Just missing clinical touch

GETTING SHIRTY . . . Athletic striker Jake Cassidy is halted in his progress. PICTURES by ALAN HOWARTH.

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A DECENT argument can be made that Athletic have been better than every side they have faced this season - Millwall apart - in general play.

Even here, against a Preston side brimming with experience, Stephen Robinson's men impressed in having more of the game than their Championship hosts.

Ousmane Fane was terrific, the defence appeared resolute and all that was needed was a lucky break to give a helping hand inside the opposing box.

That, or one moment of magic of the sort that Ryan Flynn provided in the previous round with his brilliant individual goal against Wigan.

At 0-0, Athletic were enjoying their brightest spell as an attacking force when up stepped substitute Eoin Doyle, to show the one crucial ingredient missing from Robinson's fresh broth.

His first, on 66 minutes, had a dash of luck about it. From a long ball directed down the left, Greg Cunningham shaped in a low cross and the prolific ex-Chesterfield striker took a touch, shimmied, and hit a left-footed shot that deflected and trickled agonisingly across Connor Ripley and into the bottom-left corner of his goal.

Preston's second, created by Doyle and headed home by Jordan Hugill, ruthlessly made capital out of a rare Ripley mistake. The goalkeeper came out to clear near his left touchline, took a chance by not doing so first-time and had the ball robbed from his feet at the second time of asking.

Doyle's delivery to the goalmouth was a beauty and Hugill's leap and header over the top of Brian Wilson was emphatic.

It added up to Athletic having to wait at least another season to break what is now a 14-year hoodoo between reaching the third round of this competition.

Robinson made three changes to the side that saw off Bury. One was enforced due to Billy Mckay's groin injury, meaning a first start of the season for Jake Cassidy who had a difficult night.

Ryan Flynn and Paul Green were both rested - the latter man came on to very good effect at half-time -and had a watching brief from the substitutes' bench, with Brian Wilson and Ollie Banks in from the off at Deepdale.

Athletic's awful record in this competition means you had to go back to 2001-02 and a 2-1 win at Derby, featuring goals by David Eyres and Clyde Wijnhard, for the last time the club had made it past the round-two stage.

Unbeaten in four and lining up with three at the back, Robinson's side started in confident fashion, with Ousmane Fane wrapping his long tentacles around midfield legs to win possession and with the whole side exhibiting plenty of muscular energy and some finesse, too.

Marc Klok scuffed one half-chance when being forced wide towards the right of the penalty area after a lovely piece of control from Lee Erwin..

Then came Ripley's moment of magic. It was a Premier League-class save from a player tipped to go all the way by his manager, flinging a right arm down to the floor to somehow prevent Hugill's far-post header from Ben Pringle's flighted free-kick from creeping in at the near post. The on-loan Middlesbrough man's reactions afterwards were sharp, too, flicking the ball away as it threatened to squirm under his body.

Athletic dipped a little in the middle of the half, before Banks was presented with two shooting chances he snatched at. First, a half-cleared ball led to an 18-yard half-volley with his left foot that flew high and wide; next, Klok's clever corner kick was directed to him firmly in a similar position only for the first-time contact seeing the ball rattle between his legs.

Robinson's dilemma at the break was to stick or twist? Athletic were holding their own in general but clearly lacking pace on the counter.

When, then, to introduce the extra leg-speed of Darius Osei?

One change did take place at half-time, Green replacing Klok in midfield.

Athletic improved markedly and Erwin had a positive influence in taking the ball across field, working onto his left foot and striking firmly from 18 yards a little too close to Maxwell, while on the break Hugill got on the end of a long ball in behind and tried and failed to cushion a header inside the far post when he ought to have done better.

There was still precious little in the game, though, with all the noise coming from the end of Deepdale containing 751 noisy travelling fans.

Erwin really tested Maxwell after a trademark feint and touch onto his right foot in the 59th minute. The surprised goalkeeper beat the effort away into the path of Josh Law, whose first-time cross passed right across the six-yard area without a touch from anyone.

Athletic were really pressing hard for a goal at this stage, with Law and Green at the tiller. Then came Doyle's 66th-minute goal, against the run of play, to present a real problem.

Ryan McLaughlin was brought on in Law's place and Osei for Banks to add extra zip in what was to become a 4-3-3 formation.

Osei tricked his way past Clarke on the left and hammered a high, slightly excited cross in, while Erwin again turned onto his right foot and shot too close to Maxwell from 20-yard range.

Then came the killer blow. Ripley's first error of the season allowed Doyle - the man who made the real difference in this tie - to chase him down and cross perfectly for Hugill to seal the victory.

IN A NUTSHELL: Athletic held their own, but were not as clinical as their hosts.