Preston North End 4-1 Middlesbrough: FLW report as Boro are battered at Deepdale

Preston North End produced a glorious end of season performance to defeat Middlesbrough 4-1 at Deepdale, which consigned Boro to another season in the Championship and ended their play-off hopes.

It was a cagey enough opening part of the match with both sides trying to feel each other out, but the first chance of the contest fell to the home side.

Some tenacious play by the corner flag from Daniel Johnson – playing in the unfamiliar position of left wing-back – saw him able to set up Emil Riis after getting away from a couple of Boro challengers.

Riis teed a shot up but the 18-goal striker’s effort was deflected on the way through and Luke Daniels was able to tip the ball over the crossbar.

It was North End’s captain Alan Browne though who dealt a major blow to Boro’s hopes of making the play-offs on 24 minutes when he fired the Lilywhites into the lead.

Brad Potts fired a cross into the box following a short corner routine orchestrated by Ben Whiteman, and Browne was on hand to control the ball and then fire it into the corner of Daniels’ goal on the half-volley.

North End thought they’d made it 2-0 later on in the first half when Daniel Johnson’s corner seemed to go straight in, but referee Tim Robinson adjudged Boro stopper Daniels to have been fouled on his own line.

PNE couldn’t be denied just moments later though as a bit of wizardry from Riis saw him wriggle away from two Boro defenders in the box, before his shot across goal was deflected in off opposition defender Dael Fry to double the advantage.

In truth, North End could have been more goals to the good before the interval, with Ali McCann having a chance that whistled inches past Daniels’ far post, and then Daniel Johnson was denied by a last-ditch tackle by