Palace v Preston North End

Selhurst Park, Tuesday 8.00pm

Tom Soares

Story so far

It's been fun and games on the managerial roundabout at Preston over the last couple of years.

Billy Davies kept Preston in and around the playoffs until his move to (and sacking from) Derby. Paul Simpson finished his first season just outside of the playoffs.

David Nugent, Preston's leading marksman and icon, moved to Premiership side Portsmouth. As Palace fans will be aware, losing your top goalscorer without him being replaced can lead to midtable obscurity or, in both of our cases this season, relegation trouble.

The poor start to the season resulted in Simpson being sacked.

James Alan Irvine, former Palace winger, took over the helm only last week. Alan Irvine was a highly rated coach at Everton where he was assistant to David Moyes.

Hopefully Irvine will have as much success at Preston as Moyes, who guided North End to midtable in the Championship after years of languishing in the lower leagues.

Team news

Left-back Tony Craig is sidelined after shoulder surgery and Welsh midfielder Carl Fletcher (calf) is doubtful. Boss Neil Warnock will give a late fitness test to striker Paul Dickov, who is struggling with a toe injury. Preston's new manager Alan Irvine has two absentees as he prepares to pick the team for the first time. Former Everton coach Irvine let assistant Rob Kelly select the starting line-up for Saturday's home defeat against Charlton because he had only just arrived at Deepdale. He will be without the versitile Billy Jones (hamstring) and goalkeeper Wayne Henderson (back). Either Brett Ormerod or Andy Carroll could be replaced by Patrick Agyemang after the striker's impressive substitute appearance at the weekend.

Preston North End - league stats

Full league table

Preston North End - current form

Full form table

Our home record v Preston North End

Last five results

Date	Type	Home Team	Score	Away Team
07/04/2007	League	Crystal Palace	3 - 0	Preston North End
27/01/2007	FA Cup	Crystal Palace	0 - 2	Preston North End
25/11/2006	League	Preston North End	0 - 0	Crystal Palace
07/02/2006	FA Cup	Crystal Palace	1 - 2	Preston North End
31/01/2006	League	Preston North End	2 - 0	Crystal Palace

All time results

One to watch

Paul McKenna

With Billy Jones out, Preston have an almost ordinary squad. Yes, even more ordinary than ours.

They have little fire power up front and very little coming from midfield.

One of the positives is the return to fitness of Paul McKenna. He's capable of dictating play in the centre of the park with his intelligent passing and eye for goal.

McKenna is capable of scoring brilliant, powerful efforts or manages to get himself into the box.

Neil Mellor may start up front in a re-shuffle of North Ends forward line. But you have to ask if Mellor is capable of scoring goals on a regular basis? Not in my book.

Ref watch

P J Joslin

Last meeting

Palace 3-0 Preston North End

Saturday April 07 2007

Palace: Kiraly, Lawrence, Hudson, Cort, Borrowdale, McAnuff (Ifill, 71), Watson (Grabban, 83), Fletcher (Kennedy, 76), Soares, Morrison, Kuqi

Subs not used: Speroni, Butterfield

Bookings: Soares

Goals: Kuqi 16, Kuqi 21, Cort 68

Preston North End: Lonergan, Wilson, St Ledger, Chilvers, Alexander, Sedgwick, Pugh, Soley, Whaley (Songo'o, 64), Nugent (Ricketts, 74), Ormerod (Agyemang, 60)

Subs not used: Henderson, Pergl

Bookings: Alexander, Pugh

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