John Hall.

City started the brighter of the two and Jordan Caddow had a shot well saved by Preston keeper Ross Gilpin in the first minute, and that was followed by a Kenny Young free-kick which was headed clear by captain Craig Scott.

City should have been in front in the 17th minute when Kenny Ross appeared to cut the ball back from the goal-line for his brother Robbie to fire a header into the net via the crossbar, but the goal was disallowed for offside, much to the annoyance of the visiting bench.

Young tested Gilpin again with a 30-yard free-kick on 24 minutes which the keeper held well at his front post.

He then turned defence into attack by immediately releasing the ball with a 70-yard kick which bounced and Doig cracked a first-time shot from 20 yards over the stranded Duncan Monteith and into the net.

While the goal wasn’t totally against the run of play it came as a major shock to the City defence. City changed their formation at the start of the second half and immediately began to trouble Preston.

The visitors had claims for a penalty turned down when a Gair shot looked as if it was handled in the box. A Robbie Ross header was pushed for a corner by Gilpin before the goalkeeper had to grasp a telling cross from Callum Monteith.

Kenny Ross almost equalised with a maverick cross-cum-shot which fizzed across the face of the Preston goal.

At the other end, home striker Stuart Miller appeared to be bundled to the ground by City captain Ross MacNamara as he went to head a Doig cross into the net, but once more the penalty claims were waved aside.

City were on top and Kenny Young pinged a 20-yard shot inches past the top corner before Gair equalised with his wonder goal with 17 minutes remaining.

Gair picked up a loose ball in the centre circle and took off on a solo run. He left two defenders flat-footed and when Preston’s Scott homed in on him he picked out a left-foot shot which whistled low past Gilpin.

Both sides tried in vain for a late winner with Doig unlucky to hit the side netting with a header while Young screamed a shot over the crossbar at the other end.

Preston skipper Craig Scott said after the match: “We were more dominant in the first half than in the second because, quite honestly, we never turned up after half-time.

“City were getting down the wings and putting in good crosses.

“It was a bad goal for us to lose because I did not think Gair would shoot and our goalkeeper told me afterwards that the ball went through my legs.

“Although we weren’t beaten, it does feel like a defeat because we had some pressure but didn’t take our chances. I also thought we should have had a penalty when Stuart Miller was pulled to the ground and that could have made it 2-0.”

Billy Byrne, who was in charge of Preston in the absence of manager Stevie Myatt, said: “It was probably a fair result because we were not very good in the second half although we had the better of the first.

“City put us under a bit of pressure and we were disgusted with the goal we lost because their player took on four defenders and scored. We expressed our concern after the game because at home it was definitely two points dropped.

We felt a wee bit hard done by when Stuart (Miller) was pushed, although City were quick and incisive on the break.

“Our players worked hard for each other in the first half, but there weren’t many pluses after the break.”

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