Your big preview for Lilywhites clash…
It’s Friday night football at the Select Car Leasing Stadium this week with Preston North End in town as we look to build upon Tuesday’s point at Luton Town.
The fixture with Ryan Lowe’s side, scheduled for Friday 4th November, 8pm kick off, is our Remembrance Fixture and there will be commemorative events pre-match to mark this.
So as we prepare for our tenth home game, read on for your big preview…
Tickets
The quickest and easiest way to get tickets is to buy online using the link below. Our Ticket Office at the Select Car Leasing Stadium will be open from 10am on matchday until half-time to visit in person.
Prices start for as little as £18 for an Adult and 12 & Under for £2, with other Concessions also available to purchase.
Google Wallet & Apple Wallet
After purchasing your ticket, open your Google/Apple Wallet confirmation email on your device and press either 'Google Wallet - Save to phone' or 'Add to Apple Wallet' button - this will download your ticket. NB. these tickets can only be sent to a wallet once so please ensure these are downloaded onto the device you wish to use it on.
If supporters have selected Google Wallet or Apple Wallet for their ticket, they should be reminded to download their ticket to their phone in advance. The below guide explains how to do this and how to use it.
Guide: Using Google Wallet & Apple Wallet
Print At Home
If supporters have selected Print At Home, they need to be pre-folded before reaching the turnstile. Please refer to the video below
Collections
If you need to collect, then we advise to arrive as early as possible as we have more collections than usual. Ticket Office doors will open from 10am on matchday.
Cashless Stadium
A reminder that we now operate as a cashless stadium.
Buy your tickets now
CAR PARKING
Please note that there is limited availability for on-site car parking for this weekend's game with good availability in Car Park 6 (The old Greyhound Stadium).
We recommend pre booking for here or use the designated Park & Ride facilities at Mereoak and Wood at Shirehall.
Click here to purchase your parking for the game.
Click here to be directed to the travel and parking section of the website to see how best you can get to the game.
Buses
Reading Buses' 'Football Buses' services will be in full operation.
ROYALSTV
Please note that this televised fixture will only be available to monthly and seasonal International Video Pass subscribers in EFL unsold markets* and selected non-core markets†. In territories where this fixture is being broadcast on television, it will not be available to watch on RoyalsTV.
The following Match Passes are available to purchase for this fixture:
- Audio Match Pass (£2.50) | Worldwide
- Video Match Pass (£10) | Only available in EFL unsold markets* and selected non-core markets†
* Unsold markets for the 2022-23 season can be viewed on our RoyalsTV information page by clicking here.
† This fixture will not be broadcast on TV in the following territories, and therefore will be available to watch on RoyalsTV: Caribbean, Israel, Philippines, Romania, South Korea, Sub-Saharan Africa and Thailand (click here for full information).
See our available subscriptions
The opposition
Preston North End were founded in 1880 and were crowned the first winners of the Football League nine years later where they achieved the incredible feat of going the whole season unbeaten, also winning the FA Cup against Wolves, to achieve the first double.
They retained their league title in 1889/90 however were defeated by Bolton Wanderers in the Third Round in their quest for a second FA Cup.
They continued to be a force in the league, finishing second for three successive seasons before they dropped down to 14th in 1894.
The Deepdale club were relegated for the first time in 1901 but claimed the Second Division title in 1904 before finishing second in the top flight two seasons later.
The period immediately before the First World War saw the club yo yo between the two divisions, but a third FA Cup Final was reached in 1922 but they were beaten by Herbert Chapman’s Huddersfield Town.
1924/25 ended in North End’s fourth relegation, and it took nine years for the club to earn their place back amongst the elite.
The late 1930s saw the club battle for major honours again, albeit it temporarily, with a FA Cup Final defeat to Sunderland in 1937 being followed up by a third place finish in the league and revenge in the Cup Final when Huddersfield were beaten for the club’s second FA Cup.
Following the Second World War, arguably the most famous player in the club’s history made his debut in Sir Tom Finney, in a 3-2 win over Leeds United in 1946.
The winger, who was capped 76 times by England, couldn’t stop the club from being relegated in 1949 but starred as they won the second tier title two years later.
He came close to returning his boyhood club to their former glories but they narrowly missed out on the league title in 1953 and 1958, with Finney retiring in 1960 having made 473 appearances for the club, scoring 210 goals.
The loss of Finney was devastating for the club, as they suffered relegation from the First Division the next season and are yet to return.
The early 1960’s also saw North End make their most recent cup final appearance, but they were beaten 3-2 by West Ham United. 1963-64 also saw the club achieve it’s highest position since relegation from the top flight in 1961, with a third place finish yet to be beaten.
The club’s decline continued, with 1970 bringing third tier football to Deepdale for the first, and despite escaping at the first attempt, they returned for a four season spell between 1974 and 1978.
1980 saw the Lilywhites back in the third tier, with the club falling into the Fourth Division for the first time five years later in a campaign they conceded 100 goals.
