Can Improving Orient Get The Better Of Preston?

Fourth placed Preston North End will be looking to close the gap on the automatic promotion places as they host Leyton Orient at Deepdale tomorrow. The Lancashire side are currently six points off the top two positions but will overtake the MK Dons and reduce this gap to three points, should they earn themselves a Friday victory at home.

Orient on the other hand have had a tough time of it this season, the club now just one place above the League One relegation zone. They share 35 points with manager-less Gillingham, the team beneath them, and are only above the parapet thanks to their superior goal difference.

As a result of this gulf in league positions, the home team have been made the 4/5 favourites by Skybet. The draw can be picked up at 29/10 with both bet365 and Betvictor whilst an away win has been priced up at 4/1 by a number of bookmakers.

What these odds fail to tell you, however, is that Preston have been having something of a wobble, the club following up a three game unbeaten run in the league with two League One matches without a win.

Simon Grayson`s men failed to secure the winning goal against Lancashire rivals and bottom club Crewe Alexandra, Jermaine Beckford`s late goal seven minutes from time being needed to level up after George Cooper`s well placed finish two minutes earlier.

The team then failed to successfully reduce the deficit when going 2-0 down against play-off hopefuls Sheffield United. Josh Brownhill`s on-target free kick in added time was only a consolation goal away from home.

These two matches bookended two tournament games, the first the team`s FA Cup victory over Championship side Norwich and the second being the club`s home defeat at the hands of Walsall. Both games ended 2-0 with Paul Gallagher grabbing a second-half brace against the Canaries.

They were the on-loan Leicester striker`s fifth and sixth goals of the season and the experienced Scot is 2/1 (bet365, Betvictor) to bag another goal at any time tomorrow. Gallagher is the club`s current top scorer after 11-goal Joe Garner was recalled by Aston Villa back in November after suffering a tendon injury.

Despite having only recorded one point from their last two league games, Preston have only lost once at home in this League One campaign. That result was at home to Bradford back in November.

Leyton Orient have experienced something of an upturn in form following the appointment of new manager Fabio Liverani, who replaced fellow Italian Mauro Milanese after only eight games in charge.

Five games into his premiership and the O`s` form reads LLWWL, though those two wins were emphatic in their style.

Orient managed to put four past fellow relegation candidates Crawley Town at home, Dean Cox netting a free-kick in the sixth minute to open the scoring. Jimmy Smith levelled up for the visitors four minutes later before Chris Dagnall restored the lead soon after.

David Mooney grabbed the third with two minutes left on the clock before top scorer Dagnall added the team`s fourth, and his second of the game, in injury time.

Dagnall, who is 15/4 with ladbrokes to find the net at any time against PNE, netted the opening goal against Yeovil in the side`s second win under Liverani. Kevin Lisbie provided the second in the second-half before Cox was on-target again to seal the 3-0 win away from home.

As a result of this peak in form, and he nature of these victories, it might be worth taking Coral`s price of 10/3 on the 20th placed side grabbing over 1.5 goals.

In team news, on-loan goalkeeper Sam Johnstone may go straight into the side for Preston whilst midfielder John Lundstram could return to the O`s side after re-signing with the club.

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15/01/2015     © Frixo 2026