Sheffield Wednesday 0-1 Preston North End - Lindsay header leaves Owls pointless

Liam LindsayImage source, Rex Features
Image caption,

Liam Lindsay headed into the bottom corner five minutes into the second half

Sheffield Wednesday remain pointless in the Championship after being edged out by Preston at Hillsborough.

Liam Lindsay's bullet header early in the second half was enough to ensure the points in a game which saw goalscoring chances at a premium.

Ryan Lowe's North End side remain unbeaten after picking up seven points from their opening three games, two points adrift of early leaders Ipswich and Leicester.

It is the first time the Owls have lost their opening three league fixtures since 2007.

Preston's Brad Potts saw an early effort well saved as Devis Vasquez got down to his right to turn Potts' cushioned volley from a Kian Best cross round the post.

Barry Bannan fizzed over the bar from distance at the other end and saw another effort blocked by Andrew Hughes, who also thwarted Juan Delgado.

Seeking to score for the third straight game, Will Keane fired wide from Best's cross under pressure from Dominic Iorfa before Lee Gregory controlled Bannan's pass before cutting inside, only for his low shot to be saved by Freddie Woodman.

The deadlock was broken within five minutes of the second half as Lindsay evaded his markers and headed powerfully into the bottom corner from Best's whipped free-kick.

Alan Browne saw a free-kick deflected wide as the visitors sought a second while Gregory fired over the bar after controlling Liam Palmer's cross from the right.

Woodman held a tame header from Delgado as the Owls tried to find a leveller but Hughes almost sealed victory, lashing a volley wide narrowly from the edge of the box following a Browne corner.

Wednesday fans greeted the final whistle with a smattering of boos but Preston - two points off early leaders Ipswich and Leicester - have now lost just once in 10 matches against newly-promoted sides.

Sheffield Wednesday manager Xisco Munoz told BBC Radio Sheffield:

"I am very disappointed about the result. We had some moments. I think we could have kept the ball better at times. We need to improve in our own box - we need to be talking about clean sheets - and we need to improve in the last third. This is the difference in the Championship.

"We had better control of the game but it was not enough to take the points and it's important right now to think about the process and start taking points."

Preston boss Ryan Lowe told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"I'm pleased for the group, they have been fantastic. We stuck to the game plan. We knew what we were going to come up against in Sheffield Wednesday, a big, strong, powerful team. they showed it at the end, but I felt comfortable watching it for a large part of the game.

"Credit to the boys they were fantastic in everything we asked them to do. They are different class in attitude and application. Long may it continue."

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