1986-87 was Preston’s nadir with a 23rd place finish in the Fourth Division the lowest the club has ever come, however 28 goals from John Thomas the next season saw them escape the basement division.
However, they would find themselves back there in 1993, with two Play-Off near misses having to be endured before the title was won in 1996, to become only the third side to win all the Football League divisions.
Preston began the 21st century by winning the third tier title and the next year saw David Moyes almost lead them to a double promotion but they were beaten in the Play-Off Final by Sam Allardyce’s Bolton Wanderers at the Millennium Stadium.
The club went close again in their quest for Premier League football in 2005 but they were beaten by once again in the Play-Off Final, this time by West Ham United, before semi-final defeats in 2006 and 2009.
Two years later however the club found themselves struggling at the bottom end of the Championship table, with relegation seeing North End spend four seasons in League One before Simon Grayson achieved his fourth promotion from the division, thanks to a 4-0 win over Swindon Town in the 2015 Play-Off Final, in the club’s first appearance at the new Wembley.
Alex Neil then took over when Grayson departed for Sunderland in 2017, with the Scot’s team narrowly missing out on a Play-Off spot in his first season in charge.
He spent four years in the Deepdale dugout and was replaced by his assistant Frankie McAvoy. He was sacked following a 1-0 defeat to Lancashire rivals Blackburn Rovers, when current boss Ryan Lowe took the reins.
Lowe only lost one of his first eleven matches in charge, with his first home defeat coming at the hands of the Royals in February.
The Lilywhites ended last season with back to back wins over Barnsley and Middlesbrough to secure a 13th place finish.
Lowe made six acquisitions ahead of the season, with former Liverpool midfielder Ben Woodburn, Ireland internationals Robbie Brady and Troy Parrott, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, among them.
North End began the season with seven successive clean sheets, but only picked up two wins from Luton and Coventry in that time, before Birmingham City ended that run at the start of September to take the points.
They have since racked up another four shut outs, with three wins in their last four matches helping propel Lowe’s team up the table, with only local rivals Blackpool beating them, with them level on the points with the Play-Offs thanks to a 1-0 win over sixth place Swansea City last time out.
One to watch: Emil Ris
Dane Emil Ris Jakobsen is in his second season with Preston and is back amongst the goals, having previously been on the books of Derby County.
The striker began his youth career with Rangers, he joined the Rams youth set up in 2015 before heading out on loan to the Netherlands with VVV-Venlo in early 2018, featuring in three Eredivisie.
Having failed to make a senior appearance for the East Midlands club he returned to Randers later that year, scoring four times in his first season back.
He scored nine goals in 2019-20, including the opener against Brondby that September, but after a double against AC Horsens in September 2020, he made the move back to Britain to join the Lilywhites.
It was a winning start for the Dane, in a 4-2 win at Brentford, before he grabbed an assist in his third match in a win at QPR. His first goal meanwhile came in the North West club’s only win in RG2 since 2004.
Last season was Ris’ most prolific to date, having netted five by the end of August and hit the 20 mark in all competitions, including four doubles against Morecambe, Luton, Bristol City and Middlesbrough.
This campaign has seen the forward lead the scoring charts at Deepdale once again, with five strikes to his name so far.
His first goal in 22-23 was just the club’s second in their opening seven matches and secured a second away win of the season at Coventry.
October has been his most prolific move so far, scoring the winner against West Brom at home before a double in Norfolk to defeat Norwich City.
Last Saturday he scored the equaliser in their 2-1 truimph over Boro, and led the line on Tuesday night as Lowe’s team moved up to seventh, with his Deepdale career so far reading 109 appearances and 28 goals.
Head to Head
Having got off to a disastrous start against the Lilywhites, the Royals have recovered to lead in the head to head, with 27 wins to Friday’s opponents’ 25.
The FA Cup First Round was the setting for our first meeting however top flight Preston ran out 18-0 winners in 1894, the year before we joined the Southern League, in what is our worst ever defeat.
The clubs first met in the League in 1926-27 with the Royals running out 3-0 winners at Elm Park.
There were no matches between the two for almost 40 years between 1931 and 1970, with regular meetings returning in the 1980s
Since we moved to RG2 we hold an impressive record against North End, with the Royals winning seven of the last nine home matches.
They were our first opponents in Berkshire last season, with goals from Femi Azeez and John Swift securing the points in a 2-1 win.
Our most recent clash was back in February, with a double from Lucas Joao and another goal from Swift giving former manager Veljko Paunovic a winning send off.
Ref Watch
The Football League have confirmed that David Webb will oversee the match with Ryan Lowe’s side, with it being the 16th occasion he has been in charge of a Royals fixture, and his third this season.
Webb has been officiating in the EFL since 2008 and took charge of two of our trips to the North West, in Blackpool and Wigan.
The experienced Official has overseen 15 matches this season, in the Championship, League Two and EFL Cup, awarding 43 yellow cards and 4 red cards so far, all in the Sheffield United v Blackpool fixture.
Webb will be assisted by Daniel Leach and Graham Kane whilst James Oldham will act as fourth official.