Tony Brown
Former West Brom striker on BBC Radio WM

The ball is like a hot potato. Nobody is trying to bring it down, nobody's trying to caress it. It's just getting hooked on.

It's very scrappy.

Image source, Getty Images

Half shout for a PNE penalty

Emil Riis Jakobsen plunges to earth with home defender Cedric Kipre at his heels.

Looked soft! But the North End man looked aggrieved!

The Hawthorns is far from full tonight. Already a few murmurs from the locals.

Still, it took 79 minutes for Albion to make the breakthrough on Saturday. Still early yet!

First moment of menace as Darnell Furlong threatens with one of his trademark long throws arrowed into the mixer. Preston clear their lines though!

Image source, PA Media

Ten minutes gone. Nothing much to see here! Or bring a smile to Ryan Lowe's face.

Come on lads . . . "Weigh on 'em" as they used to say in olden times at Deepdale!

Postpublished at 20:08 Greenwich Mean Time 26 January 2022

20:08 GMT 26 January 2022

West Brom 0-0 Preston

That's then followed by a hefty 'let the keeper know I'm here' challenge from Preston striker Ched Evans as he climbs with Albion's David Button for a high ball.

Tony Brown
Former West Brom striker on BBC Radio WM

Neither side has been able to play any football yet as both sides are closing each other down.

A little kerfuffle between Albion's Darnell Furlong and PNE's Greg Cunningham as they argue over a throw. Soon smoothed over.

It might be cold but the Smethwick End are already in good voice as Albion attempt the first attack, only to be pulled up by the linesman's flag.

But it's PNE who win the first corner.

The strains of The Liquidator drain away, the knees are taken, referee Keith Stroud blows his whistle and we're off.

Image source, Getty Images

It's a cold, cold winter's night at The Hawthorns as the two teams enter the big stage.

"Three degrees," predicted BBC Radio WM's Paul Franks when he gave tonight's weather forecast out earlier, which suddenly made me realise I'd forgotten Cyrille Regis in that list of famous Albion scorers earlier.

But it was top fayre in the Albion pressroom. Superb home-made sausages and mash, complete with red cabbage to make our visitors from Lancashire feel at home.

And if the game can live up to that sort of quality, we're in for a treat. A real banger?

Steve Eyre
Former Rochdale boss on BBC Radio Lancashire

West Brom start as favourites, they're a giant in this league, and if North End can come away from here not getting beat that will be terrific, but I'm sure Ryan Lowe will have better ambitions for his team.

West Brom are a powerful team, strong, athletic but not prolific and not the best team in the division presently.

Although North End got beaten at the weekend they have had an upturn in form and results, and will come here with no fear.

England goalkeeper Sam Johnstone was expected to be back in the West Brom side this evening after completing his three-match ban following his red card after the final whistle at the end of the home draw with Cardiff at the start of the year.

However, Johnstone's name is missing from the team sheet.

And BBC Radio WM are reporting that his absence is not because of injury, illness or transfer related. I'm sure the question will be asked of Baggies boss Val Ismael later.

Albion boss Val Ismael makes two changes from Saturday's late, late show against Peterborough in a tactical reshuffle brought on by the loss of Daryl Dike with a hamstring injury and Alex Mowatt's return from suspension.

Mowatt effectively replaces defender Matt Clarke, while Grady Diangana comes back in for Dike.

North End make three changes from Saturday's first defeat under Ryan Lowe at Swansea.

Andrew Hughes is also back from suspension, but new signing Cameron Archer only makes the bench. Ryan Ledson and Brad Potts also come in.

New Preston boss Ryan Lowe had to wait more than three weeks into the January window before he made his first signing for Preston North End.

And, when he did this week finally bring in striker Cameron Archer on loan from Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa, the lifelong Liverpool fan admitted that it was his Scouse connections that had helped cement the deal.

The likable Lowe began his burgeoning career as one of the better occasional live televised match summarisers with the occasional stint on Liverpool's in-house LFC TV channel when, like Gerrard, the former Anfield junior was coming to the end of his playing days.

Image source, PA Media

And, although the North End boss obviously never reached Gerrard's heights as a player, he was there to watch a fair few of them - and Lowe's undoubted success in management so far has made him feel comfortable rubbing shoulders with the Villa boss.

"I've monitored Cameron for a while and when Stevie got the job at Villa, I bombarded him with calls," Lowe told BBC Radio Lancashire. "I was interested in taking him to Plymouth Argyle when I was down there.

"And obviously when you come to a Championship club you feel you are on the top end of the scale of getting a player like Cameron - and that was certainly the case. There were several clubs chasing his signature but we're the privileged ones to be able to take him."

Albion boss Val Ismael is very proud of having the best defensive record in the Championship - just 20 goals shipped this season and only six of them at The Hawthorns, where, having now gone 13 games unbeaten this season, the Baggies have broken their club record.

But, as Tony Pulis also found out here, clean sheets aren't always everyone's cup of tea. Especially not to a Baggies footballing public schooled on a history of goalscorers like William 'Ginger' Richardson, Derek Kevan and Ronnie Allen, Jeff 'The King' Astle and Tony 'Bomber' Brown, Lee Hughes, 'Super' Bobby Taylor and, more recently, Dwight Gayle and Jay Rodriguez.

Even last season when they were struggling in the top flight, Baggies fans still had 11 strikes from Matheus Pereira to savour. But Pereira's summer defection left a gap. The Albion fans know it hasn't really been filled. And they made their feelings known on Saturday.

Image source, PA Media

But hope still springs eternal at The Hawthorns. And who knows what extra bounce the Baggies will get from Saturday's late resurgence against Peterborough United on Saturday when they scored three times in the last 11 minutes to win 3-0.

Admittedly those hopes then took a bit of a jolt on Monday when they found out that expensive New Year's Day January window signing Daryl Dike's hamstring strain was worse than feared and that he may now be out for two months.

But top scorer Karlan Grant is now on to 10 goals for the season and, although Callum Robinson has only half that number, he made two of Saturday's goals - and tonight the former Aston Villa youngster is up against the club where he made his name.

After another five games last night, there's just one this evening as all eyes in the Championship turn towards the West Midlands, to The Hawthorns - for a meeting of two of the Football League's founder members 134 years ago, West Bromwich Albion v Preston North End.

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Valerien Ismael's Albion are going through a bit of a funny time as they prepare to welcome Ryan Lowe's North End.

They are fifth in the Championship - and victory tonight would lift them above QPR to fourth - back within four points of an automatic promotion place. But there has been growing discontent for some weeks in the home ranks at the football they are playing.

And North End, 15th in the table, having lost just once in five league games since Lowe took charge, will be out to cause further disruption and discontent.